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Report to Congress on Columbia-class Ballistic Missile Submarine Program
May 19, 2021 5:19 AM
The following is the May 12, 2021 Congressional Research Service report, Navy Columbia (SSBN-826) Class Ballistic Missile Submarine Program: Background and Issues for Congress.
From the report
The Navy’s Columbia (SSBN-826) class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) program is a program to design and build a class of 12 new SSBNs to replace the Navy’s current force of 14 aging Ohio-class SSBNs. The Navy has identified the Columbia-class program as the Navy’s top priority program. The Navy procured the first Columbia-class boat in FY2021 and wants to procure the second boat in the class in FY2024.
Is the transition to the new Columbia-class leaving a dangerous gap in naval defenses?
Here s What You Need to Remember: There may not be enough overlap between the retirement of some of the Ohio-class submarines and the construction of the new Columbia-class.
The U.S. Navy now has as many as fourteen Ohio-class nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines and has already begun to build a new fleet of advanced, next-generation Columbia-class boats to replace them, yet the pace of their arrival raises the question as to whether there will be enough nuclear-armed undersea boats in the coming decades.
The new Columbia class, which at the moment will likely consist of twelve boats, is expected to be fully delivered by 2042, arriving at a pace of one per year from 2033 through 2042. The Ohio submarines are maxed and taxed, meaning they have already greatly exceeded their expected service life and been tasked with continued functionality for years beyond what was planned, thus unders
Is the U.S. Navy Up Against A Ballistic Missile Submarine Shortage?
Will just ten nuclear-armed submarines be sufficient for the Navy to sustain enough of its high-priority strategic deterrence patrols?
Here s What You Need to Remember: There may not be enough overlap between the retirement of some of the Ohio-class submarines and the construction of the new Columbia-class.
The U.S. Navy now has as many as fourteen Ohio-class nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines and has already begun to build a new fleet of advanced, next-generation Columbia-class boats to replace them, yet the pace of their arrival raises the question as to whether there will be enough nuclear-armed undersea boats in the coming decades.
Columbia (SSBN-826), the first of a new class of U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarines to replace the
Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines now in service. The program calls for twelve of the new class of boats, which the Navy has identified as a top priority.
History
Research and development work on the new class of SSBNs has been underway for several years, while advanced procurement (AP) funding for the lead vessel began in fiscal year 2017 (FY17). According to the December 22, 2020 updated Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, Navy Columbia (SSBN-826) Class Ballistic Missile Submarine Program: Background and Issues for Congress, the Navy’s proposed FY2021 budget requests