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Thanks to area manufacturers, troops have ships to sail, landing craft to ride, armored transports and clean water to drink.
And all that gives the local economy billions to spend.
The crown jewel of New Orleans military manufacturing - and manufacturing in the state - is the Northrop Grumman Ship Systems Avondale Operations.
At the 268-acre facility just over the Huey P. Long Bridge in Jefferson Parish, more than 6,000 men and women work to produce a fleet of military and civilian vessels.
"We are always hiring, too," says Ed Winter, Northrop Grumman spokesman. "Our challenge, which is a good one to have in many ways, is that we have more openings than there are workers to fill."
The shipyard employs more people than any other manufacturer in the state and accounts for a full 1% of the region's employment.
Northrop Grumman is wrapping up a contract to deliver the last two Bob Hope Class Strategic Sealift ships. The monstrous 950-foot ships are used to transport supplies and armored vehicles across the world.
The Bob Hope ships can carry a full brigade of tanks and is referred to as "the world's biggest floating parking lot."
But with the last Bob Hope ships nearing...