This Wednesday, the Director of Naval Reactors for the U.S. Navy confirmed that the current Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarine program will extend to Block VIII, delaying the transition to the next generation of attack submarines. This development comes shortly after Admiral Bill Houston stated during the annual Submarine League Symposium that the Navy plans to continue the Virginia program into the 2040s.
It is worth noting that the U.S. Navy had previously planned to transition to the new SSN(X) submarines starting in fiscal year 2031, but this timeline now appears delayed based on the aforementioned updates. The SSN(X) design, according to local specialized media, aims to return to the capabilities of the previous Seawolf-class submarines, which were developed during the Cold War. In this regard, the new class is expected to focus on deep-water operations centered on hunting enemy submarines. Additionally, it would feature a weapons bay with greater capacity compared to the current Virginia-class submarines, which were primarily designed for special operations and signals intelligence functions.
Highlighting some of Admiral Houston’s statements, it is relevant to consider that the U.S. Navy is interested in leveraging the large hulls of the Columbia-class submarines, which strengthens this perspective. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the Navy may seek to acquire more submarines than originally planned. The current goal is to procure a dozen Columbia-class submarines to maintain one of the pillars of the U.S. nuclear deterrence capability. In Admiral Houston’s words: “And to be clear, the nuclear posture states at least 12 Columbias. And I think if you look at threats around the world, there may be a need for more Columbias.”
It is also important to mention that this change in plans comes at a time when the U.S. shipbuilding industry, represented primarily by General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII Newport News Shipbuilding, faces significant challenges. These include difficulties in hiring skilled personnel and maintaining supply chains necessary for production, all exacerbated by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, production is proceeding at a rate of 1.3 submarines per year.
In a critical self-assessment, Houston remarked: “It is an industrial base that is very, very challenged. And I’ll quote Secretary Del Toro; he would say, we now recognize that we have let much of the shipbuilding industry disappear. We need to expand our industrial capacity for both commercial ships and Navy submarines.”
Such an expansion will undoubtedly be necessary for the U.S. Navy to meet the objectives announced by Rear Admiral Jon Rucker during the same event. These objectives include the annual production of one Columbia-class submarine and two Virginia-class submarines starting in 2028, in addition to supporting Australia’s nuclear submarine project under the AUKUS framework. However, as with the plans for the next-generation DDG(X) destroyer and the Navy’s future fighter jet (F/A-XX), significant delays are evident.
Finally, it is also worth noting that the final contract for the two future attack submarines assigned for fiscal year 2024, the future USS Baltimore (SSN-813) and USS Atlanta (SSN-813), is still under negotiation. According to USNI News, there is a significant funding gap of $2 billion compared to the budget approved by the U.S. Congress.
Images used for illustrative purposes.
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