The US is struggling to meet production needs for Virginia-class submarines, such as Arkansas , pictured here still under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding. (Janes/Michael Fabey)
A recent United States Congressional Research Service (CRS) report calls into question the ability of the US submarine industrial base (SIB) to deliver the vessels required to meet US naval and international agreement needs.
The US Navy (USN) and shipbuilders acknowledge the US SIB has been failing to keep apace of the desired production rate for Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) needed for the USN and requirements set under the AUKUS agreement signed by the US, the United Kingdom, and Australia to bolster the Australian submarine force.
“Although Virginia-class submarines are being procured at a rate of two boats per year, navy officials stated that the construction rate for Virginia-class submarines as of November 2024 was between 1.1 to 1.2 boats per year,” CRS noted in its report Navy Columbia (SSBN-826) Class Ballistic Missile Submarine Program: Background and Issues for Congress , released on 18 March.
“The navy and industry are working to increase the Virginia-class production rate to 2.0 boats per year by 2028, and subsequently to 2.33 boats per year,” CRS reported.
“Whether strategic outsourcing and SIB funding will be enough to increase the Virginia-class production rate to 2.0 boats per year by 2028, and subsequently to 2.33 boats per year, is uncertain,” CRS added.
CRS also noted, “A related issue for Congress concerns the ability of the submarine construction industrial base to execute the work associated with procuring one Columbia-class SSBN [strategic submarine] plus two Virginia-class SSNs per year (a procurement rate referred to in short as 1+2).”
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