Littoral Combat Ship contract will create thousands of new jobs in Wisconsin

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate today approved the Navy’s plan to purchase ten Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) from Marinette Marine over the next five years. Senator Kohl has worked with the Secretary of the Navy and other officials to bring the contract to Wisconsin and finalize the deal in the Senate. The final language was included in the Continuing Resolution which was passed by the Senate, 79 to 16, and now goes back to the House for approval before being signed by the President. The contract is expected to create roughly 5,000 jobs and generate $2.6 billion in the local economy.

“We worked hard to ensure that Marinette Marine got a fair share of this shipbuilding contract, which will generate jobs and economic growth in the region for years,” Kohl said. “Marinette Marine has proven itself time and time again to be a top-of-the-line ship manufacturer and I’m gratified that Wisconsin will play a large role in shipbuilding and protecting our troops.” 

The northeastern Wisconsin company bid to construct 10 Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and was competing with Alabama shipbuilder, Austal USA. The Navy has a proposal to award both Marinette Marine and Austal USA contracts to produce 10 LCS each over the next 5 years.  Kohl made a strong case for Marinette Marine’s shipbuilding bid with Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, including during a hearing in the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, on which Kohl serves, on March 17, 2010.  Kohl also frequently met with officials from Marinette Marine and its parent company, Italian ship-builder Fincantieri, along with representatives from Lockheed Martin, to make a strong case to the Navy as officials weighed a decision on the shipbuilding contract.

Marinette Marine estimates that this contract will employ an additional 2,100 workers at the company and will create roughly 5,000 additional jobs in northeastern Wisconsin and throughout the state.  It is also projected that $2.6 billion will be injected into the Wisconsin economy over the life of the contract.

Marinette Marine successfully constructed the USS Freedom, the company’s prototype LCS built in 2008, which the Navy called “capable, well-built and inspection ready” following its review of the ship. Marinette Marine is also finishing work on their second LCS – the Fort Worth, which is meeting cost and schedule benchmarks. The Littoral Combat Ship is a light, fast, and less expensive surface combatant with a flexible design that will be able to complete a wide variety of missions depending on which “plug and play” modules it is carrying.