Pentagon official backs 2 shipyards Comments by acquisitions chief reassuring to future of Bath Iron Works

BATH – The Pentagon’s acquisitions chief reiterated the Defense Department’s commitment to maintaining the viability of at least two shipyards building destroyers so there can be competition.

Pete Aldridge also said he would like to see the Pentagon step up production of warships because it is not building them fast enough to meet its goal of maintaining a force of 350 to 375 ships.

Both comments were reassuring for Bath Iron Works, which he visited Tuesday, and Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi, which he’ll visit later this week.

The two shipyards compete against each other for contracts to build Aegis destroyers. They also competed against each other for the design of the next-generation DD-X family of warships.

“Competition is key,” said Aldridge, who is the defense department’s undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics. “Health and competition are both part of this game.”

As encouraging as he was, the undersecretary declined to discuss any specifics of the DD-X program. Bath is challenging the Navy’s decision to award the DD-X design contract to Ingalls.

Aldridge, who made Bath the first stop on an East Coast tour of defense contractors, said he was “getting a better understanding of the shipbuilding industry and their issues.”

Before arriving at Bath, Aldridge traveled Monday to the Brunswick Naval Air Station, where pilots fly P-3 Orion sub hunter airplanes. The aging fleet of P-3 Orions “can’t fly forever,” he said.

The Navy has been looking into replacing the P-3s, which were developed more than three decades ago, and Aldridge said a decision on what aircraft will take the P-3’s place is expected within two years.

On Tuesday, he observed the outcome of a $240 million modernization designed to make the Bath shipyard more efficient. Improvements included a new dry dock, which currently has the USS Winston Churchill in it.

“It’s important that he sees firsthand our operations here in Bath,” said spokeswoman Sue Pierter. “He’s a very important part of the equation on decisions to buy destroyers. We want to engage him in all the activities our employees are working on make us more efficient.”

Dave Lackey, spokesman for U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, agreed that Aldridge’s visit was important because it allows the man who makes many decisions to get a glimpse of the people who do the building.

“It makes a difference being able to see their activities in person,” Lackey said from Washington.