Shipbuilders,

Welcome back from the holiday break. For those who worked over shutdown, thank you for your dedicated service and commitment. As we return today, let us kick off the new year with a renewed focus on safety first in all we do. The year ahead will continue to be a busy and challenging time, and we must not let the pace and urgency of shipbuilding compromise the safety of our people or the quality of our work.

We have four primary goals, or “true north” objectives for 2024, and they are as follows:

• Decrease injuries.
• Increase retention.
• Meet our Navy program commitments.
• Meet our financial objectives.

People are the heart and soul of our shipyard, and our first two objectives are about keeping people safe and injury free, and creating a work environment that inspires engagement and commitment to our mission of building “Always Good Ships.” Our final two goals focus on performance and execution.

This year alone, we will complete our work at the Kesselring Site, deliver two new construction Virginia-class submarines and launch a third. We will also undock the Los Angeles-class submarine USS Columbus (SSN 762). In our aircraft carrier programs, we will complete the systems and compartments needed to support the crew as they move aboard John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), transfer Enterprise (CVN 80) to the west end of Dry Dock 12, and undock USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). This extraordinary volume of work is why Newport News Shipbuilding exists – to build the ships that defend and protect our nation.

To help us accelerate our performance improvement efforts, we will continue providing role clarity and regular performance updates while creating an environment where people feel safe to ask questions in order to build understanding and capability. This will be supported by the initial rollout or our new leadership development program, At the Helm, and by leveraging our strong team of culture change agents.

As we begin 2024, our purpose and mission are clear. It takes every shipbuilder to do his and her part, and I have full confidence in each of you to meet your commitments in a safe and ethical way. Thank you for being part of our team and for serving our nation as only shipbuilders can.

All the best,
Jennifer Boykin
President, Newport News Shipbuilding