Campaign to Raise Awareness of US Shipbuilding, Repair

 

Ahead of the first presidential debate this week, the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) announced the launch of KNOW YOUR SHIP, a multifaceted, national campaign aimed at raising the awareness of the importance of the shipbuilding and repair industry and the critical role it plays in maintaining America’s national and economic security. 

 

“KNOW YOUR SHIP will tell not only the stories of the many military and commercial ships that are so integral in maintaining our economic and national security, but also of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who support the industry,” said Matthew Paxton, President of the Shipbuilders Council of America. “This industrial base is critical for our ability to protect ourselves and to facilitate commerce. Without it, our nation’s capability to build and repair military and commercial vessels – essentially our ability to control the fate of our way of life - would disappear. By showcasing the incredible stories of these national assets, and the over 100,000 people who build and repair them, we will exhibit just how strong, vibrant and critical this industry is to the health and safety of our nation. 

 

In addition to the stories of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who support the industry in every state in the nation, the KNOW YOUR SHIP campaign will provide real time and relevant facts and stories behind the U.S. fleet, and will showcase the significant historical and modern components of the shipyard industry, including the breadth of the fleet and the components that make the ships that are unique to the U.S. shipbuilding and repair industry. 

 

The KNOW YOUR SHIP campaign will serve as a resource to Members of Congress, their staffs and the media to provide information on the necessity of American-built vessels for national and economic security and to showcase the validity for robust and consistent federal shipbuilding and repair funding.

 

Republican and Democratic candidates alike have made U.S. economic and national security the cornerstone of their campaigns, and the shipbuilding and repair industry is proud to be a solid provider of family-waged American jobs that help support the nation’s industrial base. According to the U.S. Maritime Administration, the U.S. shipbuilding and repair industry supports more than 400,000 jobs from coast to coast and is critical to the nation’s infrastructure - moving millions of goods and people every day. Additionally, for every one job in the shipbuilding and repair industry, there are two jobs created across the nation – in both the commercial and military sectors. Overall the shipbuilding and repair industry contributes $36 billion every year to the U.S. economy.