FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., May 26, 2000 – Newport News Shipbuilding (NYSE: NNS) announced today the appointment of Margaret J. Blackwell to director of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Community Relations. In this position, Blackwell takes on new responsibilities for managing the company’s community relations and corporate contribution functions and continues to lead EEO compliance, diversity initiatives, and work and family programs for Newport News Shipbuilding.

Blackwell joined the company in 1971 in the Personnel department and has held positions of increasing responsibility to include benefits analyst; manager, EEO; and her most recent position as manager, EEO and Diversity. Blackwell is active in the Hampton Roads community and has served on numerous organizational volunteer boards and committees to include work with the Peninsula YWCA, the Peninsula United Way, the American Red Cross, the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association.

Blackwell is a graduate of St. Leo University in St. Leo, Fla., and also earned a Human Resources Certificate from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.

Newport News Shipbuilding designs and constructs nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines for the U.S. Navy and provides life-cycle services for ships in the Navy fleet. The company employs nearly 17,000 people and has annual revenues of approximately $1.9 billion. Visit NNS on the Web at www.nns.com.