House Armed Services leaders call for continued Virginia-class sub procurement

Leading members of the House Armed Services Committee are calling for the continued procurement of two Virginia-class submarines per year in a letter to President Biden Wednesday.

The letter -- signed by House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-AL), Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA), seapower and projection forces subcommittee Chair Trent Kelly (R-MS) and Ranking Member Joe Courtney (D-CT) -- referenced AUKUS and the Navy’s fiscal year 2024 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan, that outlined the Virginia-class goal.

“The AUKUS partnership relies on our nation to sustain a consistent build rate for attack submarines required to fulfill our obligation to successfully transfer, via sale, Virginia-class submarines to Australia while meeting our own force structure requirements,” the letter states. “It is imperative to maintain a steady two-per-year procurement rate to assure our partners in our ability to meet commitments and address concerns about our nation’s undersea capabilities.”

Increased submarine production in the U.S. in 2023 is “promising,” the letter adds, and notes Navy and congressional investments in the supply chain and workforce.

“That commitment has driven suppliers to make critical capital investments and expand capacity based on a predictable forecast in expected work,” the letter said. “It has also driven metal trades workers, designers, and engineers to choose shipbuilding as promising careers in record numbers.”

The FY-25 budget, expected in the coming months, will outline future steps regarding Virginia-class production.

“Any deviation from the planned cadence of the construction and procurement of two submarines per year will reverberate both at home and abroad, with allies and competitors alike,” the letter adds.