MCC to be at center of effort to build submarines for Navy

Officials tout the state’s manufacturing base, defense industry

Secretary of Navy Carlos Del Toro offers remarks Monday while Sen. Gary Peters and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer react. (JAMESON COOK–The Macomb Daily)

By JAMESON COOK

Michigan helped build the Arsenal of Democracy some 80 years ago and now is being asked to help rejuvenate the naval fleet, initially submarine construction.

Secretary of Navy Carlos Del Toro, accompanied by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters and other federal officials, announced more than $50 million is being invested in efforts in Michigan and the Great Lakes region to bolster training pipelines and programs for submarine and ship building, during a gathering Monday at South Campus of Macomb Community College in Warren.

M3 will attempt to meet the Navy’s growing demands while supporting economic development across Michigan and the Great Lakes region, state officials said.

“I can think of no better place than Michigan to shape the next generation of “new-collar” workers, combining traditionally blue-collar trades with the cutting-edge technologies of today,” Del Toro said in front of dozens of officials, veterans and others in the Sports & Expo Center. “This initiative underpins our Navy’s commitment to strengthen maritime dominance by enhancing strategic training partnerships across federal, state and local entities while leveraging Michigan’s long-standing reputation as a manufacturing powerhouse.

“Michiganders, today – like during World War II — we need your skills, your dedication, and your pioneering spirit to continue our legacy as the world’s greatest naval power.”

M3 will focus on training workers in critical skills for maritime construction, particularly in maritime welding and machining, through local community colleges. It will also connect K-12 students with hands-on career and technical education, sparking interest in maritime manufacturing careers.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer speaks Monday at the event at Macomb Community College, where the $50 million Michigan Maritime Manufacturing Initiative was announced.JAMESON COOK — THE MACOMB DAILY

MCC is receiving $15.4 million to train 384 students as CNC machinists and welders at no cost to the students beginning this fall over three years; the funds include infrastructure additions and upgrades at MCC’s M-TEC. Oakland Community College is also participating.

The U.S Navy is in the midst of pumping up efforts to bolster the naval fleet, including submarines, over the next three decades. Since 2021, the United States has spent $5.6 billion on submarine construction and plans to spend $11.4 billion over the next four years, officials said.

The Government Accountability Office found in September 2022, the submarine industrial base was 25-percent below adequate staffing levels to meet their delivery schedules for Virginia-class fast-attack submarines.

“I have forcefully advocated to revive our Nation’s shipbuilding capabilities and capacity,” Del Toro said. “But integral to this revival of American shipbuilding is a strong workforce to support it.”

Naval officials want to increase its fleet of 71 submarines –  53 fast attack, 14 ballistic-missile and four guided-missile submarines — and the entire naval fleet, which is between 275 and 300.

Whitmer touted the announcement as an endorsement of Michigan’s manufacturing base and $30-billion defense industry — buoyed by General Dynamics, BAE and GM Defense – that supports over 166,000 jobs and nearly 4,000 businesses.

“As we invest in training the next generation of workers, we send a clear message to manufacturers across the nation: come to Michigan,” Whitmer said. “Here, we make stuff — whether it’s ships, semiconductor chips, or potato chips. We have the grit and know-how to produce anything America needs.”

Military veterans will be targeted for recruitment to join in helping build the Navy’s new underwater craft.

Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said the Navy chose MCC because officials know they can count on Michigan and Macomb County.

“There’s no better place to do anything when it comes to manufacturing, especially in defense work, than right here, right now,” Hackel said. “We have the work force, we have the talent, we have the history. They know we are going to put forth the effort to make good on that commitment they have financially.”

Hackel called the selection of MCC for the main program “a testament” to the school. “It could be located anywhere in the entire country, and they decided to commit that funding here, to Macomb Community College,” he said.

MCC President Jim Sawyer, who provided opening and closing remarks and introduced each of the several speakers, said MCC officials are “proud” to be part of M3.

State Sen. Veronic Klinefelt observes the announcement of the Michigan Maritime Manufacturing Initiative at Macomb Community College in Warren.JAMESON COOK — THE MACOMB DAILY

“We are proud to support the Navy’s maritime mission while preparing our residents to be highly skilled workers qualified for well-paying, meaningful jobs vital to sustaining and growing our local defense contractors,” Sawyer said.

State Sen. Veronica Klinefelt, an Eastpointe Democrat, who attended the event, said M3 will help the state keep and attract residents as the state has suffered a slow population decline due to migration.

“We have the right businesses for this, and we have a talented work force,” Klinefelt said. “We can keep the talented workforce here in Michigan rather than them going elsewhere by providing the jobs, … good-paying jobs where folks’ standard of living can be acceptable for them to raise their families in neighborhoods theywant to and schools they want to. And these are the types of jobs that will do that.

The next question, Hackel said, is whether Michigan not only can produce submarine parts but assemble the submersibles.

“We’ve done everything else,” he said. “There isn’t anything we can’t do. There is the opportunity to do it here.”

The U.S. Navy’s most advanced submarines are primarily built by Electric Boat in Quonset, RI, and Groton, Conn., and by Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, Virg. according to a news release last April by, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island.

As part of the M3, the Office of Naval Research recently funding a $14.5 million Center for Naval Research & Education at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to advance shipbuilding research and design.

According to federal officials, other components of M3 include:

• A $2 million investment to build pathways for students that provide a stream of interactions with STEM and manufacturing education to generate interest in technical skills and increase awareness of maritime manufacturing careers for Michigan K-12 students.
• $4.5 million in activities by Project MFG, a non-profit, within the Department of Defense’s
• Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program, an advanced manufacturing-skills competition series serving industrial awareness, recruiting, and training development functions. This program will conduct national machining and welding championships and new Maritime Series competitions beginning in Michigan this fall.
• The DOD investing up to $10.75 million over the next five years in ACENet, a national hub-and-spoke network of advanced-machining training centers using computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing platforms.
• Attracting military veterans for the program through its SkillBridge program which connects transitioning service members with industry partners in real-world job experiences during their final six months of service.
• $3 million for a recruitment campaign focusing on Michigan’s rich history in the manufacturing trades, including a 30-second TV commercial that was shown at the event. The ad continues the “We Build Giants” campaign, which has drawn more than 8 million people to Buildsubmarines.com since September 2023.