BATH

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel visited Bath Iron Works on Wednesday afternoon and took a tour of the recently-launched USS Zumwalt, the first in class destroyer built at the shipyard.

After the tour, Hagel spoke briefly to shipyard workers and answered a couple of workers’ questions about the future of BIW and the yard.  “BIW has a very important place in the future of the Navy,” he told the workers, who cheered.

He commiserated with the workers who bear the brunt of the uncertainty in Congress with regard to the budget.  “As you know, we don’t have a budget,” he said.  “We have a continuing resolution.  And I know you’d like to have some answers, so you can make plans … so we can all make plans.  But we’ll get through this hard time,” he promised.

Hagel stopped in Bath en route to a security conference in the Maritimes.  Hagel will travel to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to participate in the Halifax International Security Forum. The morning of Nov. 22, he will meet with Canadian Defense Minister Rob Nicholson and participate in a joint news conference.  In the afternoon, Hagel will deliver remarks to the Halifax Security Forum before returning to Washington that night.

ghamilton@timesrecord.com