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Tag: Huntington Ingalls Industries

HII division lands $6.7B Air Force contract

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries’ McLean-based Mission Technologies division a $6.7 billion contract to provide electronic warfare engineering and technical services support, according to a Thursday announcement from the defense contractor. 

The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract is the largest Mission Technologies has yet landed, according to HII. 

“We have a team of subject matter experts with deep expertise in all aspects of electromagnetic spectrum and electronic warfare, and we are committed to staying a step ahead of our adversaries alongside our customers as the complexity of warfare changes,” Andy Green, HII executive vice president and president of Mission Technologies, said in a statement.

Additionally, HII announced Wednesday that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of W International SC and Vivid Empire SC. Collectively known as W International, the South Carolina complex metal fabricator specializes in manufacturing shipbuilding structures, modules and assemblies.

Aerial shot of manufacturing facility that sits next to water.
W International facility in South Carolina. Photo courtesy HII.

A spokesperson for HII declined to provide terms of the deal. 

After the acquisition closes, the manufacturing facility in Goose Creek, South Carolina, will operate within HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division. The site will support construction of nuclear-powered submarine and aircraft carrier modules and structures for U.S. Navy programs. NNS is one of only two U.S. shipyards capable of designing and building nuclear‐powered submarines.

“Substantially all current employees will be offered positions with HII to continue to work on-site,” the release stated.

“HII is committed to increasing build rates for our Navy customer, and this investment in capacity alongside the Navy will help us do that,” said HII President and CEO Chris Kastner. “It lets us efficiently add trained talent and state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities to the urgent job of building ships.”

The acquired assets include advanced production facilities that are located on a leased 45-acre site with more than 480,000 square feet of manufacturing space as well as barge and rail access.

The facility in South Carolina will be known as Newport News Shipbuilding – Charleston Operations.

Matt Needy, currently Newport News Shipbuilding’s vice president and chief transformation officer, will become general manager of the site. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024, subject to regulatory approvals and other factors.

Newport News-based HII is the nation’s largest military shipbuilder and the largest industrial employer in Virginia. The Fortune 500 company employs more than 44,000 workers. The Mission Technologies division has more than 7,000 employees and more than 100 facilities globally. HII reported $11.5 billion in revenues for 2023.

HII’s Mission Technologies secures $3B DOD contract

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ McLean-based Mission Technologies division won a $3 billion contract to provide the Department of Defense logistics and intelligence support and technology.

Under the Logistics Services, ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance] Operations and Next-Gen Technology (LOGIX) task order, the HII division will provide strategy-level support to the DOD and its mission partners. HII announced the award, which supports the Pentagon’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) strategy, on Wednesday.

Todd Gentry, president of Mission Technologies’ All-Domain Operations group, said in a statement: “LOGIX positions our team to expand our support to mission partners globally, partnering with DOD to provide worldclass intelligence, integrated logistics, and emerging technologies and solutions to enhance and inform our mission partners’ decision space in a multi-domain contested environment. We’re honored to have been selected and are ready to execute.”

Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries is the nation’s largest military shipbuilder and the largest industrial employer in Virginia. The Fortune 500 company employs more than 44,000 workers. The Mission Technologies division has more than 7,000 employees and more than 100 facilities globally.

Also on Wednesday, HII reported its third quarter earnings. The shipbuilder’s revenue was $2.7 billion, down 2.4% from the third quarter of 2023. Lower volume at Mississippi-based Ingalls Shipbuilding and Newport News Shipbuilding drove the decrease, but Mission Technologies’ growth partially offset it, according to HII.

HII also lowered its fiscal 2024 shipbuilding revenue expectations — from a range of $8.8 billion to $9.1 billion down to approximately $8.8 billion — because of uncertainty about the timing of a Navy contract on Virginia-class Block V and Block VI and Columbia-class submarines, supply chain delays and a less experienced workforce. The company increased its expected revenue from the Mission Technologies division, though, from a range of $2.75 billion to $2.8 billion to a range of $2.8 billion to $2.85 billion.

HII’s Mission Technologies wins $458M DOD contract

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ McLean-based Mission Technologies division won a $458 million federal defense contract to modernize information technology architecture.

Under the five-year task order, which HII announced Tuesday it had won, the division will use model-based systems engineering to develop, assess and implement technical solutions to improve cybersecurity, add capabilities and enable cloud migration on U.S. Defense Department communication and information technology networks.

“We are honored by the customer’s trust in HII and our approach,” Andy Green, HII executive vice president and Mission Technologies president, said in a statement. “As we advance their IT transformation goals, we are committed to delivering cutting-edge expertise and solutions that will have a direct, positive impact on our frontline warfighters.”

The U.S. Air Force’s 774th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron awarded the contract through the Defense Department’s Information Analysis Center Multiple Award Contract vehicle to develop the Defense Technical Information Center repository and support research and development.

Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries is the nation’s largest military shipbuilder and the largest industrial employer in Virginia. The Fortune 500 company employs more than 44,000 workers. The Mission Technologies division has more than 7,000 employees and more than 100 facilities globally.

NNS aims to grow workforce

Virginia’s largest industrial employer, Newport News Shipbuilding, hopes to grow its 26,000-person workforce by 3,000 this year to tackle its backlog of projects.

NNS, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is building modular components for 12 Columbia-class subs and then handing them off to partner General Dynamics’ Connecticut-based Electric Boat, and the two companies have a similar construction-sharing agreement to build Virginia-class subs. Meanwhile, NNS continues overhauling Nimitz-class aircraft carriers and building a Ford-class aircraft carrier expected to be delivered in September 2029.

According to an April report from the Navy, the completion of subs and carriers are now delayed between one to three years. With these setbacks, the Navy has postponed some purchases, which weighs on NNS and other shipbuilders.

In the meantime, though, NNS is focusing on recruiting skilled workers to complete existing Navy contract work worth billions. Xavier Beale, the shipyard’s vice president of human resources, says NNS is focusing its recruitment efforts within a 100-mile radius of Hampton Roads, as far west as Danville, and within the next two years, the company plans to extend its outreach into other states.

It’s more than just a “Help Wanted” sign, Beale says.

To make it easy to apply, the shipyard holds “Walk-in Wednesdays.” Each week, those interested in skilled-trade positions can apply at the Newport News Shipbuilding employment office at 5200 W. Mercury Blvd. in Hampton without an appointment, Beale says. For professional positions ranging from human resources to engineering, the shipyard has 200 college internships and recruits recent graduates from William & Mary and Christopher Newport, Hampton, Norfolk State and Old Dominion universities.

To attract experienced professionals, shipyard recruiters attend industry conferences year-round.

The Hampton Roads Regional Workforce Council plays a significant role with the Regional Maritime Training System, a collaborative initiative focused on filling approximately 11,000 skilled maritime job openings across Hampton Roads, council President and CEO Shawn Avery says.

NNS salaries are competitive, Beale says, although amounts are not made public, and full-time employees receive medical benefits and access to job training, an on-site health center and financial literacy programs. He also points to proximity to the beach and other amenities, as well as an affordable cost of living compared with other Virginia regions, although home prices statewide have risen in recent years.

“We want our employees to have a healthy mind, body and wallet,” he says.  

Suffolk logistics facility purchased for $50.5M

An entity connected with Ashley Capital, a New York-based industrial real estate company, sold a multi-tenant facility in Suffolk for $50.5 million to a Florida real estate investment firm on May 1, according to the city’s property records.

The Bridgeway Business Center, a 707,000-square-foot warehousing and distribution facility on College Drive in Suffolk, was purchased by InLight Real Estate Partners. The building sits on 50 acres about seven miles from the Virginia International Gateway container terminal.

InLight acquired the property in a joint venture with a Connecticut-based institutional family office, which an InLight spokesperson declined to name. Financing for the acquisition was through Connecticut-based Knighthead Funding, according to InLight’s announcement.

Bridgeway Business Center is fully leased with five tenants, including Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries, United Parcel Service, Georgia-based Coastal Logistics Group, the Virginia Department of General Services and Louisiana-based Dupré Logistics, according to InLight.

HII has leased space at the property since 1997 to support its adjacent Newport News Shipbuilding subsidiary, which was a draw for InLight, according to Charles Margiota, a partner at the real estate investment company. “We are thrilled to acquire an asset that, for the last 27 years, has been home to HII, the largest Navy shipbuilder in the country,” Margiota said in a statement.

InLight, an investment and development firm that focuses on industrial and logistics real estate across the Sun Belt, Midwest, East Coast and Gulf Coast markets, plans property improvements to the business center. The company spokesperson declined to specify what the upgrades will entail.

Watercourse of study

Starting this fall, Old Dominion University students will have a new interdisciplinary school dedicated to maritime work, logistics and supply chain management — an upgrade from an earlier program offered through the Strome College of Business.

In September 2023, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) approved ODU’s School of Supply Chain, Logistics, and Maritime Operations, building on the university’s bachelor’s degree program in maritime and supply chain management, the only such program offered east of the Mississippi River.

As of March, the new school was still developing courses in partnership with industry experts and was expecting to launch a marketing campaign to make students aware of its offerings, says Ricardo Ungo, an assistant professor at ODU whose research focuses on transportation, supply chain management and maritime cybersecurity. ODU’s maritime program will be interdisciplinary.

Although the new school will bring together classes that were offered at Strome and other parts of the university, it also will support the Maritime Consortium created in 2021 to promote and expand ODU’s maritime-related resources and support workforce and research needs for multiple local industries.

The new school also will offer a wide range of interdisciplinary classes, Ungo says. “The idea is to open up the opportunities for students from different majors across the university to learn about supply chain logistics and maritime operations.”

Mileta M. Tomovic, Mitsubishi-Kasei professor of manufacturing at ODU and interim director of the new school, says he expects some students already enrolled in supply chain and maritime operations courses at Strome to move to the new school in the fall.

The program “will be pulling from a number of different departments at the university to offer the best education that ODU can offer to make it broad, yet targeted, all at the same time,” says Deborah Waters, a Norfolk-based maritime attorney and advisory board chair for ODU’s School of Supply Chain, Logistics, and Maritime Operations.

Having served a decade on the Virginia Port Authority board, Waters sees ODU’s new supply chain and logistics school as a continuation of the state’s investment in the Port of Virginia and connected industries.

In 2014, the port was in financial doldrums, having lost about $120 million over the past five years, but then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe injected about $1.5 billion in state funding to turn around the port, also hiring CEO John Reinhart, who retired in early 2021, having brought the port back to profitability.

Waters says the state’s 2014 investment showed recognition of “the value of the port as a catalyst for commercial activity in the commonwealth and in the region.”

Today, the port is thriving, but a major challenge to maritime employers is growing the industry’s talent pipeline so they can fill tens of thousands of jobs over the coming decades. 

About 40 people serve on the supply chain school’s advisory board, Tomovic says, and many are involved with local, regional and international maritime employers — from Maersk to the Port of Virginia — as well as the U.S. Department of Transportation, the International Longshoremen’s Association and the Virginia Maritime Association.

The members of this group “have been instrumental in pushing forward with this idea of the School of Supply Chain, Logistics, and Maritime Operations,” Tomovic says. “They see that there is a significant demand for qualified personnel.”

In Hampton Roads alone, the Hampton Roads Workforce Council anticipates the need for at least 30,000 new shipbuilding hires just to work on Navy submarines. 

While parents and students are interested in knowing about employment possibilities before committing to a multiyear college program, ODU strives to help students “understand what the job entails and what are the pathways for the future,” Tomovic says. In turn, the school is focused on developing internships and other opportunities with local businesses for students.

One example of a company looking to fill thousands of jobs in the next decade is Newport News Shipbuilding. In mid-March, the company announced it plans to hire 19,000 skilled trade workers within the next decade, as the Huntington Ingalls Inc.subsidiary works to deliver the Navy’s order of nuclear-powered submarines.

“They are good-paying jobs that take skill and education,” Waters says. “They’re one of the companies that not only needs tradesmen like welders and pipefitters, [but] they also need more advanced workforce capability like engineers — they’re screaming for engineers and naval architects and accountants and logistics people.” And these are all jobs that ODU’s new school can prepare students to land in the future.

“Maritime is something that we are perfectly positioned to be involved with,” Tomovic says. “We do have a significant number of companies that are present here, and their support and their involvement with us makes us in a unique position to create this school that is going to meet their needs.”  

Subs going Down Under

A 2021 agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States should reap benefits in Hampton Roads soon.

Dubbed AUKUS for the three participating nations, the international agreement calls for the U.S. and the U.K. to share nuclear propulsion technology with Australia, with the Royal Australian Navy set to acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines, including three to five Virginia-class submarines in the 2030s.

That means more business for Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries, the Fortune 500 shipbuilder and parent company of Newport News Shipbuilding, as well as the prospect of Australian shipbuilders setting up shop in Virginia.

“AUKUS is a defense-focused alliance to promote economic prosperity and regional stability in the Indo-Pacific with Australia, which has always been one of our best allies, and the U.K., which has historic ties to Australia,” explains U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia. “Its goal is to develop joint capacity so we can promote stability and defer aggression by China or anyone else who wants to create trouble in the region.”

Kaine, who serves on the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, was instrumental in passing provisions to implement and strengthen the agreement, which he says will create jobs in Virginia over the next decade.

AUKUS has two pillars, the first laying out a roadmap for Australia to develop the capacity to operate, build and maintain nuclear subs over the next 30 years. As a signatory to the international Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Australia currently does not have a well-developed nuclear industry, but the U.S. and the U.K. have shared nuclear propulsion technology for more than 60 years and now share that information with Australia under the new agreement.

Nuclear-powered submarines, being quiet, faster and less detectable, are highly preferred to diesel-powered subs, Kaine says.

The second pillar of AUKUS is more of a carte blanche for collaboration among the three nations in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, hypersonic capabilities and aerospace investments, and that in particular excites Kaine.

“I think there are going to be a lot of opportunities for Virginia companies and universities on this more open-ended ‘pillar two’ side,” he says. “We have a lot of innovators in Virginia. I think there’s a role for Virginia companies that have space assets. There will be a lot of opportunities to innovate in some of these areas like cyber and AI, and there’s going to be some great opportunities for Virginia businesses in that as well.”

What’s happening now

With decades of nuclear shipbuilding experience, HII is already collaborating with leading defense companies in the U.K. to support AUKUS and has engaged with more than 200 Australian companies hoping to qualify to become HII suppliers, according to Michael Lempke, who heads HII’s Australia business efforts.

While the greater goals of AUKUS are defense-oriented, the agreement is “an unprecedented opportunity for the integration and expansion of industrial capacity” across the three nations, explains Lempke. “We are well-positioned to leverage our longstanding expertise in nuclear shipbuilding, workforce development, supply chain analytics, industrial maintenance and sustainment, and other related defense technologies to support our trilateral partners.”

Quality Maritime Surveyors (QMS), based in the suburbs of Adelaide, Australia, is one of the pioneering companies to take the plunge into Virginia’s waters. The company, run by CEO Crystal Kennedy and her husband, Director Shaun Kennedy, specializes in nondestructive testing and inspection of materials used in marine vessels, typically metals.

In mid-April, QMS announced it would start a training school for Australian shipbuilders in Norfolk temporarily, with plans to find a permanent facility in Newport News, so Australian students can learn from Hampton Roads experts. Although the Kennedys opened a U.S. head office in Thomasville, Georgia, in February, this is their first venture in Virginia.

“We put about 10,000 miles on the car in the little bit of time we were here, visiting potential partners and locations,” Crystal Kennedy says. “There were many places chasing us to lay our heads there, but Virginia really, really shone bright for us, especially Hampton Roads with its naval center of excellence.”

AUKUS’ success hinges on preparing a skilled workforce capable of supporting Australia’s long road to sovereign nuclear-powered submarines, Lempke notes, and HII is already partnering with several academic institutions in Australia toward that objective.

QMS is also part of this larger international effort, Crystal Kennedy says, and she hopes the Newport News facility, where hundreds of Australian technicians will be trained each year, will be open and operating by the end of the year.

“As of right now, America has different standards from Australia and the U.K., so we need to train people in all the procedures and requirements as we start to share information and [are] able to test any components in the whole of the trilateral agreement,” she says. “So, there won’t be any sending back parts or not being able to fulfill needs in the supply chain because the technicians coming out of our training facility will already have that knowledge.”  

This story has been updated since publication.

Australian maritime co. to start sub/shipbuilding school in Hampton Roads

An Australian maritime company announced Tuesday it will set up a submarine and shipbuilding training institution in Norfolk for the short term and will seek a permanent home in Newport News.

Quality Maritime Surveyors (QMS), based in the suburbs of Adelaide, Australia, is one of the pioneering companies to take the plunge into Virginia’s waters, following a 2021 agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Dubbed AUKUS for the three participating nations, the international agreement calls for the U.S. and the U.K. to share nuclear propulsion technology with Australia, with the Royal Australian Navy set to acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines, including three to five Virginia-class submarines in the 2030s.

QMS, run by CEO Crystal Kennedy and her husband, Director Shaun Kennedy, specializes in nondestructive testing and inspection of materials used in marine vessels, typically metals.

Speaking to Virginia Business in March, the Kennedys said they planned to start a training school for Australian shipbuilders in Newport News so they can learn from Hampton Roads experts. Although the Kennedys opened a U.S. head office in Thomasville, Georgia, in February, this is their first venture in Virginia.

According to Tuesday’s announcement, QMS will be located temporarily at the Hampton Roads Alliance’s IDEA Lab in Norfolk’s World Trade Center, while the couple seeks a permanent location in Newport News.

“We put about 10,000 miles on the car in the little bit of time we were here, visiting potential partners and locations,” Crystal Kennedy said in March. “There were many places chasing us to lay our heads there, but Virginia really, really shone bright for us, especially Hampton Roads with its naval center of excellence.

“Our expansion into Hampton Roads marks an exciting chapter for QMS,” Kennedy added in a statement Tuesday. “We are thrilled to bring our decades of experience and innovative training solutions to the U.S., where we aim to support local maritime technicians and contribute to the advancement of safety, efficiency and technological innovation within the shipbuilding industry.”

Doug Smith, president and CEO of the Hampton Roads Alliance, added in his own statement that QMS’ expansion “will undoubtedly strengthen our regional shipbuilding ecosystem and contribute to the success of initiatives like the AUKUS submarine program.”

What AUKUS could do

AUKUS is expected to bring in more business for Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), the Fortune 500 shipbuilder and parent company of Newport News Shipbuilding, and more Australian shipbuilders could set up shop in Virginia.

“AUKUS is a defense-focused alliance to promote economic prosperity and regional stability in the Indo-Pacific with Australia, which has always been one of our best allies, and the U.K., which has historic ties to Australia,” explained U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, in a March interview with Virginia Business. “Its goal is to develop joint capacity so we can promote stability and defer aggression by China or anyone else who wants to create trouble in the region.”

Kaine, who serves on the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, was instrumental in passing provisions to implement and strengthen the agreement, which he said will create jobs in Virginia over the next decade.

AUKUS has two pillars, the first laying out a roadmap for Australia to develop the capacity to operate, build and maintain nuclear subs over the next 30 years. As a signatory to the international Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Australia currently does not have a well-developed nuclear industry, but the U.S. and the U.K. have shared nuclear propulsion technology for more than 60 years and now share that information with Australia under the new agreement.

Nuclear-powered submarines, being quiet, faster and less detectable, are highly preferred to diesel-powered subs, Kaine said.

The second pillar of AUKUS is more of a carte blanche for collaboration among the three nations in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, hypersonic capabilities and aerospace investments, and that in particular excites Kaine.

“I think there are going to be a lot of opportunities for Virginia companies and universities on this more open-ended ‘pillar two’ side,” he said. “We have a lot of innovators in Virginia. I think there’s a role for Virginia companies that have space assets. There will be a lot of opportunities to innovate in some of these areas like cyber and AI, and there’s going to be some great opportunities for Virginia businesses in that as well.”

Collaborations in Virginia

With decades of nuclear shipbuilding experience, HII is already collaborating with leading defense companies in the U.K. to support AUKUS and has engaged with more than 200 Australian companies hoping to qualify to become HII suppliers, according to Michael Lempke, who heads HII’s Australia business efforts.

While the greater goals of AUKUS are defense-oriented, the agreement is “an unprecedented opportunity for the integration and expansion of industrial capacity” across the three nations, explained Lempke. “We are well-positioned to leverage our longstanding expertise in nuclear shipbuilding, workforce development, supply chain analytics, industrial maintenance and sustainment, and other related defense technologies to support our trilateral partners.”

AUKUS’ success hinges on preparing a skilled workforce capable of supporting Australia’s long road to sovereign nuclear-powered submarines, Lempke notes, and HII is already partnering with several academic institutions in Australia toward that objective.

QMS is also part of this larger international effort, Crystal Kennedy said in March, and she hopes the Newport News facility, where hundreds of Australian technicians will be trained each year, will be open and operating by the end of the year.

“As of right now, America has different standards from Australia and the U.K., so we need to train people in all the procedures and requirements as we start to share information and [are] able to test any components in the whole of the trilateral agreement,” she said. “So, there won’t be any sending back parts or not being able to fulfill needs in the supply chain because the technicians coming out of our training facility will already have that knowledge.”  

HII’s Mission Technologies secures $305M DIA contract

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ McLean-based Mission Technologies division won a $305 million Defense Intelligence Agency contract to provide intelligence analysis and operational support services for the Joint Intelligence Operations Center – Korea, assisting the United States Forces Korea (USFK), HII announced Tuesday.

Under the recompeted task order, HII will also assist USFK with organizing the Korean Theater of Operations intelligence activities.

The contract has a five-year term and is an extension of work performed under a previous contract the DIA awarded in 2019.

“We are excited about the opportunity to expand our relationship with the USFK and support its important mission while working in close coordination with the joint staff, service components and intelligence agencies,” Todd Gentry, president of Mission Technologies’ C5ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) business group, said in a statement. “Our experts have a long history assessing and advising on national security issues and are committed to protecting U.S. regional interests.”

Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries is the nation’s largest military shipbuilder. The Fortune 500 company employs more than 44,000 workers and is Virginia’s largest industrial employer. Its Newport News Shipbuilding division is the United States’ only manufacturer of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The Mission Technologies division has more than 7,000 employees and more than 100 facilities globally.

HII names two legislative affairs execs

Newport News-based Huntington Ingalls Industries has promoted Peter Courtney to corporate vice president of legislative affairs and hired Betsy Bina Benedict as director of legislative affairs.

Courtney was previously HII’s director of legislative affairs and takes the place of Carolyn Apostolou, who retired in December 2023. He will work from the Arlington County office and report to Stewart Holmes, HII’s executive vice president of government and customer relations. Benedict will report to Courtney.

Courtney will be responsible for the development of HII’s lobbying strategy and implementation of lobbying activity, with a general focus on U.S. Senate members, staff and committees of jurisdiction. In addition to shaping legislative proposals, he will also be responsible for ensuring compliance with all Federal Election Commission and other legal and regulatory disclosure requirements regarding lobbying.

Before joining HII, he served 24 years in the U.S. Navy, most recently serving as deputy director of the Appropriations Matters office in the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1990 and has a bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s degree in national security affairs from the Naval War College and an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Benedict previously served in a variety of legislative and policy positions in Congress, including 13 years with the House Appropriations Committee. She was most recently clerk for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies. She graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has a master’s degree in national security studies from the Army War College and a master’s degree in government from Johns Hopkins University.

Huntington Ingalls Industries is the nation’s largest military shipbuilder. The Fortune 500 company employs more than 44,000 workers and is Virginia’s largest industrial employer. Its Newport News Shipbuilding division is the United States’ only manufacturer of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.