LEAD THE WAY

Each of our shipbuilders possesses leadership responsibilities, whether they are an engineer, welder or vice president. The final element of the NNSFORWARD Strategy is a culmination of the other four. Lead the Way establishes our collective vision, and it ensures we are aligned and driving our everyday actions to win as one team.

In the Lead the Way category, 2022 priorities included strengthening our health and safety program, renewing our commitment to continuous learning and improvement, and more purposefully connecting to our mission and purpose.

Our success is achieved with safety at the forefront of all that we do. While Newport News Shipbuilding experienced a decline of over 100 injuries compared to 2021, there is significant room for improvement. To maintain a safety focus, Environmental Health and Safety issued more than 300 communications on injury and hazard reduction topics and increased its surveillance activity across the shipyard to mitigate hazards and correct safety deficiencies. These surveillances will continue through the new ObserveNNS app to be launched later this year.

We also led the way by:

• Welcoming General Dynamics Electric Boat Quality Ambassador Chris Yaris to NNS to share his experience during the 2009 USS Hartford (SSN 768) collision, reminding shipbuilders of the importance of quality and the direct impact NNS has on sailors’ safety.

• Continuing to build our Team Submarine Program Management University partnership with our fellow shipbuilders at General Dynamics Electric Boat. The program launched in 2021 as a means to bring select NNS and Electric Boat shipbuilders together with Navy and supplier representatives to grow their design and construction knowledge, and improve leadership skills and business acumen. In 2022, NNS hosted two cohorts.

• Hosting special events that celebrate our workforce and their vital role in national security. These events included the Enterprise (CVN 80) and Arkansas (SSN 800) keel layings, and a prescreening of the blockbuster movie “Top Gun: Maverick.”

• Displaying “The Mission Starts With Us” banners across the shipyard to acknowledge Independence Day and remind shipbuilders of the importance of their patriotic work.