SANTA CLARITA, Calif., Sept. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HII’s (NYSE: HII) executive vice president of maritime systems and corporate strategy, Eric Chewning, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to strengthening the nation’s defense industrial base and revitalizing U.S. shipbuilding today during a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense field hearing. Speaking at College of the Canyons before subcommittee Chairman Rep. Ken Calvert, and members of the subcommittee, Chewning underscored the critical importance of a modernized workforce, upgraded shipyard infrastructure, and an expanded maritime industrial base.
“America’s ability to maintain peace and defend our interests depends on a strong, secure, and ready industrial base,” Chewning said. “At HII, our mission to deliver the world’s most powerful ships and all‑domain solutions is only possible because of our dedicated workforce and the continued support of Congress and the U.S. Navy.”
A photo accompanying this release is available at www.HII.com/newsroom.
Chewning, drawing on his experience as former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy, highlighted past reforms during the hearing to address strategic threats and bolster resilience. He also emphasized what HII is doing to accelerate throughput to meet national security demands.
“In 2025, throughput in our shipyards increased by 14% year-over-year,” said Chewning. “And with approximately 40 ships at Ingalls and Newport News in active construction or modernization, our focus in 2026 is clear: we must build on this momentum and continue delivering ships at a greater pace to the U.S. Navy. We are targeting a 15% year-over-year throughput increase in 2026.”
Chewning said HII’s strategy to increase throughput centers on three parts: hiring, teaching, and retaining a world-class workforce; modernizing shipbuilding infrastructure with capital investments such as the use of physical AI in shipbuilding; and expanding the maritime industrial base by growing HII’s supply chain and implementing a distributed shipbuilding strategy.
While describing the strategy, Chewing thanked Congress and the Navy for their support that enabled HII to enter into new shipyard collective bargaining agreements that provided competitive wage increases to maintain a highly skilled workforce. In addition, he highlighted HII’s ongoing industrial base expansion, including a plan to strategically outsource more than two million hours of work in 2026, a 178% increase from 2024. The outsourced work will increase HII’s shipbuilding throughput and create jobs in communities across the country and will give small- and medium- sized businesses improved confidence to invest in their own capacity and workforce.
Additional contributions to the revitalization discussion included progress at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding Charleston Operations. Chewning pointed out the facility is a model for maritime industrial base revitalization. Working closely with the U.S. Navy, the State of South Carolina, and the Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Policy Office, HII was able to transform the underutilized facility into a growing advanced manufacturing campus supporting the submarine industrial base and expanding skilled trade opportunities.
“This is a powerful example of what can be achieved when industry, the federal government, and state partners work together to strengthen America’s maritime dominance,” said Chewning. “We thank the U.S. Navy, Congress, and specifically the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee for their continued support and look forward to working together to ensure America’s maritime superiority for generations to come.”
You can read the full written testimony here: https://appropriations.house.gov/schedule/hearings/field-hearing-industrial-base-and-workforce-development-skilled-trades.
About HII
HII is America’s largest shipbuilder, delivering the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain mission technologies, including unmanned systems, to U.S. and allied defense customers. HII is the largest producer of unmanned underwater vehicles for the U.S. Navy and the world.
With a more than 140-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII builds and integrates defense capabilities extending from the core fleet to C6ISR, AI/ML, EW and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 45,000 strong. For more information, visit:
- HII on the web: https://www.HII.com/
- HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII
- HII on X: https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII
- HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII
- HII on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearehii
Contact:
Danny Hernandez
Danny.J.Hernandez@hii-co-com
(202) 264-7143
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/428157cc-ebb3-4012-9125-a5d5dcddbb78
