As global adversarial threats intensify, the U.S. Navy is racing to expand its fleet of submarines, surface ships, and unmanned seacraft. President Donald Trump, in his “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance” executive order, has made revitalizing this industry a priority. One major impediment to this plan is a shortage of skilled workers to build and maintain the vessels that underpin national security.

Currently, the Navy has plans to produce one Columbia-class and 2 Virginia-class submarines; however, this ambitious goal is putting a strain on the industrial base. This challenge is not just materials or infrastructure; it is also people. Attrition rates in shipyards remain high with critical trades seeing turnover of 30% or more according to National Defense Magazine. To meet demands, the Navy has supported industry efforts to recruit, train, and retain over 12,600 workers in the past year alone; however, the gap remains huge.

The Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base Program is spearheading over 1,200 projects across forty states to revitalize the workforce and supply chain. As for North Carolina, The North Carolina Military Business Center has partnered with entities such as North Carolina State University’s Industry Expansion Solutions, the North Carolina Community College System, NC4ME, and others, to boost the maritime workforce in our State.

This initiative follows the same outline as that of the Navy in four principal areas:

1. Workforce Development - strengthening ties with community colleges, trade schools, and universities to create clear pathways into maritime trades and engineering.
2. Supplier Chain Development – boosting parts delivery for the maritime industry by engaging the supply chain.
3. Advanced Manufacturing – focusing on additive manufacturing and other advanced manufacturing fields. 
4. Policy and Economic Development – developing plans to retain and recruit businesses in the maritime industrial base. 

By modeling this initiative on that of the Navy’s, will ensure that North Carolina is on the forefront of developing the next generation of Defense Maritime Industrial Base workforce.

On November 18-19, the Offices of US Senator Thom Tillis and US Senator Ted Budd, and the North Carolina Military Business Center will host the Defense Industrial Sustainment for Combat Systems (DISC) Summit in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This event will highlight the maritime industry as well as the workforce challenges to work through in a session on the first day entitled “Expanding Supply Chain and Workforce Opportunities in the Maritime and Shipbuilding Industrial Base.” Interested businesses may review the agenda and more information by visiting: https://industrial.ncmbc.us/. 

The stakes are high. America’s ability to project power, defend its interests, and deter aggression hinges on a revitalized maritime industrial base — and that starts with people. By aligning federal priorities with state-level innovation and partnerships, North Carolina is helping to forge a stronger, more resilient shipbuilding workforce. The DISC Summit in Chapel Hill will serve not only as a convening of leaders and stakeholders, but as a catalyst for actionable progress. As the nation navigates increasing global tensions, ensuring we have the hands to build and maintain the fleet is not just an industrial challenge — it is a national imperative.

For more information, please contact Erin Ananian-Gentile at erin@ncmbc.us.