EB President Mark Rayha being interviewed by Tina Detelj of WTNH-TV, News 8 Connecticut.

On Feb. 3, Electric Boat (EB) President Mark Rayha delivered annual legislative briefings to congressional delegations and local leaders in Rhode Island and Connecticut. Rayha provided an overview of EB’s business including an update on key programs, facilities expansion and the company’s hiring and training initiatives.

Rayha reiterated that the Columbia class continues to be the Navy’s number-one strategic priority. “These ballistic-missile submarines will replace the Ohio class and serve as the backbone of our nation’s strategic deterrent well into the 2080s,” he said. “Lead ship District of Columbia (SSBN 827) is 53% complete while the second, Wisconsin (SSBN 827), is 14% finished.” Electric Boat will build and deliver 12 of these ships through 2040.

Describing progress on the Virginia class attack-submarine program, Rayha said that four Block IV ships and 10 Block V ships are currently under construction at EB and Newport News Shipbuilding.

“Last year EB and Newport News delivered Iowa (SSN 797) and New Jersey (SSN 796) to the fleet. EB also completed the USS Montana post shakedown availability (PSA) and the USS Oregon will complete her PSA early this year. This year Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding will deliver the Idaho (SSN 799) and the Massachusetts (SSN 798).”

Rayha thanked the federal congressional delegations from Connecticut and Rhode Island for their efforts ensuring Congress passed funding measures to support submarine design and construction along with critical supply chain issues. “In all, the delegation’s efforts resulted in more than $24 billion in fiscal year 2025 funding for submarines,” said Rayha.

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine now three years old and China growing its military capabilities, “our nation needs submarines more than at any time in its history,” said Rayha. “The world’s not getting any safer.”

Mark Rayha during briefing at Mystic (CT) Marriott Hotel and Spa, Feb. 3, 2025.

On hiring, Rayha said that EB had added over 4,100 new employees in 2024; approximately 56% were in operations and the remaining 44% were engineers, designers and those in other support functions. “This year, we expect to welcome an additional 3,000 employees to our team, which will make 2025 another significant year of hiring,” he said. “Our rate of hiring at Quonset Point will be roughly what it was in 2024. That number may fluctuate based on our ability to upskill and reduce attrition, which will increase the experience level of the shipyard. The rate of hiring in Groton will match the flow of our supply chain and align with the pace of modules from Newport News Shipbuilding and our Quonset Point facility. Despite a flatter trajectory early in 2025, the future continues to be bright in Connecticut as we continue to increase our hiring to meet the one-plus-two submarine objective.”

Rayha spoke to the importance of pipeline training initiatives in bringing high-quality, motivated new shipbuilders to EB. “These programs bring us the people who experience shipbuilding firsthand and decide it’s for them—they have the grit and perseverance to do this work. In the process, their lives change for the better and they experience how good it feels to do important work for our country.”