Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro met leaders and executives from Vigor Shipyard while visiting Naval Station Everett, Feb. 13.
The meeting is part of Secretary Del Toro's ongoing effort to visit naval bases, shipyards, depots, and training ranges to witness firsthand the progress made to improve the training, readiness, and modernization of our fleet and force.
Secretary Del Toro discussed Vigor's ship repair and modernization work that is currently focused on supporting the Nation's warfighters, including work aboard the USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53).
Secretary Del Toro visited the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, which recently returned to Naval Station Everett during a 16-month docking selected restricted availability (DSRA) conducted by Vigor Shipyard.
"Completing maintenance on all of our platforms and returning them to the fleet on time is a critical warfighting priority," said Secretary Del Toro. "Overall, we have realized reductions in days of maintenance delay (DoMD), which is a positive trend, and we are committed to drive maintenance delays down even further."
As part of his Maritime Statecraft initiative, Secretary Del Toro has called for a whole-of-government effort to restore the maritime capabilities of the Nation. That effort includes reinvesting in ship maintenance and sustainment.
"It is a critical imperative that American companies executing contracts with the Department of the Navy reinvest their capital into training their workforce, improving their infrastructure, and expanding their capacity," said Secretary Del Toro.
Throughout his visit, Secretary Del Toro also emphasized the importance of conducting ship maintenance and construction on time and on budget to increase throughput and increase the number of operational vessels in the Navy.
"It is a strategic imperative for industry to join efforts to restore the Nation's competitive shipbuilding and repair landscape," said Secretary Del Toro. The future of the Navy hinges on modernization and readiness of our fleet today to build a modern, highly capable Navy and Marine Corps team dedicated to our mission of combat-readiness."
