American Shipbuilding Association

CONTACT:
Cynthia L. Brown
202-544-8170

(Washington, D.C.) - The American Shipbuilding Association (ASA) announced on June 9, 2003 its presentation to Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) of the Herbert H. Bateman Award for consistent, outstanding leadership in support of a strong shipbuilding industry. This award will be presented on Wednesday, June 11th at 6:00 pm during ASA’s Salute to the 108th Congress Reception in the Gold Room of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Senator Ted Stevens, throughout his 34 years in the Senate, has been the sponsor or supporter of every major shipbuilding program and initiative to have ever been enacted in the U.S. Congress.

While some appropriators do not support long-term funding proposals of major defense systems, which are viewed as limiting the ability of the Appropriations Committees from making annual adjustments, Senator Stevens, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, has led the Nation in supporting cost-saving initiatives such as Multi-Year Procurement Contracting (MYP), Incremental Funding of multi-year ship construction programs, and long-term leasing of defense auxiliary ships. These acquisition approaches provide the taxpayer with tremendous cost savings by providing multi-year stability in program and workforce planning by shipyards; economic quantity order purchases of ship sets of equipment, which provide unit cost savings and stability in the shipyard supplier base; and making the construction of needed ships for our national security affordable in these times of the lowest rates of naval ship production in our Nation’s history since 1932.

The media criticizes most Members of Congress for championing programs as merely “special interest projects to bring home jobs for their constituents”, said Cynthia Brown, President, American Shipbuilding Association. The leadership that Ted Stevens has demonstrated for a strong shipbuilding industry, strong Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine cannot be labeled in those terms. He does not have a major shipyard or marine supplier in his state. His actions to build a strong shipbuilding industry that supports our Nation’s sea services is based on the fact that the livelihood and security of Alaskans depends on the sea -- as does that of all Americans -- whether they realize it or not, said Ms. Brown. “This is why he is a national leader, and why he is so deserving of the Herbert H. Bateman Award.” 

The American Shipbuilding Association (ASA) is the national trade association of the Nation's largest shipbuilders. They are: Avondale Operations, New Orleans, LA; Bath Iron Works, Bath, ME; Electric Boat, Groton, CT; Ingalls Operations, Pascagoula, MS; National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, CA; and Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, VA. ASA also represents 27 partner industries and companies engaged in the design and manufacture of ship systems and components.