Top military leaders visit Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WXXV)- Three of the highest-ranking leaders in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps visited the Mississippi Gulf Coast today.

They received a firsthand look at shipbuilding operations at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula.

This visit emphasizes the role Ingalls plays in building and modernizing the Navy’s fleet and shaping future of U.S. maritime power.

Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, Chief of Naval Operations Darly Caudle, and Commandant of the Marine Corps General Eric Smith were all in attendance at Ingalls.

The shipyard is building three classes of ships while also modernizing Zumwalt class destroyers with advanced weapons systems.

A key focus of the visit is the Navy’s future fleet. HII is supporting the Navy’s proposed new battleship class under what’s being called the ‘golden fleet’ initiative.

Ingalls is already working with the Navy on early engineering and design analysis for the next generation, while also playing a major role in the future small surface combatant program.