Navy Needs Submarines to Match Russia & China
Dave Majumdar
Yesterday at 12:42 PM
The Navy wants to build more submarines much faster to keep pace with Russian and Chinese undersea advances
Can America build more than two subs a year? What about the costs? Will SSBN production create problems?
Dave Majumdar [2]
The United States Navy and the submarine industrial base might be able to build more than two submarines per year if the Pentagon increases the requirement for the number of attack boats in the fleet.
It would take considerable investment to reconstitute the industrial base—which could build as many as six attack boats (SSN) and a ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) during a single year during the 1980s—if the Navy increased its requirement from 48 subs to a higher number. However, the Navy is struggling to meet the demands of combatantcommanders around the world [3] with its current fleet of 53 attack submarines—which is technically in excess of its 48-boat requirement—as the Russian undersea force reemerges from its post-Cold War dénouement and the Chinese fleet grows rapidly. Worse still, the Navy’s submarine force is expected to shrink to only 41 attack boats [4] in 2029. Indeed, from Congressional testimony, it is apparent that the Navy is likely to raise its requirements for the number of attack submarines in the fleet.
http://www.scout.com/military/warrior/story/1709171-navy-needs-submarines-to-match-russia-china
