Hi everyone, it’s Kevin. Today is Tuesday, April 6th (day recorded). Yesterday we hosted Acting Secretary of the Navy Tom Harker who visited our Groton and Quonset Point facilities. Joining the Secretary were Admiral Goggins, the Program Executive Officer for Submarines, and Admiral Pappano, the PEO for the Columbia Program. Members of our federal delegation who took part included Senator Blumenthal, Senator Reed, Representative Joe Courtney and Representative Jim Himes.
Secretary Harker, who assumed his duties on January 20th of this year, is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. His career was marked by operational success including multi-ton drug seizures on the high seas. In fact, he told us a story about the Eagle, that’s anchored across the way from Electric Boat here in Groton. I didn’t know this, but apparently the Eagle was seized after World War II. It was a training ship for German submarine crews to train on how to operate the engine room. It was seized after the war and converted to a U.S. Coast Guard training ship.
During the tour of our operations in Groton, Secretary Harker was given a demonstration of ship control; he also toured the COATs facility, the Active Learning Centers in Building 260 and the South Yard Assembly Building construction site. At Quonset Point, the Secretary and congressional delegation toured the Virginia Module Outfitting Building, the Virginia Payload Module Annex and the Columbia Common Missile Compartment and Tube Outfitting Building. So it was a pretty packed afternoon.
It’s always a privilege to showcase the great work you do in the continued defense of our nation. He was impressed by your skill, dedication and our teamwork. Thank you for that.
On the COVID front, I am reminding everyone that Hartford HealthCare is offering an additional vaccination clinic for EB employees-only this coming Sunday, April 11th at Foxwoods—so it’s happening on a weekend and should be a little bit more convenient for everybody. Yesterday, our EB Wellness Team sent out an email with the details, and we’ll provide a link in this transcript. The clinic is available to employees only right now; spouses and dependent children are not yet eligible. In addition, there may still be spots available at the EB-only clinics taking place this Friday, April 9th at Foxwoods, the Oakdale Theater and the Xfinity Theater as people cancel or re-schedule.
We continue to request vaccines from Governor Lamont in Connecticut and Governor McKee in Rhode Island so we can vaccinate our employees quickly and efficiently at our onsite clinics. As the vaccine becomes more plentiful, we feel we could greatly accelerate vaccination of our employees if we could get doses to our onsite clinics. This also helps you from having to travel to get your vaccine. Thousands of you take advantage of our annual flu vaccination clinics, and we know we would have a good turnout if we were to offer the COVID vaccine here.
We will continue to request vaccines; in the meantime, I encourage all of you to get vaccinated when and where you can. Right now, it takes some patience and persistence to get an appointment since vaccine eligibility has opened up to larger groups in both states this week. If you have been vaccinated, please let our EB Medical Team know via the link on the Coronavirus page on Homeport or the banner link at the top of the EB Landing home page. This information is helping us determine how the EB team is progressing with the vaccine and will allow us to gauge how many vaccines to request from Connecticut and Rhode Island in the event we do get the opportunity to administer our own.
Thanks everyone; we’ll talk again soon.
MDA Apprenticeship Application Now Open
Application Window: August 1, 2026 – August 31, 2026 The MDA Apprenticeship Program is a four-year initiative designed to develop a highly skilled workforce for Electric Boat. This program provides three years of on‑the‑job training alongside qualified subject matter experts, combined with classroom instruction across various technical disciplines. Participants gain advanced skills, broaden their expertise, and...Continue reading→
Building 600 Tech Stop Relocation
On Monday, August 3, 2026, Facilities will be relocating the Tech Stop currently located in Building 600 4th Floor East to its new location in Building 130-01 Classroom 7. During this time, please utilize the alternate Tech Stop location: B708 (625 Long Hill Road) Hours: Monday – Friday: 7:00 am – 3:00 pm The tech stop will resume...Continue reading→
A Message From Mark Rayha: Historic Contracts/Rayha Report
Today marks one of the most significant moments in Electric Boat’s history. As part of its $76.6 billion submarine contract announcement, the U.S. Navy has awarded Electric Boat ship construction contracts valued at $29.5 billion for five Columbia-class submarines and $42.1 billion for nine Virginia-class submarines, along with incentives for shipyard infrastructure. Click here to read the...Continue reading→
Electric Boat featured in latest episode of ‘Cast in Steel’
General Dynamics Electric Boat is featured in the latest episode of Cast in Steel, a web series that showcases the leaders of America’s steel industry as part of their competition to promote careers in metalworking. The Cast in Steel team visited our Quonset Point facility to highlight how EB’s shipbuilders transform flat steel into nuclear...Continue reading→
EB’s Groton Shipyard Celebrates 100 Years of Submarine Construction
The first submarine ever built in Electric Boat’s Groton shipyard slid gracefully from its ways into the Thames River 100 years ago, taking to the water with “scarcely a splash” before a crowd of 1,500, according to newspaper accounts at the time. A century after the 800-ton, 200-foot-long R2 was launched, EB shipbuilders continue to...Continue reading→
President Trump Gives Our Submarines a Shoutout at Pennsylvania Innovation and Defense Summit
During his remarks at the Pennsylvania Innovation and Defense Summit held on July 15 at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA, President Donald Trump introduced attendee Danny Deep, president of General Dynamics. In his quick words to Danny, President Trump recognized General Dynamics for building “the greatest submarines in the world.” Continue reading→
Rayha Report Ep. 23: Matt Olander Honored by UConn College of Engineering
In this episode of the Rayha Report, EB President Mark Rayha speaks with Matt Olander, senior vice president of programs and engineering, about his personal career journey and recent return to UConn’s College of Engineering as an honorary degree recipient and 2026 commencement speaker. Watch Matt’s commencement speech on the UConn College of Engineering YouTube channel.Continue reading→
Rayha Report Ep. 22: Run to Home Base 2026
In his latest Rayha Report, EB President Mark Rayha talks with Run to Home Base co-chair Tammee Sweck and runners Amy and Greyson Stephenson about why this annual fundraiser means so much to our veterans, service members, and their families. Learn how Team General Dynamics is preparing for the July 25 event at Fenway Park...Continue reading→
Rayha Report Ep. 21: Backstage With Chris Stapleton
In the latest Rayha Report, EB President Mark Rayha hit the road for a backstage chat with American singer-songwriter and guitarist Chris Stapleton. Chris is not only an extraordinary artist, but someone whose values resonate deeply with the people of Electric Boat: pride in craftsmanship, respect for hard work and a genuine love for this...Continue reading→
Happy Fourth of July
As America marks its 250th birthday, we celebrate the generations of shipbuilders whose skill and commitment have strengthened our nation, and especially thank our current generation of EB shipbuilders for all you’re doing to meet this challenging moment in history. Happy Fourth of July.
