There was a time when Navy officials thought a couple-billion-dollar infusion into the submarine industrial base could help expand production from two Virginias a year to three. For the fleet to reach that required size, industry would need to get back on track and then increase its production rate to something closer to three a year. ![]() The attack submarine fleet has shrunk to 49, compared to a 2021 assessment’s requirement for 66 to 72. ![]() And the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent labor market disruption left the Virginia production line in a dire situation, with industry delivering no submarines to the Navy between April 2020 and February 2022. A smaller industrial base began Virginia-class construction in 1998 at a rate of one boat a year, but in FY11, the Navy moved to a two-a-year rate, and by 2019, it was clear industry had fallen behind.Īttack sub construction fell even further behind as the Navy asked industry to prioritize the growing Columbia-class workload. The industrial base is facing a range of challenges after shrinking by about 70% when the Navy took a break from buying submarines following the end of the Cold War. The Navy this year is also launching a separate $2.2 billion investment in Virginia-class maintenance and readiness, which will also benefit many of the same parts suppliers. The sea service spent more than $1 billion between fiscal 20 on bolstering the two nuclear shipbuilding yards and their thousands of suppliers, and kicked off another five-year, $2.4 billion investment in FY23 - on top of the annual cost of procuring submarines. The Navy was already ramping up its financial support of the submarine industrial base well before AUKUS was decided. submarine needs, defense officials say the industrial base investments will also cut maintenance timelines, making the submarines the U.S. lawmakers that AUKUS will make it more difficult to meet U.S. Virginia-class SSNs at Australia’s Stirling military base near Perth.Īmid the concerns of U.S. “Australia’s acquisition of SSNs will bolster the capabilities of one of our strongest allies by increasing the Royal Australian Navy’s range, survivability and striking power, thus strengthening deterrence in the Indo-Pacific,” Karlin said.īefore Australia acquires its own Virginia-class subs, a new collaborative entity known as Submarine Rotational Forces-West will establish a rotational presence of one UK Astute class submarine and up to four U.S. Bill Galinis confirmed industry is still delivering about 1.2 submarines a year - reflecting that the Navy is buying two a year and industry is delivering them late.Īt a Pentagon press conference Tuesday, the assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities, Mara Karlin, said the pact would “lift all three nations’ submarine industrial bases and undersea capability, enhancing deterrence and promoting stability in the region.” Mike Gilday on Wednesday said the investment would help the shipbuilders and their suppliers “sustain that 2.0 cadence, which by the way needs to go above 2.0 attack boats a year if we’re going to be in a position to sell any to the Australians.”Īnd Naval Sea Systems Command commander Vice Adm. However, one of those officials said the Navy was not expecting to see “sustained 3.0 production” of these attack submarines in the long run.Ĭhief of Naval Operations Adm. This week, senior defense officials, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, told Defense News a series of investments from Congress and Australia, with the AUKUS pact in mind, are meant to help industry “get to that 2.0 delivery cadence that we’re expecting” on the Virginia program and even achieve rates “north of 2.0″ while working on the Australian boat or boats. So far, builders have not been able to keep up with that workload and are years behind schedule on some Virginia submarines. Navy’s undersea warfare needs under a 2021 force structure assessment, the submarine industrial base must sustain a minimum construction rate of two Virginia-class attack submarines and one Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine per year throughout this decade and into the next - without counting any additional submarines for Australia.
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