White House Seeks $7.3B for Columbia, Virginia Submarines

The White House has requested $7.3 billion from Congress to address rising costs and support workforce development for the U.S. Navy's Columbia- and Virginia-class submarine programs.

The request, detailed by the U.S. Naval Institute, includes two components aimed at bolstering submarine construction efforts.

The largest portion of the request, $5.69 billion, is aimed at addressing cost overruns in the Virginia-class submarine program. This includes unplanned expenses for three Virginia-class submarines, the SSN-812 and SSN-813, as well as funding for personnel development at General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding.

Additionally, the White House is asking for $1.59 billion to continue construction of the Columbia-class submarines, which are critical to the U.S. Navy's strategic nuclear deterrence capabilities. The Columbia-class will replace the aging Ohio-class submarines and is slated to begin entering service in the early 2030s.

The requested $5.69 billion includes allocations such as $1.95 billion to address unexpected expenses related to SSN-812 and SSN-813, $1.53 billion for the Block VI modification of Virginia-class submarines, and $518 million to boost productivity at Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding.

In a related development, General Dynamics Electric Boat has expanded its partnership with Austal USA under a $450 million agreement to increase its capacity for building and repairing submarines. This deal will improve infrastructure at Austal’s shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, supporting both Virginia- and Columbia-class submarine programs.