This article in Defense One features how HII is poised to support our nation’s security interests in the Pacific as a result of the company’s ability to build complex ships and the expansion into advanced defense technologies, and integration.
HII President and CEO Chris Kastner comments on the priority of delivering ships, evolution of the company and how he sees HII aligning to opportunities in both pillars of the AUKUS (Australia, U.K., and U.S) trilateral security pact.
Kastner explained to Defense One that the company’s desire is to be a significant contributor in both pillars, not with just HII’s submarine construction capabilities. He explains that HII’s investments over the last several years align directly to artificial intelligence, hypersonics, quantum computing and other advanced technologies in Pillar Two.
A portion of the article is below, or visit Defense One to read the full article.
Largest US Shipbuilder Expects More Profits From Drones, AI Than Surface Ships, Soon
The nation’s largest shipbuilder expects “mission tech” like AI and undersea drones to outpace revenue from surface combatants.
(By Marcus Weisgerber, April 2, 2023)
As the U.S. military makes moves to counter China and deepen alliances in the Pacific, HII finds itself in a unique position.
HII is the country’s largest warship builder, its only supplier of aircraft carriers and amphibious ships, and one of just two companies that builds nuclear submarines.
But the company formerly known as Huntington Ingalls Industries has broadened its portfolio in recent years as the Pentagon shifted its focus away from counterinsurgency operations toward countering China’s military buildup.
“We’re really in a sweet spot relative to the products and technologies that we sell and support of everything going on in the Pacific,” HII CEO Chris Kastner said in an interview. “We have…supplemented the company’s capabilities over the last few years with an eye towards technology investment.”
You can read the full article at Defense One.
