The Navy has terminated four ships in the Constellation-class frigate program in a "strategic shift" away from the troubled class, service secretary John Phelan announced today.
Shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine will continue building the first two ships, Constellation (FFG-62) and Congress (FFG-63), though these vessels are “under review,” Phelan said in a video posted on social media. Fincantieri has not begun construction on the four canceled vessels.
According to Phelan, the decision was driven by a need to grow the fleet faster.
The shift away from the frigate “puts the Navy on a path to more rapidly construct new classes of ships and deliver the capability our warfighters need in greater numbers and on a more urgent timeline,” Phelan said. “This is an imperative, and I hope to have more to share very soon.”
Keeping Fincantieri’s workforce employed and the yard available for future work is of “foremost concern,” Phelan added.
The frigate program has faced substantial delays, with a 2024 Navy assessment finding the lead ship to be three years behind schedule. Schedule problems were driven by labor shortages at Fincantieri’s Wisconsin shipyard and by design maturity issues the Government Accountability Office attributed to “critical mismanagement” by the Navy.
The Pentagon omitted frigate funding from its fiscal year 2026 budget request and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated the program was in danger of cancelation earlier this year.
Lawmakers have also appeared increasingly skeptical of the program and passed FY-25 authorization legislation restricting future funding until 95% of the vessel’s functional design drawings have been approved.