On January 30, I led an EB team who met with Naval Reactors (NR) to discuss the progress we’ve made on improving our discipline to standards in the execution of work. As you recall, following the NAVSEA Audit A-finding of last June, EB’s Core Values Project Team gathered feedback from a cross-section of employees to better understand the causes of our declining discipline to performance standards. The team worked with senior leadership to develop and articulate our Core Values: Value Each Other, Behave with Integrity and Purpose and Commit to Excellence. The team next identified six lines of effort – safety, operational excellence, risk assessment/critical thinking, facilities, workforce engagement and development and continuous learning – to put our values into action, guiding our behaviors and improving our performance.
The employees who traveled with me to NR represented a cross-section of our company, demonstrating that we are aligned from senior leadership through to our Operations supervisors and, more importantly, that our actions in the above six areas are having a positive effect. Our goal was to have an open and honest discussion, and we accomplished that. Overall, the meeting was positive. While we shared some of our successes with NR, we also shared our challenges and areas of focus.
Two areas I personally highlighted were our efforts on Safety and Operational Excellence. We are making progress in safety training and earlier this month began OSHA 30-hour training for all members of the Operations Management team. We also described our efforts to establish a peer-to-peer approach to safety across the entire EB team. Our efforts to increase work order attainment and changes put in place – such as our new Operations Work List (OWL) tool – give our production supervisors less of an administrative burden and more time to work with their crews.
While NR acknowledged our progress, they highlighted three areas where we need to do more: document and learn more from “near misses” related to safety, continue to solve issues related to radiography testing safety, and further apply the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program Principles, aka the “Rickover Principles,” as our foundation for achieving discipline to standards across our workforce. While we have much more work to do, I was proud to represent all of you at NR and to show how we are working to get better every day.
Last month, I provided you with an update on SSN 792 PCU Vermont’s certification status and discussed how we all contribute to the certification of a ship. As of today, the 792 will be certified in the coming days, with fast cruise to follow and sea trials commencing soon after. This has been a difficult process for EB and NNS. We are spending considerable effort investigating our certification process and have self-reported several issues that we must improve on. Our certification process discipline and the formality we use to document any issues associated with the construction of the ship must be right every time. While none of the issues we uncovered impact the ability of the ship to safely conduct at-sea operations, we must all carry with us the importance of formally reporting any issues.
Overall, I’m encouraged by the progress we’re making as a team. With our Core Values guiding us, we will safely deliver the world’s most sophisticated ships to our Navy and continue our storied legacy well into this century.
Kevin Graney
Building the Future: EB’s New Central Distribution Hub
In April, Electric Boat (EB) began construction on the new central distribution hub for its warehousing, shipping, and receiving operations at 45 Frontage Road in North Stonington, CT. Since then, the 480,000‑square‑foot next‑generation warehouse facility has quickly taken shape. All wall panels are now complete, and construction is ahead of schedule. The facility will celebrate...Continue reading→
Delivering the Future
Some imagine the future. We deliver it now.
State-of-the-Art Simulator Prepares District of Columbia Crew for its Mission
As construction of the District of Columbia (SSBN 826) continues apace in EB’s South Yard Assembly Building, the sailors who will soon be at the controls are spending hours in a dynamic, high-tech simulator learning the intricacies of operating the 21,000-ton, first-in-class boomer. The Columbia Ship Control Operator Trainer (CSCOT) is a replica of the...Continue reading→
Groundbreaking Ceremony Marks Start of USS Groton Sail Monument
Fifty years after the USS Groton (SSN‑694) first launched, dozens gathered outside the Groton Public Library Oct. 9 to celebrate the groundbreaking of the USS Groton Sail Monument. The $6.6 million project—three decades in the making—will honor the men and women who design, build, operate and maintain the Navy’s submarines, as well as the families...Continue reading→
A Celebration of Heart, Community and Victory
2026 American Heart Association Eastern Connecticut Heart Walk Recap Saturday, October 3, 2026 | UConn Avery Point The 2026 American Heart Association Eastern Connecticut Heart Walk at UConn Avery Point was nothing short of extraordinary. Under bright autumn skies, 26 incredible Electric Boat teams and 151 walkers came together with passion, purpose, and unstoppable energy...Continue reading→
Quonset Point Donation Will Help Keep Mystic Aquarium’s Belugas Cool
Juno, the Mystic Aquarium’s convivial, photo-bombing Beluga whale, will continue swimming in cool comfort thanks to an unlikely chain of events that began 40 miles east in an Electric Boat industrial building at Quonset Point. That’s where EB’s Russ Tatro and Chris Logan were going over plans with a vendor, Carrier Corp., to replace Building...Continue reading→
EB Team Visits Hypertherm as Part of Drive Toward Modern, Efficient Shipbuilding
A team from Groton and Quonset Point headed to New Hampshire-based Hypertherm Associates this week to get a closer look at a modern automated plasma gouging process designed to streamline hull fabrication. The visit was part of a broader effort across Electric Boat to bring more advanced, state‑of‑the‑art manufacturing tools into the shipyard. EB plans...Continue reading→
Kamal Mohamed Recognized as 2026 Hartford Business Journal 40 Under Forty Award Recipient
The Hartford Business Journal (HBJ) 40 Under Forty Awards recognize outstanding young professionals in the Greater Hartford area who are excelling in their industries through their leadership roles. They are driven by success, motivated by challenges and are role models for their peers. These individuals are part of an outstanding class of upcoming business leaders...Continue reading→
Electric Boat Joins Regional Leaders for Military Appreciation Breakfast
Electric Boat employees joined military and community leaders for the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut’s annual Military Appreciation Breakfast on Sept. 30 at Ocean Beach Park’s Port ‘N’ Starboard. The event provided more than 120 complimentary seats to active-duty service members from the Navy, Coast Guard and Connecticut National Guard. General Dynamics Electric Boat...Continue reading→
One Week Left—Let’s Claim the Torch! AHA Eastern Connecticut Heart Walk: Final Countdown
We are just one week away from the 2026 AHA Eastern Connecticut Heart Walk on October 3, 2026, at UConn Avery Point and this is our moment to finish strong. We’ve built incredible momentum, and now we’re within striking distance of something big. Right now, Electric Boat is holding second place, behind Mohegan Sun by...Continue reading→
