Naval Ops Chief Urges Defense Contractors to Hire Refugees
Chief of Naval Operations at the Defense Department Admiral (Adm.) Mike Gilday has recommended U.S. defense contractors with a shortage of skilled workers hire Ukrainian and Afghan refugees. While the entire defense industry is experiencing a labor shortage, technological advancements and the decline in manufacturing jobs particularly affect shipyards.
At the annual Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition, Adm. Gilday said the Navy is set to acquire advanced vessels following the decommissioning of a total of 24 ships including nine Freedom-class littoral combat ships, which cost an estimated $4.5 billion to construct. A majority of the ships scheduled for decommission are relatively new with the oldest a decade old. The strategy is to focus on advanced weapons and modern warships, while shedding older ships reportedly unfit for current threats.
“We need a ready, capable, lethal force more than we need a bigger force that’s less ready, less lethal, and less capable,” Adm. Gilday stated.
To aid the Navy’s effort, Adm. Gilday suggested contractors encourage refugees to enroll in apprenticeship programs at Newport News Shipbuilding (NN) or General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW).
“You offer well-paying jobs with a career of advancement that allow them to send their kids to college and to buy a home,” Adm. Gilday stated, “Think about how powerful that would be to somebody emigrating to this country that wants to give back.”
The United States admitted more than 74,000 Afghans last year when U.S. military forces evacuated Afghanistan, and the Biden Administration has announced that it will admit up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees.