Protects the civilian workforce at public shipyards by barring hiring freezes and involuntary workforce reductions that result from spending cuts, fund reprogramming, or an employee’s probationary status. The provision defines which jobs count as the covered shipyard workforce by naming twelve job categories and keeps intact the Secretary of Defense’s authority to discipline or remove employees for misconduct or poor performance.

The measure mainly preserves staffing stability at public shipyards during budget or administrative actions, while allowing normal performance- and misconduct-based personnel actions to continue.