Virginia-class submarine

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

Memos to Shipyards from Navy Leadership

The following are a pair of November memos from Navy acquisition chief James Geurts and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday to the U.S. shipbuilders. 

MEMORANDUM FOR AMERICA’S SHIP BUILDERS, MAINTAINERS, AND SUPPLIERS
Nov. 3, 2020

SUBJECT: Thank you and Keep Them Sailing Keeping the US Navy’s ships operating non-stop around the globe has been a hallmark of the United States Navy and its shipyards since the beginning of our great nation. The onset of the COVID pandemic this year, during a...

https://news.usni.org/2020/11/20/memos-to-shipyards-from-navy-leadership

Navy Confident It Could Build 3 Virginia SSNs a Year, Though More Study Needed On Shipyard Capacity

Attack boat Vermont (SSN-792) float-off on March 29, 2019. General Dynamics Electric Boats Photo

The Navy has “full confidence we can ramp up” to building three attack submarines per year if the Navy buildup proposed by former Defense Secretary Mark Esper were to be enacted, despite ongoing delays in Block IV Virginia-class construction, the program executive officer for submarines said today.

Esper’s Battle Force 2045 called for the Navy to reach 70 to 80 attack submarines, and he specifically ca...

https://news.usni.org/2020/11/18/navy-confident-it-could-build-3-virginia-ssns-a-year-though-more-study-needed-on-shipyard-capacity

Senate Appropriators Allot $21.35B for Shipbuilding; 1 Virginia-Class Attack Boat

Sailors aboard USS Delaware (SSN-791) on Nov. 5, 2019. US Navy Photo

Senate appropriators are proposing $21.35 billion for Navy shipbuilding that would fund nine battleforce ships, according to the text of the legislation that was released on Tuesday.

The Senate Appropriations Committee’s funding allocation for a total of nine battleforce ships in its draft of the Fiscal Year 2021 defense spending bill is an increase from the eight the Navy sought in its request earlier this year.

The legislation...

https://news.usni.org/2020/11/10/senate-appropriators-allot-21-35b-for-shipbuilding-1-virginia-class-attack-boat

Submarine Industrial Base Ready to Grow – But Only If Pentagon, Congress Send the Right Signals

Virginia-class submarine Delaware (SSN-791) was moved out of a construction facility into a floating dry dock using a transfer car system in 2018. HII Photo

Huntington Ingalls Industries is confident its businesses are well-positioned for whatever the future of the Navy is – whether it’s the implementation of the Pentagon’s Battle Force 2045 plan or something else implemented by new leadership, according to the chief executive.

HII president and CEO Mike Petters told investors on Thursday that...

https://news.usni.org/2020/11/06/submarine-industrial-base-ready-to-grow-but-only-if-pentagon-congress-send-the-right-signals

Senators Clash Over $8B Nuclear Security Admin Funding Holdover

Virginia-class submarine Delaware (SSN 791) was moved out of a construction facility into a floating dry dock using a transfer car system in 2018. HII Photo

A group of senators pressed the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration on Thursday to explain why her agency carries over approximately $8 billion in unspent funds year-over-year that lawmakers argued could be put toward building a second Virginia-class submarine next year.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) noted the second...

https://news.usni.org/2020/09/17/senators-clash-over-8b-nuclear-security-admin-funding-holdover

Thornberry: Final NDAA Bill Won’t Be Ready Until After Election

Rep. Mac Thornberry, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, met with journalists from the Defense Writers Group, an association of news outlets with reporters that cover national security issues, at the George Washington University on Tuesday, June 11, 2019. GWU Photo

The final conference report on the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act won’t be ready until after the Nov. 3 election, the outgoing ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee said on...

https://news.usni.org/2020/09/09/thornberry-final-ndaa-bill-wont-be-ready-until-after-election

Petters: Virginia-Class Subs Facing Most COVID-19 Delays at Newport News Shipbuilding

Virginia-class submarine Delaware (SSN 791) was moved out of a construction facility into a floating dry dock using a transfer car system in 2018. HII Photo

Newport News Shipbuilding has seen a disproportionate amount of its COVID-19-related delays and inefficiencies hit its Virginia-class attack submarine production line, as the yard has prioritized its available workforce on supporting maintenance for in-service submarines and aircraft carriers, the company’s CEO told investors today.

Mike...

https://news.usni.org/2020/08/06/petters-virginia-class-subs-facing-most-covid-19-delays-at-newport-news-shipbuilding

Senate Passes FY 2021 Defense Authorization Bill by Large Margin

The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Missouri (SSN 780) departs Pearl Harbor on May 10, 2020, after completing a scheduled extended dry-docking selected restricted availability (EDSRA). Missouri’s routine maintenance and modernization work was completed five days ahead of schedule after successful sea trials and certification. US Navy photo

The Senate passed its version of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act with an 86 to 14 vote, following the House passing its...

https://news.usni.org/2020/07/23/senate-passes-fy-2021-defense-authorization-bill-by-large-margin

House Appropriations Bill Includes Funding for Second Virginia-Class Submarine

Sailors aboard to Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Delaware (SSN-791) on Nov. 5, 2019. US Navy Photo

The House Appropriations defense subcommittee today released its draft Fiscal Year 2021 defense funding bill that would buy nine Navy ships, including the second Virginia-class attack submarine that the House Armed Services Committee is fighting to include in next year’s ship-buying plans.

The HAC-D legislation includes $22.3 billion in shipbuilding funds for the first Columbia-class ballistic missile...

https://news.usni.org/2020/07/07/house-appropriations-bill-includes-funding-for-second-virginia-class-submarine

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