The Pentagon has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $2.28 billion contract to construct five Columbia-class missile submarines.
The Pentagon on November 17 awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $2.28 billion contract to support advance procurement and construction of five Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines, the next-generation fleet that will anchor America’s sea-based nuclear deterrent for the next half-century.
The award, announced by the Department of Defense, covers long-lead materials and early construction activities for hulls SSBN-828 through SSBN-832. It was issued under Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement procedures, which govern major military acquisition programs. Work will be performed largely at Electric Boat’s Groton, Connecticut, shipyard, with additional construction and supplier activity in Rhode Island and Virginia.Electric Boat will coordinate the effort with the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, which oversees contracting for the Navy’s strategic submarine programs. The contract is part of a sweeping, years-long buildup to replace the aging Ohio-class submarines, the backbone of the US nuclear triad’s sea leg since the 1980s.Next-generation deterrentThe Navy plans to field 12 Columbia-class submarines to succeed its current force of 14 Ohio-class boats, which are nearing the end of their 42-year service lives. The first Ohio-class submarine entered service in 1981, and the fleet is expected to begin retiring at a rate of one boat per year from 2027 to 2040. The Columbia fleet is intended to replace them on a one-for-one basis starting in 2031.The program, previously known as the Ohio Replacement Program, is the Navy’s top acquisition priority, a designation that has insulated it from budget cuts and program delays affecting other shipbuilding efforts. The service procured the first Columbia-class submarine in 2021.Columbia-class submarines will be the largest ever built for the US Navy, with a submerged displacement of 20,810 tons and an overall length of 560 feet. They will carry 16 Trident D5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles and feature an enlarged sonar suite derived from the Virginia-class attack submarine program. A pump-jet propulsion system and advanced quieting measures are designed to ensure the boats remain undetectable through their 40-plus-year operational lives.Each submarine will run on a life-of-ship nuclear reactor core that does not require midlife refueling, eliminating the two-year overhaul that the Ohio class undergoes and adding the equivalent of 24 cumulative years of available patrol time across the 12-boat fleet.Rising costs and expanding industrial demandsThe Navy’s fiscal 2025 budget documents estimate the total procurement cost for the Columbia class at $126.4 billion, up from $112.7 billion in the previous year’s projection. The lead boat, the future USS District of Columbia , is expected to cost $15.2 billion due to non-recurring engineering expenses and the steep learning curve of building a new strategic platform. The second submarine, USS Wisconsin , is projected at $9.3 billion.The Pentagon has repeatedly emphasized that maintaining the Columbia schedule is essential. In late 2024, the White House requested an additional $1.59 billion from Congress to prevent delays during a stopgap funding period.The shipyard workforce required for the program continues to grow, with targeted investment at Electric Boat and HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding, the only two yards in the United States capable of constructing nuclear-powered submarines.Program milestonesThe Columbia program has progressed steadily through design and early construction. The Navy first designated the class name in 2016, naming the lead ship after the District of Columbia.The second and third submarines will be USS Wisconsin and USS Groton, respectively. In 2022, the keel-laying ceremony for the lead boat took place, marking the start of full construction.Additional multibillion-dollar contract modifications in 2020, 2022, and 2024 have funded advanced construction, missile tube production, and industrial base expansion.With the latest award, Electric Boat moves deeper into serial production of the fleet that will carry the nation’s most survivable nuclear weapons through the 2080s. Navy officials have repeatedly warned that timely delivery is essential, not only to prevent a gap in deterrent patrols but to maintain the credibility of the US strategic posture in an era of renewed great-power rivalry.
Military Department Of Defense General Dynamics Navy Nuclear Missile Nuclear Submarine Submarines US US Navy
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