Proposed cuts pack big impact for Wisconsin city
Mar 2, 2014, 4:20 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) – To see the impact of strategic military decisions on local communities, look no further than Marinette, Wis.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s vision for leaner, more versatile military targeted the littoral combat ship, the marquee product of the city’s biggest employer. That could mean lost jobs in Marinette, a city of roughly 11,000.
Marinette Mayor Denise Ruleau says the threat of cuts has been hanging out there. She says her community is aware of what it has _ two 10 ship contracts _ and that they are certain to provide another five years’ worth of work.
Hagel’s proposal would cancel 20 of a planned 52 ship orders. Marinette’s biggest employer is Marinette Marine, which builds the littoral combat ships.
About 2,000 jobs in Marinette are directly linked with the ship program.
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