Maine's contributions to our national security

Maine's contributions to our national security were on full display last week. At the beginning of the week, the new Chief of Naval Operations, Gary Roughead, came to Maine to visit the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Bath Iron Works, and the Brunswick Naval Air Station. I first became acquainted with Admiral Roughead some years ago when he was the head of the Navy's Senate Liaison Office, and I was delighted when he was named CNO. When Admiral Roughead visited my office prior to his confirmation hearing, I invited him to visit Maine to see first-hand the enormous contributions that Mainers are making to our Navy. He agreed, and his visit last week fulfilled that promise. I know that he was impressed with the dedicated and highly skilled workers that he met, and I was able to talk with him about the needed infrastructure improvements at the Kittery Yard and the desirability of moving forward with the award of the DDG-1000 contract at BIW.

Later in the week, I cut the ribbon at the Biddeford facility of Vingtech, a Norwegian firm that is manufacturing high-tech optical and electrical equipment for weapons systems, including cameras that make it possible for our soldiers and marines to fire from within the protection of a tank or armored vehicle. The company has just hired 18 employees and plans to have a workforce of 40 before the end of the year. They will also be working with Saco Defense, just down the road. (Click here to see video)

Then last Friday, I had the honor of christening "Mako," a new fast boat designed for the Navy Seals and built at Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay. This boat is an extraordinary combination of tradition and technology: Maine craftsmanship at its finest and Maine ingenuity at its most innovative. It also represented a partnership between two private business, Hodgdon Yachts and Maine Marine Manufacturing, and the University of Maine's advance engineering composites center led by Professor Habib Dahger. The current aluminum patrol boats used by Navy Seals cause them many injuries ranging from broken bones to cracked molars because of the slamming action as the boat rides in rough seas. The new composite materials in Mako are designed to mitigate the shock waves and should produce a far safer and more comfortable ride.

And yes, I broke the champagne bottle on the first whack and soaked myself and everyone around me as we celebrated the launch of the Mako!
(Click here to watch the WCSH video)

I could not be more proud of the contributions that Mainers make to our national defense.