Fighting the War on Recessions
Check out the key reason federal lawmakers from Rhode Island and Connecticut are supporting an increase in the Navy’s budget for Virginia-class submarines:
A key mission for Connecticut and Rhode Island lawmakers has been to convince the Navy to accelerate plans to double production of the 377-foot long high-tech attack sub as soon as possible. Such a move could help safeguard jobs at Electric Boat, which has facilities in both states. [Emphasis mine]
I find this extraordinary. Isn’t it rather rare for politicians and the media to publicly admit that the U.S. military is primarily about economic stimulus rather than defense? “The Navy had opposed moving up its plans for a second sub before 2012,” according to The Providence Journal. Fortunately for us, U.S. Representative Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) understands military strategy better than a bunch of lame career admirals—Langevin understands, as the ProJo explains, that “maintaining a strong shipbuilding industry is vital to the nation’s security, particularly since nations such as China are bent on producing more and more submarines.
“‘We have to do all we can to protect that base,’ Langevin said” in the middle of an article otherwise entirely devoted to the economic impact of raising the shipbuilding budget.
Field Reports:
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