Supply Chain, Workforce, Advanced Manufacturing Will Help Navy Get Ships Faster Published April 9, 2025 By C. Todd Lopez Photo Details / Download Hi-Res The Navy wants to be able to build one Columbia-class and two Virginia-class submarines a year and eventually expand that to 2.33 Virginia-class subs a year. At the same time, the Navy is working on getting more Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers into the fleet. During a hearing yesterday before the Senate Armed Services Committee's seapower subcommittee, Navy leaders explained that the industrial base that manufactures those platforms will need a boost to begin production. "The maritime industrial base program is leading efforts to reinvigorate the industrial base in order to expand shipbuilding capacity," said Matthew D. Sermon, the direct reporting program manager for the Navy's maritime industrial base program. Sermon said getting things moving will include systematically expanding and reinforcing supply chain capacity, addressing workforce challenges and adopting advanced manufacturing capabilities. "To do all of this, the Navy is working closely with our industrial base partners and has launched nearly 1,200 supplier development, workforce and advanced manufacturing projects in 40 states ... all of them focused on supporting businesses, improving throughput, and updating antiquated tooling and production processes," Sermon said. Since 2018, the Navy has expanded parts delivery for submarines by more than 250%, but Sermon said this must double to meet the current needs of the nuclear Navy. He added that in 2024, the Navy also supported industry efforts to recruit, train and retain over 12,600 employees as part of an effort to address labor shortages in skilled trades and naval engineering fields. And when it comes to advanced manufacturing, he pointed to the Navy's Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Danville, Virginia. "[They've] already printed more than 270 parts, and this year, will partner with the advanced manufacturing industry to mitigate over 1,000 days of delay in parts availability," he told senators. "These efforts are on track to revolutionize critical parts procurement with the ability to print thousands of parts quickly and with unprecedented quality." Efforts to strengthen the industrial base will, in turn, strengthen the Navy, including delivery of the Columbia-class SSBN, which is the top priority for the Navy right now, said Navy Rear Adm. Todd S. Weeks, the Navy's program executive officer for strategic submarines. "The Columbia-class is the Navy's No. 1 acquisition priority and a critical once-in-a-generation recapitalization effort for this foundational leg of the nation's nuclear triad," he said. "The current Ohio-class SSBN force is reaching the end of its operational life and must be replaced to meet U.S. Strategic Command operational requirements." While delays are expected in the delivery of the USS District of Columbia, the lead ship for the Columbia-class, Weeks said the USS Wisconsin, the second ship in the class, is expected to deliver on time. "We have seen positive continued performance and productivity improvements over the lead ship," he said. "Wisconsin is approximately 5% ahead of where the lead ship was at the same point in time during her construction." Weeks also said early procurement and construction activities are underway for the next five Columbia-class SSBNs, the largest, most powerful and most advanced submarine the U.S. has ever designed. Navy Rear Adm. Jonathan E. Rucker, the Navy's program executive officer for attack submarines, told lawmakers the Navy has already taken delivery of 24 Virginia-class attack SSBNs, while an additional 14 are under construction now. He said the Navy took delivery of the USS New Jersey and USS Iowa last year, for instance, and it is tracking the delivery of the USS Massachusetts and USS Idaho this year. However, Rucker said delivery is not as fast as it needs to be. "Our 2024 annual production rate of Virginia-class submarines per year was 1.13 compared to our need of 2.0," he said. "The main causes for this are workforce challenges, material and supplier delays and shipbuilder facilities and infrastructure issues — all of which are driving cost increases and schedule delays." The Navy and industry, he said, are working together to address those challenges. Navy Rear Adm. Casey J. Moton, the Navy's program executive officer for aircraft carriers, told lawmakers the USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy's newest aircraft carrier, is getting ready to deploy on its second mission. It recently returned from its first mission, which included providing response support after the Hamas attack on Israel. "Our future Ford-class aircraft carriers are under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding [in Virginia], where we continue working closely with the shipbuilder to address challenges and improve performance," he said. Right now, the Ford remains the only ship in its class, but Moton said the next delivery will be the USS John F. Kennedy, which is 95% complete. However, he added that delivery is "pressurized by remaining critical path work," including work on advanced weapons elevators and aircraft launch and recovery equipment. Two other Ford-class ships under construction now include the USS Enterprise and the USS Doris Miller. Those vessels are benefitting from a shipyard innovation that allows them to be built concurrently in the same drydock.