Navy dishes out $76 billion for Virginia and Columbia subs

Colin Demarest

Black military submarine surfacing in blue ocean water under a partly cloudy sky with an American flag flying on its conning tower. — An artist's rendering of the Columbia-class submarine. Image: U.S. Navy/DVIDS

The U.S. Navy is doling out some $76.6 billion in contracts to improve shipyards and build Virginia-class attack and Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines.

Why it matters: The deals with General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII's Newport News Shipbuilding are long awaited.

They also have ripple effects for the AUKUS security pact and the American nuclear arsenal.

By the numbers: GDEB and NNS have delivered 26 Virginia-class subs, with more on the docket. The Navy has seven Columbia-class subs under contract, with the first expected to be delivered in a few years.

Zoom in: In February, the first Columbia-class, the District of Columbia, was reported 66% complete. The second and third, the Wisconsin and the Groton, were reported 35% and 10% complete.

What they're saying: "These contract awards will be the driving force to stimulate growth across the submarine industrial base," Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) said in a statement.

The congressman is on the Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittee.
"Congress and the Navy must now double down on industrial base investments that are moving delivery schedules to the left," he added.

Friction point: American shipbuilding has been marred by workforce woes and schedule slips.

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Navy dishes out $76 billion for Virginia and Columbia subs

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