BIPARTISAN SENATORS CALL FOR COMMITMENT TO VIRGINIA CLASS SUBMARINE PROGRAM, UNDERSEA SUPERIORITY & DEFENSE WORKFORCE

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Today U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) led a group of fourteen members of the Senate in sending a letter to the leadership of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense urging them to preserve the two-per-year procurement cadence of Virginia Class submarines to maintain undersea supremacy and prevent destabilizing the industrial base.

“Cutting funding for the Virginia-Class program sends a terrible message to the submarine industrial base working vigorously to rebuild in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis,” the senators wrote. “Preserving a consistent production schedule is essential for shipyard and industrial base stability, and to meet the Navy’s operational requirements.”

“Attack submarine capabilities remain one of our most distinct national security advantages. In recent years, Congress has heard disturbing testimony regarding growing capabilities and heightened undersea activity of competitors like Russia and China,” the senators continued. “The Virginia Class submarine continues to be a critical asset for combatant commanders to deter our adversaries and sustain our asymmetric advantage in the undersea domain.”

The letter was signed by U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Rick Scott (R-FL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Bob Casey (D-PA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Cornyn (R-TX), Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ).

The full text of today’s letter is available here and copied below.

Dear Chairman Tester and Ranking Member Collins:

As you develop the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 defense appropriations bill, we request steadfast bipartisan support for our undersea capabilities and industrial base.

We are deeply concerned the FY25 President’s Budget Request only requests one Virginia Class submarine. Cutting funding for the Virginia-Class program sends a terrible message to the submarine industrial base working vigorously to rebuild in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Efforts like the Submarine Workforce and Industrial Base Initiative demonstrate a commitment to improving production methods and addressing staffing shortfalls, but these must be coupled with a strong commitment to production goals.

Preserving a consistent production schedule is essential for shipyard and industrial base stability, and to meet the Navy’s operational requirements. This is exactly why Congress has strongly supported a two-per-year build rate for Virginia Class attack submarines since 2011. Reducing the submarine buying cadence will have the unfortunate effect of reducing the demand signal to the submarine industrial base’s 16,000 suppliers, some of whom are sole-source suppliers. Losing any of these suppliers could prove catastrophic for the Virginia-class program.

Attack submarine capabilities remain one of our most distinct national security advantages. In recent years, Congress has heard disturbing testimony regarding growing capabilities and heightened undersea activity of competitors like Russia and China. The Virginia Class submarine continues to be a critical asset for combatant commanders to deter our adversaries and sustain our asymmetric advantage in the undersea domain. Unfortunately, our attack submarine fleet experiences significant shortfalls and is projected to decline to just 47 boats in 2030 – a 19 boat deficit from the requirement of 66 attack submarines.

While we applaud the FY25 budget request for including substantial investments in the submarine industrial base, consistent procurement of two Virginia Class submarines in FY 2025 is the best way to stabilize the industrial base and keep us on the pathway to 2.33 boats/year that is necessary to meet our requirements and that of our international partners.

The proposed request to procure one attack submarine is inconsistent with the Department of Defense’s National Defense Industrial Strategy, which highlights procurement instability as a systemic challenge. This proposal signals a deviation from the Virginia Class procurement profile in the FY 2024 Future Years Defense Plan and 30 Year Shipbuilding Plan. Steady production of the Virginia-class program, and the development of a follow-on attack submarine program, is paramount to maintaining our undersea advantage.

We respectfully request that you fully restore procurement for two Virginia Class submarines in FY 2025.

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