HII spokeswoman Beci Brenton said in a statement Wednesday that a two-carrier acquisition is "a significant step toward building these ships more affordably. Although there is more work to be done, it is important to note that the multi-ship purchase of aircraft carriers helps stabilize the Newport News Shipbuilding workforce, enables the purchase of material in quantity, and permits a fragile supplier base of more than 2,000 in 46 states to phase work more efficiently."