EB Ramps Hiring to Historic Levels, Accelerates Builds

General Dynamics Electric Boat is embarking on a defining period in the submarine builder’s history—with hiring plans and investments reaching unprecedented levels.

“The numbers are mind boggling,” Electric Boat president Mark Rayha said during the company’s legislative briefing in Groton March 23.

Electric Boat hired 515 people in Groton last year and nearly 1,800 at Quonset Point in Rhode Island.

Looking ahead, Rayha said the pace is accelerating sharply, with goals to hire 8,000 people across the two states.

Rayha said about 2,250 will be in Groton, 3,250 in Quonset Point, 1,000 in engineering and design in New London and Waterford, as well as 1,500 in support roles across all locations.

“We continue to make strides,” Rayha said. “We continue to get better at EB and continue to grow.”

‘Unprecedented Growth’

The growth is fueled by steady demand across Electric Boat’s submarine portfolio, including Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines, Virginia-class attack submarines, and fleet maintenance work.

“We’re in a period of unprecedented growth and demand for submarines,” Rayha said.

Electric Boat has already expanded significantly since the Navy’s decision in 2012 to build two Virginia-class submarines per year.

“We’ve grown by 300% as an enterprise,” Rayha said. “It’s pretty spectacular.”

Rayha said the company’s expansion is backed by massive capital investment.

“We talk a lot about investing in the infrastructure, but we’re investing close to $100 million a year in training this workforce.”

Electric Boat’s Mark Rayha

“There’s $4 billion in Electric Boat in the last five or six years,” Rayha said, adding there is another $4 billion coming.

Those investments include expanded facilities, a new floating dry dock in Groton, and the acquisition of the former Crystal Mall in Waterford.

There, Rayha said Electric Boat will be creating state-of-the-art training space in addition to labs and offices.

“We talk a lot about investing in the infrastructure, but we’re investing close to $100 million a year in training this workforce for this moment in time,” Rayha said.

“So more capability there for both trades training, trades upskilling, but also other training for the workforce.”

Meeting Demand

Rayha credits the people who work for Electric Boat with meeting aggressive internal production goals.

“There were naysayers,” Rayha said. “They said, ‘you’ll never do it.’ And we did it.”

He said output went up by 55% last year, with the lead Columbia-class submarine about 65% complete.

While hiring slowed last year, Rayha is confident the company will meet its goals in 2026 and 2027.

He said hiring wages and the mission itself helps improve retention, with attrition under 5% in Groton and even less in Rhode Island.

“The wage money matters. The work we do matters,” Rayha said.

He said they have had more than 15,000 applicants in the past two years alone.

While he acknowledged the company will need to automate some aspects of production, he rejected the idea that automation could replace skilled shipbuilders.

“You’ll never, ever replace what a shipbuilder—especially a nuclear shipbuilder—can do,” Rayha said.

“At some point, someone puts a tool on the product and makes it, and it’s handcrafted.”

Federal Support

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal also spoke at the legislative briefing, describing congressional funding levels as a sign of confidence in the submarine program.

“The fact that $23 billion now per year is being invested in it, that is, in some ways, the most powerful statement,” said Courtney.

Blumenthal echoed that sentiment, while highlighting the workforce.

“The real turnaround is due to the commitment of General Dynamics and Electric Boat investing, truly investing, in an unprecedented way in Connecticut,” he said.

Rayha said Electric Boat understands the scale of the responsibility it carries.

“We know that we take a lot of the budget,” he said. “We are humbled by that.”

Rayha also said he appreciates the work Connecticut suppliers have done, including keeping up with challenging pay increases.

“The more we can all make, the more they’ll buy,” Rayha said.

He said Electric Boat has spent $1.56 billion across the 342 suppliers in Connecticut in five years—with the expectation that the number can grow.

“We’re going to try to keep making sure that that money comes your way so you can continue to grow your business and support the enterprise.”