Navy Awards Contracts for First Columbia Subs

The Navy this week awarded General Dynamics’ Electric Boat a $9.47 billion contract modification on Thursday for full construction of the first Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN-826) and continuing advanced construction for the second vessel.

Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition James Geurts told reporters Thursday on a conference call that full construction of the second ship, recently named USS Wisconsin (SSBN-827), is scheduled for fiscal year 2024, assuming it is authorized and appropriated by Congress at the time.

In June, the Navy awarded General Dynamics an $869 million modification to continue Columbia-class procurement work with a price option for the first two submarines that would increase the total value to $9.5 billion, subject to appropriations and authorization by Congress.

At the end of September, President Trump signed a stopgap continuing resolution to keep the government open through Dec. 11 that included the exemption allowing the Navy to move to procure the first two Columbia-class submarines.

The contract announced this week specifically covers modifications exercising options for construction and test of the lead and second ships of the Columbia-class as well as associated design and engineering support.

“This modification to the integrated product and process development contract supports the fiscal 2021 construction start of the lead ship (SSBN 826) and advance procurement, advance construction, coordinated material buys and full construction of the follow hull (SSBN 827) in fiscal 2024,” the Defense Department announcement said in a press release.

Work will mostly be split between prime contractor GD Electric Boat locations in Groton, Conn., which will handle 36% of the work, and Quonset Point, R.I., which will handle 17%. Subcontractor Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Newport News, Va., will handle about 25%. This work is expected to be finished by April 2030.

National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund funding of $545 million, plus some $20 million from that accounts’ fiscal year 2020 balance, will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the 2021 fiscal year, the Pentagon said.

“So in the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund we have incremental funding authority and we now have it as part of the ’21 budget and the continuing resolution — the kind of authorities in there for us to be able to incrementally fund the lead ship,” Columbia-class Program Manager Capt. Jon Rucker told reporters Thursday.

Another part of National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund funds are going toward advanced construction and advanced procurement for the second submarine.

Rucker noted they are also using continuous production authority to build the submarine’s missile tubes, which have been beset by technical difficulties at vendor BWX Technologies.

Rear Adm. Scott Pappano, commander of Program Executive Office Columbia, told reporters this week that the award “marks a significant milestone towards delivering at least 12 Columbia-class submarines, the first of which will deliver FY ‘27 and be on its first patrol early in FY ’31.”

“Vendors have delivered 13 missile tubes, 11 of which have been completed and tactically outfitted to supply Electric Boat to support both U.S. and U.K. shipbuilding construction programs,” Pappano said.

Rucker said the Columbia-class includes over 5,000 suppliers over 48 states supporting the program.

Separately, Rucker said DoD cost requirements mean the average unit cost per submarine is required to stay under $8 billion in calendar year 2017 dollars. He said the lead ship is estimated to cost $7.44 billion in calendar year 2017 dollars, below that requirement, and they expect follow-on vessels to go down further.

This story first appeared in Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor affiliate publication, Defense Daily.