Commander Trey Kennard, commanding officer of the USS North Dakota, briefed the North Dakota Senate on Tuesday about the submarine's maintenance, crew activities and planned return to operations. Kennard said the boat is in a major maintenance availability at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and is expected to complete the work in spring 2026, after which it will change home ports to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The update matters to North Dakotans because the submarine carries the state's name and because Kennard said the ship has deep ties to communities that have supported it since commissioning. "The support that pours into our boat from our namesake stake is the best I have ever seen in my almost 19 years of naval service," Kennard told senators.

Kennard described the scope of the maintenance: "Overall, the availability cost is over $475,000,000 with over 440,000 human days worth of work." He said the period in the shipyard includes repairs, inspections and upgrades "from bow to stern" and that the work is on track for on-time delivery. He added the crew continues training and qualifications to be "war ready" when the boat returns to sea.

Kennard introduced two sailors who accompanied him to Bismarck: sonar technician Gabriel Bridal Andrade Ruiz and Lieutenant Jack Reinhart, the assistant engineer officer. He described Ruiz's role in keeping the ship's topside and habitability in order and praised Reinhart's recent selection as junior officer of the year and his upcoming shore assignment in Japan.

Kennard also highlighted crew morale and community engagement. He said sailors have volunteered with park cleanups, Habitat for Humanity and school visits in the ship's sponsor town of York, Maine. He noted recent unit awards, including the submarine squadron 2 battle "E" for overall excellence and multiple excellence recognitions in engineering, weapons, navigation and personnel.

In closing, Kennard led senators in a ship'board call-and-response: he called "strength from the soil" and invited the chamber to reply "reapers of the deep." The Senate ordered Kennard's address printed in the journal.

Kennard did not request any legislative action; his appearance was an informational address.