Navy to spend $21 billion on shipyard optimization plan

The Navy's shipyard optimization plan will see the service spend $21 billion over the course of 20 years to recapitalize the four major public shipyards, according to a senior Navy official.

Vice Adm. William Merz, deputy chief of naval operations for warfare systems, told the Senate Armed Services seapower subcommittee yesterday the plan will recover maintenance capacity at the public shipyards and include "dry docks, recapitalization and [reorganization] of the yards."

Inside Defense previously reported the plan includes upgrading the dry docks to accommodate the service's future Virginia-class submarines that incorporate the Virginia Payload Module and Gerald Ford-class aircraft carriers.