Deputy Press Secretary Jamal Brown provided the following readout:
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks met with representatives from Bath Iron Works in Brunswick, Maine, and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Pease Air National Guard, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to discuss and assess efforts to bolster U.S. warfighting capabilities and maintain maritime dominance.
While in Brunswick, Deputy Secretary Hicks visited the Bath Iron Works operations as well as the DDG 118 (USS Inouye) and met with troops.
In Portsmouth, Deputy Secretary Hicks spoke with key personnel at the structural shop at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the future Waterfront Support Facility, toured a KC-46 display at Pease Air National Guard and spoke with troops.
Today’s visits underscore Secretary Austin’s commitment to modernizing the Department of Defense to meet future threats.