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Lawmakers and Navy Officials Flag Major Delays in Submarine and Surface Shipbuilding; Push for Industrial-base Fixes
Summary
Members of the House Appropriations subcommittee and Navy leaders said delays across Columbia and Virginia class submarine programs, ship maintenance backlogs and weakened shipyard capacity threaten readiness and strategic timelines, and discussed contracting and workforce steps intended to speed production.
House Appropriations subcommittee members and senior Navy officials told lawmakers on May 20 that persistent construction delays and a shrunken shipbuilding industrial base are undermining the Navy’s ability to deliver submarines and other major platforms on schedule.
Chairman Ken Calvert, chair of the subcommittee, warned that “delays in construction of the lead Columbia class submarine presents a significant risk to strategic deterrence” and said the program is facing an 18- to 24-month slip. He also noted concerns about the Virginia-class production rate, saying the program is producing roughly "1.2 submarines a year versus a necessary cadence of 2 per year."
The Navy’s new secretary, John Phelan, told the panel he has visited…
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