GROW THE BUSINESS BASE

The fourth component of NNSFORWARD focuses on sustaining our core business through innovation while seeking opportunities to grow, and Newport News Shipbuilding did not disappoint in 2022. Our 25,000 shipbuilders are working on 21 ships in various stages of construction and overhaul inside the gates, plus an additional 13 ships outside of Newport News.

Progress continues on the second Gerald R. Ford -class aircraft carrier, John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), and shipbuilders laid the keel last summer for Enterprise (CVN 80) before a crowd of more than 2,500 shipbuilding partners, family and friends. The refueling and complex overhaul of

USS George Washington (CVN 73) is nearing completion, while USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) is in the early stages of her overhaul. Progress continues in the Virginia -Class Submarine Program, too. NNS celebrated the Arkansas (SSN 800) keel laying in the fall, honoring a record six sponsors, and the program is tracking to deliver New Jersey (SSN 796) and floating off Massachusetts (SSN 798) later this year. This year’s priorities included securing a key role in critical submarine design efforts; and developing and executing the plan for optimum acquisition of future aircraft carriers.

We also continued to grow the business base by:

• Investing in the Multi-Class Submarine Production Facility, which consists of three new buildings that will enable NNS to better support the construction and delivery of Virginia - and Columbia -class submarines. NNS broke ground in February 2023 on the first phase of construction. Work on the other two facilities is planned for later this year.

• Continuing construction on the new CVN Assembly Hall designed to boost aircraft carrier production efficiency. The Assembly Hall will total six bays and include a three-story support building.

• Continuing to share our expertise in early Navy studies that will help shape SSN(X), the future attack submarine design to follow the Virginia class.

• Continuing our partnership with the Navy to demonstrate the value of a two-ship aircraft carrier buy for CVN 82 and CVN 83 with three years of advance planning on four-year build cycles.

CVN 80 Ship’s Sponsor and Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky praised our shipbuilders during the August 2022 keellaying event and talked about the similarities between her training and shipbuilding that include endurance, fortitude, consistency and no shortcuts.