Newport News, VA - Nov 2012: The Virginia-class attack submarine Minnesota (SSN 783) is under construction at Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding. (Navy photo courtesy of Newport News Shipbuilding/Released)
By: FEDweek StaffLawmakers should weigh several key issues relating to cost, capabilities and construction scheduling as they consider the Navy’s requests to fund design and construction of the next-generation attack submarines, according to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report.
Procurement of these Virginia-class SSN(X)s began in 1998, with two vessels built per year at a cost of roughly $3.6 billion each. Construction is taking place at General Dynamics’ facilities in Groton, Connecticut and Quonset Point, Rhode Island, and Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. The Navy wants these submarines to be exceptionally quiet and fast, heavily armed, and capable of many years of service.
The CRS report cites 2021 Navy cost figures at $5.8 billion and Congressional Budget Office (CBO) figures at $6.2 billion per ship – significantly higher than initial projections. The CRS outlined several matters worthy of congressional attention:
• Whether the Navy correctly identified the vessels’ capabilities as they relate to cost.
• The impact the program would have on funding other Navy priorities.
• The technical feasibility of powering SSN(X) with reactors that use low-enriched uranium (LEU), rather than the high-enriched uranium in use on other nuclear-powered Navy ships. Of particular concern is how this would play out during future nuclear arms control and non-proliferation efforts.
• Whether SSN(X) should be built in one facility or the three, as planned.
The Navy has asked for $237 million for research and development in fiscal 2023 for the SSN(X). So far, the CBO report stated, both the House and Senate favor approving much – but not all – of the Navy’s requests.
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