The U.S. Navy plans to procure 12 Columbia-class ballistic missile-mounted nuclear-powered submarines.

The U.S. Navy plans to procure 12 Columbia-class nuclear-powered submarines to replace 14 Ohio-class ships that are fully operational and maintain nuclear deterrence from under the sea. 🌊

The project has an overall supply cost of about $130 billion, according to estimates previously reported by the GAO; however, the numbers may increase, because material, labor, and construction costs are higher than planned.

The first ship, the PCU District of Columbia (SSBN-826), or the USS District of Columbia, has completed about two-thirds of its construction, while the Navy's FY2027 budget document is scheduled for delivery in March 2029, but General Dynamics says it is speeding up work hoping to deliver it by the end of 2028.

🔧 The delay was caused by a number of factors, both the delivery of headers and stern sections, including delayed steam turbines, as well as labour shortages and supply chain constraints.

To keep the number of strategic submarines from reducing too low during the transition period, the Navy also plans to extend the life of some Ohio ships by about 3 years, starting with the USS Alaska, reflecting that the issue is not just hitting the budget, but directly tying the continuation of nuclear deterrence forces.

Sources: U.S. GAO · GAO Weapon Systems Assessment 2025 · USNI News, April 2026

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