U.S. Navy Celebrates Expanding Talent Pipeline for Submarine Industrial Base

WASHINGTON – This May, the U.S. Navy's Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) program is hosting a series of Talent Pipeline Project (TPP) Signing Day events across key maritime hubs to recognize the latest wave of skilled workers joining the Defense Industrial Base.

These events, taking place in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Hampton Roads, Boston, and Long Island, mark the culmination of the SIB program's multiyear effort to develop robust talent pipelines in these regions. Working with partners in industry, academia, and local government, the SIB program has launched training and recruitment initiatives to cultivate the next generation of welders, pipefitters, electricians, and other critical tradespeople. These five programs represent tremendous enterprise collaboration and include more than 290 defense industry and 140 academic partners.

The May Signing Days will celebrate more than 2,100 individuals who are now embarking on careers at small and medium-sized defense industrial base suppliers - the vital network of companies that provide components, materials, and services critical to new construction and sustainment of our maritime forces. Local shipbuilding companies, elected officials, and community leaders will be on hand to celebrate the graduates and welcome them into this critical defense industry.

"These Signing Days highlight the many meaningful careers paths to be found in submarine manufacturing and the good-paying jobs being created in communities across the country," said Rear Adm. Scott Pappano, Program Executive Officer for Strategic Submarines. "These events represent merely the beginning as we work to grow and sustain the submarine industrial base for the long term," Pappano said, highlighting the importance of these programs.

The TPPs are critical to the Navy's efforts to recapitalize its submarine fleet and maintain a strong, resilient industrial base. The SIB program must address persistent workforce challenges with plans to build one Columbia-class and two Virginia-class submarines per year by 2028.

"I am thankful for the young men and women taking part in these events and those who will support their country and embark on an extraordinary career path through the Talent Pipeline Programs," said Pappano. "These women and men are critical to the defense of our nation."

With the U.S. Navy needing to hire over 140,000 skilled workers over the next decade to meet submarine production goals and to maintain the current submarine fleet, programs like the SIB's Talent Pipeline are essential.

"Those who embark on a career in the Submarine Industrial Base are to be applauded for responding to their nation’s call to preserve freedom of the seas and our American way of life," said Pappano.

The Navy is invested in cultivating this new generation of submarine builders. The SIB program expanded its Talent Pipeline initiatives this year, adding events in Long Island and Boston. In April, the SIB hosted a Demand Signal Roundtable in Newport Beach, Calif., as a way to expand the talent pipeline initiative into the Southern California region as it seeks to develop a deep, capable workforce for America's undersea fleet.

As the U.S. faces evolving global security threats, a strong, resilient submarine force remains a cornerstone of American naval power. The SIB program's investment in workforce development is crucial to ensuring the submarine industrial base can meet the Navy's ambitious production goals in the years ahead.

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Naval Sea Systems Command Press Release (original)