Austal’s Spencer Visits Mobile, Speaks On Future

Austal Ltd. president Richard Spencer, with founder John Rothwell and CEO Paddy Gregg, recently visited Austal USA in Mobile and spoke on his confidence in the outlook for Austal USA, AL.com reports. Spencer, who served for two years as Secretary of the Navy and was promoted to Secretary of Defense during the first Donald J. Trump administration, said, “Shipbuilding was probably ignored for 30 years by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of Defense. And now we’re expected to get up and sprint overnight. That will not happen. There is a period to spool back up again. And now you’re seeing the sub infrastructure money, the manufacturing infrastructure money.… Those are out there to get the maritime industries back on their feet. Because they were trotting versus what we’re being called on now, to sprint. And there has to be infrastructure investment, there has to be workforce investment, and that takes time.” Other topics of the interview included optimism for future Navy contracts at Austal, the impact of the change in presidential administrations and the hiring of some 2,000 workers in Mobile over the next few years as Austal’s two large facilities are constructed.