Submarine Industrial Base Council (SIBC)’s Post

The #USNavy Fiscal Year 2025 budget will ask Congress to fund only one Virginia-class #submarine, instead of two #submarines per year, in a sign that industry is still catching up to the current demand. While the Navy plans to only ask for one Virginia attack boat, the request will include one submarine’s worth of advanced procurement materials to maintain demand for the limited amount of suppliers for submarines. The U.S. is set to sell three to five Virginia-class boats to Australia. But to do this, submarine manufacturers Newport News Shipbuilding, A Division of HII and General Dynamics Electric Boat would have to build 2.33 boats a year. The shipbuilders are currently building about 1.3 boats a year. | https://bit.ly/3SLzoTY ⚓ #submersibles #defensecontractors #defenseindustry #nationalsecurity

Inside a Navy Submarine Navigating the Arctic https://lnkd.in/dkYN-rvc

The ongoing problems with the LCS have been well-documented for years, in news articles, government reports and congressional hearings. Each ship ultimately cost more than twice the original estimate. Worse, they were hobbled by an array of mechanical failures and were never able to carry out the missions envisaged by their champions. ProPublica set out to trace how ships with such obvious shortcomings received support from Navy leadership for nearly two decades. We reviewed thousands of pages of public records and tracked down naval and shipbuilding insiders involved at every stage of construction. Our examination revealed new details on why the LCS never delivered on its promises. Top Navy leaders repeatedly dismissed or ignored warnings about the ships’ flaws. One Navy secretary and his allies in Congress fought to build more of the ships even as they broke down at sea and their weapons systems failed. Staunch advocates in the Navy circumvented checks meant to ensure that ships that cost billions can do what they are supposed to do. Note: This mess is belatedly getting the attention it should have gotten years ago. What a fiasco?!

The US Navy is planning to move forward with extending the service life of up to five Ohio-class ballistic missile #submarines, starting with USS ALASKA (SSBN-732), a senior officer overseeing #submarine construction said today. Rear Adm. Scott Pappano, the program executive officer for #strategic submarines, told attendees here at the Naval Submarine League symposium the #Navy has programmed in the service life extension for ALASKA in fiscal year 2029 as a “hedge” against the building schedule of the newer Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines. The maintenance period to extend the sub’s life by three years would take about 18 months and is called a pre-inactivation restricted availability. The OHIO class was originally designed in the 1970s and scheduled to be in service for 30 years, but incremental life extensions have continually elongated the boats’ time in service beyond four decades. Speaking to reporters following his remarks, Pappano cautioned that although the service has opted to include the life extension, or PIRA, in its long-term planning documents, that decision can ultimately be reversed if deemed necessary. “We have the ability to come off at that decision at anytime, right,” he said. “I can decide not to do those up until the year of execution.” Pappano declined to name other vessels being considered for the life extensions, but said there are certain “red lines” that would make extending a boat’s life cost prohibitive, such as needing to refuel the vessel or replace a reactor. The #USNavy in recent years has floated the idea of extending the lives of certain Ohio-class submarines as a way to buy time in case the first Columbia-class boat does not begin patrols on time in the early 2030s. In parallel, the service has been extending the service lives of certain Los Angeles-class fast attack submarines, such as USS ALEXANDRIA (SSN-757) and SCRANTON (SSN-756). #mai #marineacoustics #underseawarfare #usw #strategicdeterrence #strategicsubmarine #powerprojection #navsea Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) NAVSEA Warfare Centers (NSWC/NUWC) https://lnkd.in/euRJHDar

Now, more than we need AI/ML predictive and preventive maintenance to support these platforms. The data is there to learn from. Let’s get to it!! #ai #ml #nuwc #navy

The US Navy has given itself a 'C+' rating for its ability to repair warships damaged in a major conflict, according to Hon. Nickolas Guertin, the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development, and acquisition. He highlighted the need for a $21 billion project to modernize and expand the Navy's four shipyards. However, the proposed $257.6 billion US Navy and United States Marine Corps budget for fiscal 2025 has drawn bipartisan criticism, with concerns raised about the delay in shipbuilding and cuts to submarine purchases. Lawmakers emphasized the importance of maintaining a strong Navy to deter great powers and protect sea lanes. Calls were made for an outside commission to examine the Navy's long-range plans. #USNavy #Shipbuilding #Budget2025 #NavalModernization #SeaPower #DefenseBudget #NationalSecurity #MilitaryReadiness #MaritimeSecurity

"U.S. Navy attack submarines are excellent weapons for devastating America’s enemies, but the fleet doesn’t have enough boats and is in serious disrepair." "But the U.S. Navy is already short on attack subs. The Navy’s goal is 66 hulls, but the current inventory is 49, which may shrink as older models age out of service. Congress has been trying to buy two new boats a year, but the industrial base is churning out only 1.2. No one in the Biden Pentagon has the faintest proposal to scale up in short order. The Navy’s shipbuilding plan this year featured three options for a future fleet, and in only one does the sea service ever reach 66 attack subs—in 2049." And this has been true since 2007, the first year Joe Courtney was in office... and he has done nothing to correct this shortfall. "It gets worse. Only 31 U.S. attack subs were operationally ready in 2023, according to recent data from the Congressional Research Service. Some 37% of the fleet is either in maintenance or collecting rust awaiting repairs. That’s nearly double the Navy’s 20% maintenance goal, and it’s up from 19% in fiscal 2015." Now we are seeing the consequence of the lack of infrastructure to support submarine maintenance, which should have been identified and corrected over a decade ago, as well as supply chain issues. #CT02 #CTPolitics #RealJoeCourtney #Submarine #Navy

The Congressional Research Service has released a report on the US Navy's force structure and shipbuilding plans. The report discusses the Navy's goal of achieving and maintaining a fleet of 355 ships, which was made U.S. policy in 2017. However, the report also mentions that the Navy has been working on a successor goal that would reflect the current national defense strategy and a new fleet architecture. The report states that the Navy's proposed FY2024 budget includes funding for nine new ships and the retirement of 11 ships. It also provides insights into the Navy's long-term shipbuilding plans and force-level projections. This report is important for understanding the future of the Navy's fleet and its impact on national defense. #Navy #ForceStructure #Shipbuilding #CongressionalReport #NationalDefense #USMilitary #DefenseStrategy