BlueForge Alliance awarded the DVIRC a $1 million contract to address demand for increased workforce and capacity in the U.S. submarine industrial base (SIB). This award is intended to help increase the number of current manufacturing suppliers and strengthen companies through an expanded and trained labor market. (Photo: Business Wire)
PHILADELPHIA—The Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center (DVIRC) reported that it was recently awarded a $1 million contract by BlueForge Alliance to address the urgent demand for increased workforce and capacity in the U.S. Submarine Industrial Base (SIB).
The DVIRC will create and deploy a regional strategy and taskforce to spur enterprise engagement, increase opportunities to expand capacity, and connect more people to the mission across Southeastern Pennsylvania’s defense industrial base workforce, DVIRC said in a release.
“The U.S. Navy and its civilian workforce are building the most advanced sea-based strategic deterrent the world has ever known,” said Chris Scafario, president and CEO of DVIRC, in the release. “DVIRC is both honored and humbled to help find and contribute some of the additional workforce and manufacturing supply chain capacity needed to achieve the required submarine cadence.”
The Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center is a manufacturing consulting firm, advocate, and economic development organization that supports the profitable growth of small and mid-sized U.S. manufacturers. The organization supports manufacturers through consulting services, advanced technology research, training and education, and executive network groups.
“The Navy is on a generational journey to recapitalize its sea-based strategic deterrence and to guarantee a capable and enduring undersea presence in times of peace and conflict,” said Rear Admiral Scott Pappano, Program Executive Officer, Strategic Submarines, in the release. “Achieving that goal means strengthening supply chains to ensure America’s submarine industrial base has the capability, capacity, and skilled workforce to maintain our existing fleet and manufacture one Columbia and two Virginia class submarines per year beginning in Fiscal Year 2028—which amounts to a five-fold increase in submarine construction rates.
“With its talented manufacturing workforce, concentration of key suppliers, and history as a maritime center of gravity, the Delaware Valley region is a big part of making that happen,” Admiral Pappano concluded. “I thank the DVIRC for partnering with us on this no fail mission.”
The DVIRC supports more than 5,500 manufacturers within Southeast Pennsylvania, about 25 percent of which currently support the defense industrial base (DIB). This award is intended to help increase the number of current manufacturing suppliers and strengthen companies through an expanded and trained labor market.
“It is estimated that as much as 20 percent of the Columbia-class supply chain will come from the surrounding regions of the Delaware Valley,” Scafario added. “The growth associated with this historic program is likely to spawn a revitalization of our regional manufacturing base, create thousands of family sustaining careers in manufacturing, and contribute hundreds of millions of dollars in value added impact for our region.”
BlueForge Alliance (BFA) is a nonprofit, neutral integrator that supports the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) initiatives and efforts to strengthen and sustain the maritime manufacturing sector. It is a critical partner in the SIB’s mission to ensure industry has the capability, capacity, and resilience to build and maintain America’s next generation of undersea platforms.