EVENT BRIEF 10/20/18 Overview Timeline Event Name: Christening of USS Vermont Date & Time: 10/20/18 at 10:50am 10:50am: Platform guests line up Location: Electric Boat Shipyard, Groton and proceed to the platform Contact: Lisa Leandri Trolan (Electric Boat), (emcee will announce) 860-303-0692 11:00am: Ceremony begins: Composed by: Bednarz o National Anthem Logistics o Welcoming remarks by Jeff Hosts: General Dynamics Electric Boat Geiger VIPs: o Remarks: David Bolcar Sponsor – Gloria Valdez o Remarks: Rep. Welch Matrons of Honor – Dolores V. Brooks o Remarks: Rep. Courtney Keynote speaker – Vermont Governor o Remarks: Rep. Langevin Phil Scot o Remarks: Sen. Blumenthal Host – Jeff Geiger, President of EB o REMARKS: GOV. MALLOY David Bolcar, VP of the Virginia o Remarks: VADM Richard Program at Newport News Shipbuilding o Remarks: Allison Stiller Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT) o Keynote: Gov. Scot Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT) o Remarks: Gloria Valdez Congressman James Langevin (D-RI) o Ship Blessing Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) o Botle break VADM Charles Richard, Commander Naval Submarine Forces Atlantic Fleet Allison Stiller, Principal Deput, ASN RDA Goal / Purpose: You will deliver remarks at the christening of the USS Vermont. The ship’s sponsor is Ms. Gloria Valdez, former assistant secretary of the Navy. This is the 19t of the Virginia-class nuclear atack submarines. All speakers are asked to keep their remarks to 2 minutes in length, with the exception of the keynote address. 1 EVENT BRIEF 10/20/18 Topline Message: The US Navy’s partnership with Electric Boat represents the tremendous talent of our highly skilled workforce in Connecticut. The men and women of Electric Boat continue to deliver each Virginia class boat ahead of schedule and under budget and are routinely held up as the model of efficiency and quality in a major Department of Defense acquisition program. The Virginia class submarines will play a key role in our nation’s defense and are critical assets in the Pentagon’s national security strategy. Our Connecticut delegation has worked tirelessly to help the Navy fund two submarines per year in order to meet its operational commitments, and I commend them for their good work. 2 EVENT BRIEF 10/20/18 KEY FACTS There are three important milestones in the birth of a submarine: o Keel Laying Ceremony: This is when the sponsor etches her initials into the keep plate to verify that “This keel has been truly and fairly laid.” o Christening: This is when the sponsor bestows the ship’s name while smashing the botle against the bow of the ship. *THIS IS TODAY’S EVENT* o Commissioning: This is when the ship is officially accepted by the US Navy and becomes part of the active fleet. (Expected to happen in 2019) Since January 2011, a total of 11 Virginia-class submarines have been christened. Six of them were from Electric Boat. This is the full list – the ones in bold are from Electric Boat: o Mississippi (12/11) o Minnesota (10/12) o North Dakota (11/13) o John Warner (9/14) o Illinois (10/15) o Washington (3/16) o Colorado (12/16) o Indiana (4/17) o South Dakota (10/17) o Delaware (10/18) o Vermont (10/18) 3 EVENT BRIEF 10/20/18 The USS Vermont is the 19th shop in the Virginia class of atack submarines. It is 377 feet long with a hull diameter of 34 feet, a draft of 30 feet, and will displace 7,800 tons. It is capable of speeds in excess of 25 knots and can dive to a depth greater than 800 feet, while carrying Mark 48 advanced capability torpedoes and Tomahawk land-atack missiles. It will have a crew of 15 officers and 120 enlisted personnel. The USS Vermont was named by Secretary of Navy Ray Mabus in a September 2014 ceremony at Lake Champlain Navy Memorial in Burlington. Construction started that year. It is the third nuclear submarine with a Vermont namesake, following USS Ethan Allen, which operated during the Cold War, and USS Montpelier, which is a Los Angeles-class submarine. The submarine’s official sponsor is Gloria Valdez, who served as deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition. Economic impact of Electric Boat: o 17,000 total employees (12,000 in Connecticut) o Over 900 Connecticut-based suppliers to the submarine industrial-base received contracts worth over $1 billion over the last five years. These suppliers are located in 102 of the state’s 169 municipalities. o Across the country, EB’s supply base represents more than 3,000 businesses and $18 billion in contracts. o According to the US Maritime Association, each job in the private shipbuilding and repairing industry supports another 2.7 jobs nationally. 4 EVENT BRIEF 10/20/18 POLICY State of Connecticut’s partnership with General Dynamics Electric Boat Electric Boat and Connecticut reached a historic First Five Plus agreement in May 2018 supporting the company’s major expansion, as well as maintaining its headquarters and primary submarine facility in the state. The agreement supports 13,000 jobs at the company – 11,000 will be retained and EB plans to create 1,900 new jobs by 2034. The deal allows the company to retain and enhance its ability to bid competitively on U.S. Navy contracts, which will positively impact jobs for the next generation and beyond. Under the agreement, the state commited to provide assistance over 17 years with certain minimum requirements, targets and associated benefits. This includes: o Sales and use tax exemption with a value of up to $20 million related to capital expenditures of at least $852 million; o $8 million for workforce development; o $20 million for assistance with dredging related to the company’s growth; and o A loan of $35 million where loan forgiveness may be earned for achieving employment and supply company spend targets. 5 EVENT BRIEF 10/20/18 TALKING POINTS Good morning. It is my pleasure to officially welcome our many distinguished guests and visitors to Connecticut for the christening of the Vermont. In particular, I would like to welcome Vermont Governor Phil Scot to our great state, in addition to all of our other distinguished guests. I’ve said this before and I will proudly say it again: Connecticut, along with the Town of Groton, is the Submarine Capital of the World! We are thrilled and honored by our state’s distinguished heritage and partnership with the US Navy. Connecticut was the perfect location for our nation’s first submarine base in 1916. 6 EVENT BRIEF 10/20/18 The Lake Torpedo Boat Company in Bridgeport, founded by Simon Lake, and the Electric Boat Company in Groton, founded by Isaac Rice and inventor John Holland, were the foremost submarine manufacturers of the time. And as I know all of you are aware, Electric Boat continues to build the most advanced and capable submarines in the world. The Virginia Class program at Electric Boat continues to serve as a model in major defense acquisitions, delivering each submarine a litle further ahead of schedule and a litle more under budget each time, and subcontracting with nearly 500 companies across Connecticut. The growing number and value of contracts awarded to Connecticut in the past decade illustrated the increasingly important role our state’s 7 EVENT BRIEF 10/20/18 vendors play in meeting the needs of the national defense supply chain. I commend the important work being accomplished here day in and day out by all of the men and women from Electric Boat and its contractors – they are having a major part in strengthening our submarine fleet and our national security. Electric Boat’s superb corporate leadership and focus on efficiency in construction and affordability in lifecycle support is a true success story all of Connecticut – and all of the nation – can be proud of. With large contractors like Electric Boat leading the way, Connecticut’s defense industry is hard at work developing new technologies and products, building a skilled labor force and bolstering a reputation for excellence in the industry that will ensure Connecticut’s aerospace and defense sector remains strong. That is why we have placed specific emphasis on supporting our vibrant 8 EVENT BRIEF 10/20/18 defense sector. I look forward to working together Electric Boat, the hundreds of suppliers throughout our state, and the leadership of the US Navy to ensure Connecticut remains central to the national defense supply chain going forward. 9.