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Austal USA’s former president, Craig Perciavalle, has pleaded not guilty. Rothwell defended the former executive’s intentions. Richard Spencer, a former U.S. Navy secretary who has been Austal’s chairman since July 1, said the legal problems have not destroyed the company’s relationship with the Pentagon.
Rothwell said Mobile always has had a “warmth” to it. He said he thinks back to those early days and marvels now when he looks out his hotel window and sees the massive shipyard on the Mobile River. “There’s time, but there isn’t,” Spencer said. “I mean, that’s a lot of people. It’s a bode for Mobile and the area, because I think we’re gonna be bringing a lot of people in.”The future of the Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle program. Austal is involved in building the vessel, an autonomous ship that can support a variety of missions. But the top Republican and top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee recently asked the Pentagon to scrap the program.