Shea-Porter Statement on GAO Report on Nuclear Submarine Maintenance

Statement

Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement after the Government Accountability Office released a report on maintenance delays facing the attack submarine fleet:

"Our public shipyards are the gold standard for the repair and maintenance of our nuclear submarine force. The workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard do an incredible job, on-time and on budget, and the Shipyard is a national model for depot-level repair work. The Shipyard's work keeps our submariners safe and ensures the readiness of our nuclear submarine fleet at a time when the it is facing an increasing workload. Despite these pressures, and because of the Navy's submarine safety standards and the work of the Shipyard, the deployed readiness of our attack submarines is high and they are in "excellent material condition' compared with the rest of the Navy, according to GAO. Congress and the Navy are working hard to address maintenance delays by investing significant resources into upgrading public shipyards, including nearly $150 million for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The Shipyard is working at full capacity and meeting its goals, and I do not expect that any maintenance availabilities will be transferred from Portsmouth. It's clear from this report that our public shipyards are needed now than ever, and I expect the Navy to continue supporting our public shipyards by making critical investments to expand capacity and train new workers."

Source