VSRA has kept the heat on Congress to listen to the long-term, irreversible effects Sequestration will have on the strength of our Navy and the ship repair industry. Our industry needs you to be engaged, informed and voice your concerns. Ship repairers make up more than 40,000 workers in Hampton Roads. The pride they take in keeping the US Navy fleet ready for maximal operation is a critical part of the maritime industry in Virginia. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter issued a memorandum outlining steps the Pentagon is taking in response to the budget uncertainty and challenges as a result of operating under a continuing resolution and the growing threat of sequestration. Most alarmingly, the memo called for the cancellation of ship depot maintenance availabilities for the third and fourth quarters of fiscal year 2013, threatening both the nation's defense readiness and the capability of the US Navy to carry out its' principal missions.
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We are asking VSRA members and the Hampton Roads Community to contact their members of Congress and urge them to enact appropriations bills for FY13 that fund critical mission support, including ship depot maintenance and stop the long-term damage the sequestration funding cuts would have on fleet preparedness.