On behalf of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers thank you for In an effort to make sure that shipbuilding labor's views are incorporated Once again, thank you for the opportunity to present shipbuilding labor's Sincerely, Ande M. Abbott Ande Abbot Director of Legislation & Director of Shipbuilding International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Enclosure Frope SAVE SHIPBUILDING JOBS To Shannon Brett Date: 6/29/02 Time: 7:40:30 AM Page 2 of 3 ★INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS ★ INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF BOILERMAKERS, IRON SHIPBUILDERS, ★INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS ★ SHEETMETAL WORKERS' INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ★ UNITED ASSOCIATION OF JOURNEYMEN AND APPRENTICES OF THE PLUMBING & ★ UNITED STEEL WORKERS OF AMERICA 2722 Merrilee Drive, Suite 360, Fairfax, VA 22031 – (703) 560-1493Phone – (703) 560-2584 Fax The Honorable Duncan L. Hunter U.S. House of Representatives 2265 Rayburn House Office Building Dear Chairman Hunter: June 26, 2002 On behalf of the thousands of working men and women employed in shipbuilding, we write to ask you to strengthen America's national security to ensure a reserve fleet of commercial, militarily useful ships built, owned, crewed, and operated by Americans - to meet national security requirements in time of war and national emergency. As debate begins to reauthorize the Maritime Security Program (MSP), an extension of the program as currently structured will not meet our national security requirements for the 21a Century and will not receive our members' support. To meet America's national security requirements and ensure a commercial fleet of the right size and types of ships needed, the Department of Defense (DOD) should procure commercial, militarily useful ships and lease them to U.S. ship operators in peacetime based on the international bare boat charter rates for comparable commercial vessels. Lease payments to DOD will defray the up-front cost of constructing an American Merchant Marine fleet, and will restore U.S. ownership and control of this fleet to serve as a fifth branch of our Armed Forces in emergency. If these major reforms are not made to the 1995 Maritime Security Program, the demise of an American Merchant Marine will be inevitable, and U.S. dependency upon foreign shipyards and foreign companies to build and operate a fleet of merchant ships to serve as a DOD reserve fleet will increase. Foreign maritime dependency will increase the risk of terrorist attack, increase the risk of terrorist tampering in construction of the fleet, increase DOD transportation cost in peace time, jeopardize transportation of DOD supplies in time of war, jeopardize the industrial capability of the United States to build warships for the Navy, increase the price of those warships, and eliminate thousands of highly skilled shipbuilding jobs essential to national defense. This is an unacceptable and unaffordable security risk to the United States. |