Photo caption: Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) transits the Indian Ocean, June 24, 2026. Boxer, flagship of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, was built at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Gaither)

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June 26, 2026

HII’s Weekly News Digest is compiled every Friday by the Corporate Communications team to summarize and highlight news stories of significance to the company.

HII Wins $418 Million Shipboard Elevator Maintenance Contract: WashingtonExec reported on Monday that HII has won a $418 million contract to repair and maintain elevators on U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and amphibious ships. Under the five-year, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract from Naval Sea Systems Command, HII’s Mission Technologies division will provide engineering, maintenance and technical repair support for the elevators, cargo handling equipment and associated systems on the ships. Mission Technologies will also train sailors to promote self-sufficiency at sea and deploy rapid-response fly-away teams worldwide to complete complex maintenance and repairs safely. Ocean News & Technology reported on Tuesday that Mission Technologies’ Elevator Support Unit has more than 40 years of experience and will apply lessons learned to ensure consistent high-quality, rapid-response, and affordable sustainment services for the US Navy’s fleet.

HII Invests In Additive Manufacturing Equipment: USNI News reported on Wednesday that HII is among the military shipbuilders that are perfecting new manufacturing technologies needed to outfit Columbia– and Virginia-class submarines and to keep older warships operating. Those technologies include additive manufacturing, a process in which parts are 3-D printed layer-by-layer from a digital design. Kari Wilkinson, president of HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division, said this year HII had successfully created a 1,000-pound casting for a submarine using additive manufacturing, increasing throughput on the boat. Meanwhile, Australian Manufacturing reported on Thursday that NNS received the first of two large scale ARCEMY® X additive manufacturing systems. The systems incorporate a 10,886-kilogram positioner designed to provide heavy-capacity manufacturing capability for a range of shipbuilding applications. NNS has placed a second order for four additional ARCEMY® X systems. Delivery of those systems is scheduled for early 2027. The systems will be used to apply additive manufacturing technology in shipbuilding, with the aim of reducing lead times and providing alternatives to traditional manufacturing methods.

House Appropriators Approve $1 Trillion Pentagon Budget: Politico reported on Wednesday that the House Appropriations Committee approved a $1.1 trillion Pentagon funding bill in a 34-27 party-line vote. The measure is the final of a dozen annual government funding bills to advance out of committee. House GOP leaders could attempt to bring the Pentagon bill to the floor for a vote in July. Inside Defense reported on Wednesday that House appropriators are directing $828 million toward the submarine industrial base, over $1.2 billion for productivity enhancements at private nuclear shipyards, and $471 million for wage enhancements. House appropriators also backed the Trump-class nuclear battleship, stating that they recognize the need for a new, large surface combatant and plan to fund it at $1 billion. The Navy has not yet finalized a design or requirements, the report notes, though the service expects to buy the first ship in its FY 2028 budget request.

White House Budget Director Backs Fifth Public Shipyard: Breaking Defense reported on Thursday that Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told participants at IndoPac 2026 that the Trump administration is pushing for a fifth public shipyard. Vought said the yard is needed to maintain a growing fleet being funded by the president’s $65.8 billion shipbuilding budget request. The request also includes $1.85 billion in reconciliation funding to study whether foreign shipyards could be used to build US warships. Currently, the U.S. Navy is upgrading its four public shipyards, and launched the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) program office in 2018 as part of a more than 20-year effort to modernize the dry docks and standard equipment. The Trump administration wants to expand the Navy’s inventory to 450 ships — including battle force ships, auxiliary ships, and unmanned vessels — by 2031. The location of a fifth public shipyard has not been pinpointed.

Deadline To Spend $152 Billion Reconciliation Funds Nears: Breaking Defense reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon must place $152 billion in 2025 reconciliation spending under contract by the end of September or lose a chunk of the cash. Last year, lawmakers approved the One Big Beautiful Bill, a sprawling mega-bill that included roughly $152 billion for an array of defense initiatives, including Golden Dome, two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, munitions, nuclear modernization and more. Although that legislation dictated broad contours for how money should be spent, not all of the defense spending in the bill was tied to specific programs — giving the Pentagon latitude for how it executed the funding. The Pentagon can spend those funds over several years, but there is a caveat: If it is not contracted out by the start of fiscal year 2027 on Oct. 1, the remaining balance will be hit with an 8.3% cut. In April, just $26 billion had been placed on contract, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers at the time, leaving $126 billion to spend over the next five months.

South Korea Launches $150 Billion US Shipbuilding Investment Alliance: The Maritime Executive reported on Thursday that South Korean policy lenders and three major shipbuilders are forming a council to finance U.S. investments and orders. The Korea-U.S. Strategic Investment Corporation (KUIC), headquartered in Sejong, will oversee a planned $350 billion, multiyear investment plan in U.S. manufacturing, including $150 billion for investing in U.S. shipbuilding. The plan is capped at $20 billion per year overall, and if fully funded on schedule it would reach its target in 2043 (without adjusting for future inflation). The Korea Herald reported on Thursday that the Export-Import Bank of Korea, Korea Development Bank, Korea Trade Insurance Corp. and Korea Ocean Business Corp. signed the agreement with shipbuilders HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean to form the council. The initiative is part of the Korea-US strategic investment memorandum of understanding signed on Nov. 14 last year. It is designed to help Korean shipbuilders expand in the United States while supporting Washington’s efforts to rebuild its shipbuilding industry.

HII’s Weekly News Digest is produced by HII’s Corporate Communications team and posted to MyHII every Friday.

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