HARTFORD–U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today praised the announcement by the Navy that Electric Boat has been awarded the funding to build a second Virginia Class submarine in 2021, restoring the two submarines per year construction deemed critical to maintaining American undersea warfare superiority. This is the 10th Virginia-class submarine built under the Block V program.

“Today’s announcement is great news for the hardworking men and women at Electric Boat. After tireless work, we were able to restore the funding for the originally planned 10th submarine as part of the Virginia-class Block V. This additional submarine will continue to fuel thousands of jobs in our state and provide long-term stability to the thousands of small Connecticut companies that support our defense manufacturing sector. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue working to keep these wins coming,” said Murphy.

“The awarding of this 10th Virginia-class submarine marks a hard fought victory. It is a clear-eyed recognition of a stark military reality – that our national defense requires it. And it’s a significant vote of confidence in Connecticut’s highly skilled and dedicated workers who build the best submarines on the planet to protect and defend our nation. I am constantly awed by the strength, stealth, and versatility of the submarines they make. I will continue to urge the Navy to complete our goal of building a total of 11 Virginia-class submarines, as Electric Boat is more than up to the task of building the boats America needs to defend itself,” said Blumenthal.

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