Matthew Nelson
Mark Esper, secretary at the Department of Defense and a 2019 Wash100 winner, met with Mike Petters, president and CEO at Huntington Ingalls Industries and a 2017 Wash100 winner, during his visit at the company's Newport News Shipbuilding facility.
Esper visited the USS Gerard R. Ford to check on the progress of the ship’s post-shakedown availability and review its warfighting and weapons-handling capacities, HII said Wednesday.
The tour marks Esper’s first visit to the shipyard after he assumed the role of DoD secretary.
“We appreciate that Secretary Esper took the time to visit our operations and Ford to see first-hand how we are working with our Navy partners to redeliver the newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that will be the centerpiece of our nation’s security strategy for decades to come,†said Jennifer Boykin, president of Newport News Shipbuilding at HII.
