Key Points – The US Navy cannot afford to retire its aging Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) on schedule due to significant delays and cost overruns in the Columbia-class replacement program.
-The Ohio-class, a cornerstone of the US nuclear triad, is nearing the end of its extended service life, with the first retirements planned for 2027.
-These submarines have one critical mission: to deter Russia, China and North Korea from ever thinking about nuclear war.
-However, with the first Columbia-class boat already over a year late and hundreds of millions over budget, and the US shipbuilding industrial base strained by concurrent Virginia-class attack submarine production, maintaining a credible sea-based nuclear deterrent necessitates keeping the Ohios operational longer than initially planned.
The US Navy Can’t Afford To Retire the Ohio-class missile Boats
The US Navy can’t afford to retire the Ohio-class missile submarines. It involves both strategic necessity and significant financial considerations.
The Ohio-class boats, serving as ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), are a crucial component of the US nuclear triad. They provide a highly survivable and undetectable platform for launching nuclear missiles, ensuring a retaliatory strike capability known as an “assured second strike.”
The Ohio-class boats are near the end of their extended service lives, and replacing them is deemed necessary to maintain this nuclear deterrence capability.
However, while the US has embarked on a significant modernization effort for its nuclear forces, including the Columbia-class submarine program to replace the Ohio-class, considerable problems remain.
The Navy Needs The Columbia-Class Boomers
The big missile boats, specifically the SSBNs (Submersible Ballistic Nuclear Submarines), are a significant part of our nuclear triad. We currently have the Ohio class of nuclear boomers, the best in the world when they first launched. They still are the best.
However, the Navy is expanding the Ohio-class’s lifespan to more than double its initial forecast when it entered the fleet.
When the Columbia-class boats come online, the Ohio-class boats will be 42 years old, possibly older. To maintain the country’s nuclear deterrence, the Navy must keep at least 10 missile boats on patrol at all times.
The remaining 11 Columbia-class boats are scheduled for delivery on an annual basis until the fleet is complete in the early 2040s. The planned number of 12 Columbia-class submarines has been in place for some time and has not undergone significant changes.
However, US Strategic Command Commander Gen. Anthony Cotton suggested that the service should extend its fleet beyond 12.
The Ohio-class will begin to be retired in 2027. To support the deterrent threat, the first Columbia SSBN, “The District of Columbia,” must be added to the fleet by 2030.
The Ohio-class boomers must be closely monitored for hull weakening and metal fatigue. The radioactive fuel that runs the reactors must be replaced, and the reactors themselves must eventually be refurbished or replaced at considerable cost.
Challenges With Cost, Delays, and Overruns
The total cost of this Columbia submarine program is estimated to be around $130 billion for 12 submarines.
There have been delays and cost overruns in the Columbia-class program, with the first boat estimated to be delivered over a year late and costing hundreds of millions more than planned.
Building both Columbia-class and Virginia-class attack submarines concurrently presents industrial base challenges.
The US Navy is investing in strengthening the submarine supplier base, which involves significant funding to increase production capacity and improve manufacturing techniques.
The Block V Upgrades to the Virginia Class
A total of 66 fast-attack submarines of the Virginia class have been planned, with 24 completed, of which all but one are currently in service. Additionally, 10 are under construction, and four more are on order. These will add much-needed firepower in the manner of missile delivery.
The final variant of the new submarines is Block V. It is larger than the previous versions, with an increase in the boat’s length from 377 feet to 460 feet and greater displacement from 7,800 tons to 10,200 tons. As a result of these changes, the Block V versions of the Virginia class are the second-largest US Navy submarines produced, behind only the Ohio class.
The added 83-foot section was to increase the number of missile launch tubes from twelve to forty, which, in essence, could triple the capacity of short targets for each boat. This extended mid-body section—the Virginia Payload Module (VPM)—can also be used to store and fire additional Tomahawk cruise missiles and other payloads, including large-diameter unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).
Can American Shipyards Make a Comeback?
But the current state of US shipyards is far from satisfactory. The Navy already finds its budgets stretched too far, and the country’s deficit is reaching the breaking point. With a new attack submarine already on the horizon, how can the US Navy manage to build more?
Is it even feasible?
American shipyards have shrunk by 30 percent since the Gulf War. It was a terrible long-term national security plan to allow so many shipyard workers to go. But now is the time for action, not recriminations.
The government needs to invest in these to not only restore them to their former size but also to make them even larger. Strengthening the supply chain and addressing the shortage of skilled workers are musts.
Submarines will be the most significant need in the event of war with China. And the Navy needs more of them. The Navy can’t retire the Ohio-class until the capability to replace them is in place.
About the Author:
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
Russia’s Bomber Forces
Pingback: The Navy's New Columbia-Class Submarine Summed Up in 4 Words - National Security Journal