ACIBC Action Days
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 29, 2010 |
Aircraft Carrier Suppliers Meet on Capitol Hill to Advocate for Continued Support for Funding for Carrier Programs
Each year, members of the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition (ACIBC) gather in Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress to advocate for continued support for funding for U.S. Navy aircraft carrier programs. In this photo (L-R): Matt Mulherin, Sector Vice President and General Manager, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding; Representative Rob Wittman (VA-1), Rick Giannini, Chair of the ACIBC and President & CEO of Milwaukee Valve Company in New Berlin, Wisconsin; Darrell Grow, ACIBC Vice-Chair and Chief Operating Officer for the AMMCON Corporation in Hillsboro, Oregon; and Mike Petters, Corporate Vice President and President, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding.
ACIBC Member Steven Dobos of Butler Weldments Corporation meeting with Representative John Carter (TX 31) during ACIBC Action Days 2010.
Washington, D.C. – More than 130 members of the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition (ACIBC) have gathered in Washington as part of the sixth annual Action Days Conference to urge continued support for the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier programs. Members of the group are meeting with members of Congress to discuss how sustained Congressional funding for the carrier programs has important implications for the continued strength of the thousands of companies that provide parts and services for the construction and maintenance of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
The members gathered at a dinner this evening where Representative Glenn Nye (D-VA-2), member of the Armed Services Committee, spoke about the importance of the industrial base and its effect on local economies and national security. The dinner concluded a day of briefings on the latest developments in carrier construction, maintenance and overhaul, in advance of members’ meetings on Capitol Hill on Thursday.
Representative Nye stated, “Aircraft carriers have been the backbone of American military power around the world for more than half a century, and they will continue to be essential as we face new and uncertain threats. I am committed to maintaining the strength of our carrier fleet.”
Members of ACIBC are urging uninterrupted funding of new construction, to support improved planning and better control of overhead costs. A disruption in planned funding for the carrier program could jeopardize the ability of these highly skilled industrial base companies to devote business resources to providing specialized parts and services, potentially threatening their availability and weakening the defense industry.
While funding levels for fiscal year 2011 are not yet finalized, ACIBC members are requesting Congressional support of the President’s Budget Request to provide appropriations for completion of full funding for the carrier program.
Those carriers that would be affected by a disruption in funding include: the Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), now under construction in Newport News, Virginia and scheduled for delivery in 2015; Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71); Advance Procurement for the RCOH of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), scheduled to arrive in Newport News in 2012; and Advance Procurement for construction of the yet-to-be-named CVN-79 nuclear-powered aircraft carrier which will be the second ship of the Gerald R. Ford class.
More than 2,000 small, mid-sized and large businesses from 43 states provide the design services, material, equipment and technology to construct, operate and maintain U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. In the past year these companies have been very proud to see their contribution to the construction and maintenance of aircraft carriers in action around the globe in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, in counter piracy operations off of Somalia and the Horn of Africa and providing humanitarian aid in Haiti. Today they are working hard to provide their support for construction of Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the first ship in the newest class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, as well as for the refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71).
“This advocacy day is imperative to ensure the voice of the aircraft carrier industrial base is heard in Congress,” said Rick Giannini, chairman of the ACIBC and President & CEO of Milwaukee Valve Company in New Berlin, Wisconsin. “Each year, we look forward to coming to Washington to raise awareness about the importance of carrier funding and the need for a strong, stable base. I am happy to see the continuing show of support to our cause and our conference, now in its sixth year.”
“Our primary mission is to give a voice to the thousands of workers who contribute to the construction and maintenance of aircraft carriers that protect our nation’s borders at home and abroad,” added Darrell Grow, ACIBC vice-chairman and Chief Operation Officer for the AMMCON Corporation in Hillsboro, Oregon. “The economic implications of disruptions to the planned funding are dire and would not only affect our lives and jobs, but the security of our nation.”
There are currently 11 aircraft carriers in service. For more facts and information on aircraft carriers and ACIBC please visit the ACIBC Web site: www.acibc.org.
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ABOUT THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER INDUSTRIAL BASE COALITION (ACIBC)
The Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition (ACIBC) is a membership organization representing more than 400 businesses of the more than 2,000 small, mid-sized and large businesses from across the United States that supply parts, services and support to the production and maintenance of United States Navy aircraft carriers -- one of our nation's most critical and trusted military platforms. Established in 2004, ACIBC seeks to preserve the strength of the aircraft carrier force and promote the value of the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base as a vital part of the nation's overall defense structure. These businesses supply a wide range of components and services, from motors, pipes and insulation to electrical, engineering and maintenance services.