The U.S Navy’s Readiness Advantage: How HII Supports the Fleet Wherever it Sails

For more than four decades, the U.S. Navy has trusted HII to maintain and modernize much of its fleet

Every day, HII personnel support U.S. Navy operations aboard more than 50 ships in ports and at sea around the world. From nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines to amphibious warships and support vessels, HII helps ensure the fleet’s most vital assets remain safe, operational, and mission-ready wherever they are deployed.

That commitment was recently reinforced with the award of a $418 million contract to support the continued operational readiness of U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and amphibious warship elevators. The award builds on more than four decades of trusted partnership with the U.S. Navy and further solidifies HII’s position as America’s largest military shipbuilder and a leading global provider of fleet sustainment. It also underscores the company’s unmatched ability to maintain, modernize, and sustain the most complex and strategically critical maritime platforms, ensuring they remain ready to meet global mission demands.

HII’s sustainment expertise extends well beyond individual programs. The company provides lifecycle engineering and maintenance support for approximately 75% of U.S. Navy ships each year and trains more than 58,000 sailors on shipboard systems and platforms. In 2025 alone, HII teams supported fleet operations in more than 23 countries, from forward operating locations such as Japan, Singapore and Bahrain to major maintenance hubs across the geographic combatant commands.

“Fleet sustainment is a global mission, and our teams are supporting naval operations every day in shipyards, ports, and forward-deployed locations around the world,” said Michael Lempke, president of Global Security for HII’s Mission Technologies division. “The experience we gain from building, maintaining, and sustaining the world’s most advanced nuclear-powered ships and submarines gives us unique insight into what it takes to keep the entirety of the fleet operational and ready. Those capabilities not only strengthen the readiness of the U.S. Navy but also position HII as a valuable partner for allied and partner nations.”

Supporting that mission is an extensive global network that includes 57 offices, 21 laboratories, five fabrication and manufacturing facilities, and deployed support teams at 25 locations outside the continental United States. As international demand continues to grow, HII is expanding this infrastructure to deliver responsive sustainment wherever it is needed. Across this network, HII’s Global Security teams rapidly mobilize to address urgent readiness challenges, often on short notice and under demanding operational conditions. Whether executing repairs aboard forward-deployed warships, installing modernization upgrades during maintenance availabilities, or providing engineering and technical expertise to resolve emergent issues, HII ensures the fleet can respond whenever and wherever missions require.

HII’s global sustainment capabilities also support key international partnerships. Under the AUKUS security agreement, the company is leveraging its proven expertise through the H&B Defence joint venture with partner Babcock International to help Australia develop a sovereign submarine maintenance capability. This effort will prepare Australia to maintain U.S.-flagged Virginia-class submarines deployed to the region, future Australian-operated Virginia-class submarines transferred to Australia, and the next-generation SSN-AUKUS submarines.

As maritime operations expand across increasingly contested and complex environments, HII continues to deliver the sustainment capabilities that keep U.S. and allied fleets mission-ready. The recent elevator sustainment contract demonstrates the company’s ability to provide scalable, responsive support across the full lifecycle of the world’s most advanced naval platforms. Through rapid deployment, specialized engineering expertise, extensive global infrastructure, and decades of proven execution, HII remains a trusted partner in strengthening maritime readiness and security worldwide.