Reed: Investments in Submarine Production Lead to 3,500 New Jobs Coming to Quonset Point

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI -- After years of federal investment to boost submarine construction, the United States is ramping up production of nuclear-powered submarines like the ones built at shipyards in Quonset Point in Rhode Island; Groton, Connecticut; and Newport News, Virginia. The U.S. Navy's goal is to deliver two Virginia-class submarines a year, as well as construct Columbia-class nuclear ballistic-missile submarines - a new fleet of ballistic missile submarines that will replace the aging Ohio-class boats. They are now the Navy's number one acquisition priority.

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and a champion of the Submarine Industrial Base (SIB), helped include an additional $1.9 billion for the Virginia-class submarine program in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (H.R. 7148) to help make up for shortfalls in the Defense Department's budget request. Reed says this is a major win for the Ocean State's long-term employment and industrial growth and is projected to net 3,500 new jobs at Electric Boat's Quonset Point location in the coming year.

Reed, who also helped lead the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 (S.1071), which includes authorities needed to support the construction of the Columbia-class program, said the federal funding, along with previous investments in strengthening the Submarine Industrial Base, means the recent hiring boom at General Dynamics Electric Boat (EB) can continue.

"I'm pleased to see the modernization and workforce investments we've made pay off in terms of bringing more good-paying jobs to Rhode Island and enticing workers to fill these jobs. This is part of a multi-year, multi-billion dollar drive to accelerate shipyard production and we've already seen significant workforce expansion at Quonset," said Senator Reed. "The high, sustained demand for these world-class submarines means a steady stream of work and increased port-related activity at Quonset for years to come. EB's hiring needs are persistent and long-term. These high-tech, state-of-the-art submarines are critical to national security, and we must continue to strengthen the U.S. submarine industrial base."

Senator Reed and other Ocean State lawmakers will attend Electric Boat's annual legislative breakfast meeting on February 23, where EB President Mark Rayha is expected to offer more details about the company's plan to hire 8,000 workers in the coming year - including 3,500 Rhode Island-based positions -- and articulate a broader strategy for submarine production moving forward in order to meet the delivery goals of one Columbia-class and two Virginia-class submarines per year.

Over the last three years, EB has been averaging 4,000 hires annually as the company has grown its labor force in Rhode Island and Connecticut. The 8,000 projected jobs this year are a marked increase over last year's projection of 3,000 new hires. The company also loses some workers every year due to attrition, retirements, and other factors.

Currently, EB's workforce exceeds 24,000 employees across all of its work sites, which are mainly in Connecticut and Rhode Island. The company's web site currently lists over 900 job openings for positions based in Rhode Island and is looking to fill positions in metalwork, electronics, plumbing, painting, and other manufacturing skills trades as well as administrative, engineering, and management positions.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth touted the EB hiring boom when he visited Rhode Island earlier this month. However, what Secretary Hegseth did not mention is the fact that Congress had to throw the Navy a lifeline to fix budgetary shortfalls resulting from Republicans' budget reconciliation bill. In addition to the $1.92 billion for Virginia-class submarines, Congress approved a total of $1.5 billion in maritime industrial base funding to boost supplier capacity, technology and infrastructure, outsourcing, and workforce training.

Currently, there are only 47 attack submarines in the U.S. Navy's fleet against a requirement of 66 and at a time when the Trump Administration is engaging in more conflicts across the globe.

Over the years, Senator Reed has worked with SENEDIA to create and build a submarine workforce skills development pipeline to train Rhode Islanders and others in New England for these critical, good-paying jobs that contribute significantly to U.S. national security. SENEDIA was recently awarded a new four-year, $98.3 million contract to continue supporting the industrial skills training of over 8,600 candidates through 2029. The New England Submarine Shipbuilding Partnership is charged with implementing the program. The partnership, convened by SENEDIA, links companies in the submarine supply chain with schools, colleges and training facilities to identify and meet workforce needs.

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