By Jeff Devine, Dale County Chronicle
Mobile — A $30 million investment from the United States Navy is set to bolster workforce training across Alabama, with a focus on preparing skilled labor for submarine manufacturing and shipbuilding.
The funding, awarded to the Alabama Community College System, will support expanded training programs at four community colleges in Alabama. Officials say the initiative is designed to meet growing workforce demands tied to the Navy’s submarine production goals.
The investment aligns with the Navy’s “1+2 Mission,” a strategic objective to construct one Columbia-class and two Virginia-class submarines each year. To meet that demand, industry leaders have emphasized the need for a larger, highly trained workforce capable of supporting complex manufacturing operations.
Among those scheduled to speak at the announcement are U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, ACCS Chancellor Jimmy Baker, and Greg Reed, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Workforce. Additional speakers include Gene Miller, president of Austal USA, Spiro Cheriogotis, and Bradley Byrne of the Mobile Chamber, along with Lindsay Cline.
The announcement is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Monday, March 30, at the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf in Mobile.
In a related development highlighting Alabama’s expanding role in naval manufacturing, advanced manufacturing company Hadrian recently opened a massive new facility in Cherokee aimed at increasing submarine production capacity. The 2.2 million-square-foot site, known as “Factory 4,” will use highly automated systems to mass produce components for both Virginia-class attack submarines and Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines.
The project is supported in part by federal funding through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, with the Navy contributing approximately $900 million alongside $1.5 billion in private investment, totaling more than $2.4 billion. Company officials say the facility is expected to create up to 1,000 high-paying manufacturing jobs.
Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan emphasized the broader impact of the investment, stating, “Both chambers of Congress delivered the generational investment required to rebuild our shipbuilding capacity, bring those jobs back to Alabama, and put American skilled laborers back at the center of American strength. I look forward to building on this progress together in the months ahead, because we are just getting started. This factory is the first of three facilities designed to address the most critical bottlenecks in the maritime industrial base.”
Officials say the facility represents a shift toward what the Navy calls “distributed shipbuilding,” allowing specialized उत्पादन to occur away from traditional shipyards. Jason Potter explained the concept’s importance, noting, “These factories of the future might be several states away from the yards where the ships are ultimately built, but by taking on this work they reduce bottlenecks, having a profound effect on the speed of delivery.”
By relocating component manufacturing to facilities like the one in Cherokee, shipyards in states such as Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Virginia can focus more heavily on final assembly and module production, increasing overall efficiency across the submarine industrial base.
The Factory 4 project is expected to take between 18 and 24 months to reach full-rate production, including the installation of automated systems, component qualification, and compliance with stringent submarine safety standards. Officials anticipate the facility will reach sustainable operations by its third year.
Together, the workforce training investment and the expansion of advanced manufacturing capacity signal Alabama’s growing importance in national defense and the Navy’s long-term shipbuilding strategy.
