Kelley Neal Gray
Ship Sponsor
Born the second child of George Milton Neal and Barbara Neal, she grew up in Springfield and now divides her time between Ohio and Florida. She built a successful career in retail and fashion, retiring as Assistant Vice President of Merchandise Planning & Allocation at Bath & Body Works. She is married to Eric Gray and is the proud mother of two adult children.
Brian Blanchette
Executive Vice President, HII and President, Ingalls Shipbuilding
Brian is the Executive Vice President of HII and President of the Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Named to this position in January 2025, he is responsible for all programs and operations at Ingalls, including the U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault and surface combatant ship programs.
Chris Kastner
President and Chief Executive Officer, HII
Chris Kastner is president and CEO of HII, America’s largest military shipbuilder and global all-domain defense technologies provider. He is also a member of HII’s board of directors.
Named to honor Korean War veteran, Aviation Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class George M. Neal, who was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroic actions while attempting to rescue a fellow service member.
Neal volunteered as crewman to fly in a helicopter deep into North Korean mountains to attempt the rescue of a Marine aviator who had been shot down and was trapped by the enemy. During the rescue attempt, under heavy enemy fire, Neal’s helicopter was disabled and crashed. He assisted his pilot and the rescued aviator in evading enemy forces for nine days before being captured and held as a prisoner of war. Neal was eventually released and returned to the U.S. with more than 320 fellow POWs in 1952.
George M. Neal (DDG 131) is the fourth Flight III destroyer to be constructed at Ingalls. Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers incorporate a number of design modifications that collectively provide significantly enhanced capability including the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) and the Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System that are designed to keep pace with the threats well into the 21st century.
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. Guided missile destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. surface fleet and are capable of fighting multiple air, surface and subsurface threats simultaneously.
December 2021
April 2026
December 2023
Employing more than 11,000 individuals, HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula is the largest manufacturing employer in Mississippi and a major contributor to the economic growth of Alabama.
For 87 years, Ingalls has designed, built and maintained amphibious ships and destroyers for the U.S. Navy. As the Navy’s largest supplier of surface combatants, Ingalls is simultaneously building three classes of ships (DDG 51 Flight III, LHA, and LPD Flight II) and modernizing the Zumwalt-class of guided missile destroyers with technology upgrades including the incorporation of the conventional prompt strike weapons system. Ingalls supported the U.S. Coast Guard for nearly two decades by building and delivering 10 Legend-class national security cutters (NSCs).
Ingalls is the builder-of-record for both the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) guided missile destroyers and America class (LHA 6) large deck amphibious ships; and the sole builder of the Navy San Antonio-class (LPD 17) amphibious assault ships.
