Labor shortfalls rooted in the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic remain a millstone around the neck of the defense industry, forcing firms to juggle staff, hold job fairs and find workarounds to keep operations running as smoothly as possible.
Over the past three years, the U.S. Navy has tightened its budget and changed its requirements, making the future look far less rosy for a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries.
The introduction of the 11-page Shipyard Act comes after President Joe Biden proposed a $2.25 trillion infrastructure package and Republicans made a $568 billion counteroffer.
With Democrats fighting to retake the Senate and the White House in the Nov. 3 elections, Sen. Jack Reed is favored to move into one of Congress' most visible positions and become a major defense figure for his party ― and just as the military’s transition toward competition with China and Russia is gaining momentum.