Senator Murphy Applauds Local Job Growth at Electric Boat in Groton

WASHINGTON —Following a legislative briefing at Electric Boat on Monday, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (Democrat-Connecticut) applauded the announcement that Electric Boat expects to hire 2,000 workers in 2017, including 1,350 people in Connecticut, and create over 14,000 new jobs in the next decade.

Four hundred of the new workers in Groton will focus on engineering and design for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines, according to a release. The U.S. Navy recently approved the next stage of development of twelve Columbia-class submarines at Electric Boat.

Electric Boat currently employs 10,700 Connecticut workers and supports manufacturing work at over 450 local suppliers.

“Electric Boat said loud and clear today: we’re hiring,” Murphy said in a release. “Manufacturing at Electric Boat and its hundreds of suppliers across the state is booming. The Navy is committed to our submarine force for defense at sea, and we’re positioned better than ever to meet that demand. I’m proud of the work we’re doing at Electric Boat, and I’m committed to continuing my fight in the Senate Appropriations Committee for strong federal investments and robust support for the ramp-up of our submarine force and the local jobs it supports.”

As a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Murphy fights for investments in U.S. defense manufacturing. In the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Defense Appropriations and Defense Authorization bills, Murphy fought for over $5 billion for Advanced Procurement of Virginia Class Submarines and secured a crucial anomaly to allow continued work on Columbia-class submarines.

The U.S. Navy has affirmed its commitment to the submarine force. In a recent Force Structure Assessment, the U.S. Navy recommended an increased number of submarines for its fleet.

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