Behind the Delay: The Navy’s Next-Generation SSN(X) Submarine Faces Financial Hurdles

Summary: The U.S. Navy has announced a significant delay in the construction of its next-generation attack submarine, the SSN(X), pushing the start date to the early 2040s due to budget constraints. This delay accompanies similar postponements in other next-generation military projects, including the F/A-XX fighter and the DDG(X) destroyer. Despite these setbacks, the Navy is increasing its budget request for the SSN(X) program. Initially revealed in 2014, the SSN(X) aims to supersede the Virginia-class submarines with advancements in speed, stealth, weaponry, and other capabilities. This move is part of a broader effort to maintain technological superiority amidst growing global military tensions, particularly with China.

Emerging Threats and U.S. Naval Power: The Critical Role of the Delayed SSN(X) Submarine

The U.S. Navy revealed this week that it will delay the start of construction on its next-generation attack submarine by nearly a decade. According to the service, budgetary constraints drive this decision. Construction of the SSN(X) is now planned to begin in the early 2040s. 

The Navy’s next-generation submarine platform will replace the service’s Virginia-class submarine. The SSN(X) program is being developed alongside the Navy’s next-generation fighter, the F/A-XX, its next-generation destroyer, the DDG(X), and the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD).

The DDG(X) program has already been delayed to a Fiscal Year 2032 start. The F/A-XX fighter is being pushed back as well. 

Even as the Navy seeks to delay its modernization programs, it is requesting $586.9 million for its next-generation submarine in FY25, up from the $544.7 million it asked for one year prior.

Introducing the SSN(X)

The Navy publicly revealed its SSN(X) program in 2014. The submarine was planned to be constructed by 2024 and put into service by 2043, after the last of the Virginia class rolls out. 

Since 1998, the Virginia-class submarines have been produced at a rate of two boats per year. Notably, this class of submarines was the first to be designed using aids including the 3D visualization technology CATIA, which consists of computer-aided design, computer-aided engineering, computer-aided manufacturing and product lifecycle management. 

Newport News Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Electric Boat are the two manufacturers that continue to produce Virginia-class ships. Since theirs are the only facilities with the capacity to build nuclear-powered attack submarines, or SSNs, they will also build the new SSN(X) submarines down the line.

The new class of submarines will prioritize greater transit speed under increased stealth conditions in any sea environment. Additionally, the next-generation class will hold a larger weapons inventory and launch a wider array of armaments. While the exact details surrounding the SSN(X) remain highly classified, some analysts believe the submarines could be fitted with additional torpedo tubes, quantum technology, larger flank arrays, laser weapons, and other advanced capabilities. 

Last year, the Congressional Research Service also reported that the new submarine class will feature attributes of the three primary boat classes currently in commission with the Navy. As detailed by the report, the vessels will have “the speed and payload of the Navy’s fast and heavily armed Seawolf-class SSN design, the acoustic quietness and sensors of the Virginia-class design, and the operational availability and service life of the Columbia-class design."'

As the potential grows for a kinetic war between Beijing and Washington, the introduction of the U.S. military’s next-generation programs becomes more essential. Combined, the SSN(X) fast-attack submarines, the NGAD family of systems, and the F/A-XX fighter program will elevate the U.S. military’s prowess.

About the Author: Maya Carlin 

Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org. 

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