The president of General Dynamics Electric Boat division on Wednesday said a multi-year contract to procure 15 nuclear-powered submarines is still months away while also providing an update on lowering shipyard attrition rates and the utility of outsourcing.
The Navy has been negotiating the deal with General Dynamics and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) on awards covering 10 Block VI Virginia-class attack submarines (SSNs) and five Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines. The Block VI SSNs will include the Virginia Payload Module to field additional land strike missiles to make up for the four retiring Ohio-class guided missile submarines. The Virginia-class boats are also projected to be delivered in time to cover projected sales to Australia under the AUKUS agreement.
“I think we’re close, I don’t think there’s much left to go do,” Mark Rayha, president of Electric Boat told reporters, including Exchange Monitor affiliate publication Defense Daily, Wednesday during the Submarine Industrial Base Council’s annual congressional breakfast on Capitol Hill. “I think we’re probably getting pretty close to being done…it’s hard to guess, because we don’t have full control over it, but just a few months out.”
Separately on Wednesday, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), whose district covers Electric Boat’s Groton, Conn., submarine shipyard, asked Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey about the status of this multi-year contract. He called it late after being authorized in 2023 and boasted it would “turbocharge” the next decade of growth in the submarine industrial base.
“No question about the criticality of our submarines and their strategic value to the joint force,” Duffey replied. “I am aware that we are very close and I’m also aware of the urgency to get that done. So we’re working in partnership with the Navy to continue to drive that to conclusion…we’ll work to keep you aware of when we think that’ll conclude. But I know we’re actively working towards that.”
Courtney underscored these Block VI Virginia-class submarines would be the boats in line to be sold to Australia under the AUKUS agreement, planned for sales in 2032, 2035 and 2038.
Exchange Monitor affiliate Defense Daily first published a version of this story.