SECNAV Announces Push to Rebuild Michigan's Maritime Industrial Base

The United States' Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro on Monday announced a federal, state and local partnership intended to help rebuild the maritime industrial base workforce required to support the Navy.

The so-called Michigan Maritime Manufacturing Initiative (M3) will establish training pipelines and programs to meet the Navy’s need for thousands of new workers and jobs across the state and the broader Great Lakes region. With an initial focus on submarine production skillsets before expansion to other types of ships, the initiative will implement a training curriculum focused on maritime welding and machining with the scale and speed needed to fill manufacturing and engineering gaps in the maritime workforce.

“I’m thrilled to be in Michigan today to launch an investment of over $50 million for this critical effort to help rebuild our nation’s maritime manufacturing workforce,” said Secretary Del Toro, who announced M3 at Macomb Community College, one of many academic partners throughout Michigan committed to developing the future maritime workforce. “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.”

Michigan’s manufacturing industry remains a top producer of semiconductor chips, electric vehicle batteries and clean energy and the state is well-positioned to lead manufacturing efforts into the future, the Navy said. The schools and industry partners that shaped the country’s automotive and transportation industries will help build and sustain the Navy’s fleet. The M3 initiative will also help place graduates from these programs with maritime suppliers to meet their hiring demands.

Leveraging Department of Defense (DoD) Industrial Base Policy assessments and innovative veteran programs like SkillBridge—which connects transitioning service members with real-world job experiences in their last 180 days of service—the M3 initiative will also capitalize on Michigan’s strong veteran population and legendary strength in labor.

“We are making investments to nurture and develop the skillsets that are vital to our national security; investments which will enable us to achieve the strategic priorities laid out in the National Defense Industrial Strategy,” said Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy. “By partnering with Michigan’s auto manufacturing industry to grow the SIB, we are reimagining what is possible for manufacturing communities not just throughout Michigan, but across the country.”

Secretary Del Toro made the announcement alongside Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Senator Gary Peters, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, James Rodriguez, and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale.

“As we invest in training the next generation of workers, we send a clear message to manufacturers across the nation: come to Michigan,” Governor 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. Our defense industry contributes $30 billion to our economy, supporting more than 166,000 jobs and nearly 4,000 businesses. We produce more military vehicles than any other state and are home to major defense companies including General Dynamics, BAE, and GM Defense. With our growing veteran population—over 500,000 strong—Michigan is primed to remain a manufacturing powerhouse.”