Adm. Frank Caldwell

U.S. Sub Force Commander Houston Nominated For Naval Reactors Director

Vice Adm. William Houston

The head of the Navy’s submarine force has been nominated to lead the service’s and the Department of Energy’s nuclear naval reactor program, according to a Pentagon announcement this week.

Vice Adm. William Houston was nominated for the rank of admiral and to serve as the director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, according to the announcement.

Houston is a 1990 graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a career submariner. At sea he’s served aboard nuclear...

https://news.usni.org/2023/05/04/u-s-sub-force-commander-houston-nominated-for-naval-reactors-director

Navy New Virginia Block VI Virginia Attack Boat Will Inform SSN(X)

USS Vermont (SSN-792) transits the Thames River while conducting routine operations on Oct. 15, 2020. US Navy Photo

The submarine community is nearing a plan for its Block VI Virginia-class submarine, which will be an improvement in stealth and capability compared to the boats under construction today and will be a bridge to the upcoming SSN(X) program.

The Block V Virginia submarines – the first three of which have already begun construction – represent the first time the Navy has made a major...

https://news.usni.org/2020/11/20/navy-new-virginia-block-vi-virginia-attack-boat-will-inform-ssnx

Navy Wants to Use Virginia Payload Module to Deploy New Missiles, UUVs

Harpoon fired from USS Olympia on July 12, 2018. US Navy Photo

ARLINGTON, Va. – The undersea warfare community wants to boost attack sub lethality by providing new payloads for the Virginia-class SSNs, especially ones that can be leveraged through the Virginia Payload Module missile tubes that will be added to new-construction boats beginning this year.

Program Executive Office for Submarines Executive Director George Drakeley said at the two-day annual Naval Submarine League symposium last week...

https://news.usni.org/2018/11/14/navy-looking-use-virginia-payload-module-deploy-new-missiles-uuvs

Columbia-class Program Upping Oversight of Vendors, Components to Stave Off Further Delays

Gold crew of the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Louisiana (SSBN-743) arrives home to Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Wash. US Navy Photo

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Navy has no wiggle room when it comes to a planned October 2020 start of construction on the first new ballistic missile submarine, so the Columbia-class program office has cranked up its interaction with and oversight of vendors big and small within the program.

To stay on top of the major milestones – start of construction, delivery...

https://news.usni.org/2018/11/08/columbia-class-program-upping-oversight-of-vendors-components-to-stave-off-further-delays