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Submarine Manufacturer Hopes To Add 2,000 Jobs In Conn. And R.I.

Electric Boat submarine
Electric Boat

Connecticut elected officials got an update this week from Electric Boat, one of the state’s largest employers and manufacturers of U.S. submarines.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal said he was concerned over the continued decline of companies that supply the defense industry.

“They are hanging by a thread and many of them are struggling to keep their doors open," Blumenthal said. "We need to make sure they have available the PPP and other small business aids that are important to their survival. And that they have available too, guarantees for future business that they can rely on.”

Blumenthal said the defense supply chain industry has dropped by 70% over the last several decades.

Electric Boat said they were aware of the situation and sought to strengthen the supply chain by adding 2,000 jobs in Connecticut and Rhode Island this year.

Kevin Graney, president of Electric Boat, countered Blumenthal's bleak assessment and said 2021 is looking bright for the submarine manufacturer.

“With the award of the Virginia block 5 and Columbia build 1 construction contracts, we now have more work in front of us than in any other time in our history. Our contracted work or what we refer to as our backlog is currently $39 billion that includes two of the 12 planned Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines and 19 Virginia class submarines,” Graney said.