Newly retired Rear Adm. Tom Anderson has assumed a role aimed at restoring Philadelphia as a Navy shipbuilding hub, decades after the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard closed during post-Cold War military reductions, writes Joseph N. DiStefano for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Anderson joined Hanwha Defense USA on October 6 as president of shipbuilding. In this position, he will spearhead efforts to secure Navy contracts for the Hanwha Philly Shipyard, acquired by the Korean industrial group last year.
Hanwha plans to invest $5 billion in the former Navy Yard aiming to more than double employment to around 4,000 and expand production to 20 ships a year, including both Navy and civilian vessels.
“I’m passionate about expanding U.S. ship capability and building at scale,” said Anderson. “In the Navy, I interacted with Hanwha. They move quickly. From buying the yard to finding additional capacity, they are all in. I have joined a team that is going to significantly improve procurement.”
Anderson believes there is plenty of work for U.S. shipyards in the years ahead.
“If you look at what the Navy, the Coast Guard, and the [federal civilian] Maritime Administration wants to build, it exceeds the capacity of all the [U.S.] shipyards,” he said.
Read more about Tom Anderson and the work of his new role in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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