Bloomberg: US Navy’s Newest Submarine Leaves Pentagon Baffled on When It Will Be Ready
Officials overseeing development of the US Navy’s next-generation submarine to carry nuclear missiles don’t have the information they need to know whether the first vessel in the $132 billion Columbia program can deploy on time in 2031, an unreleased congressional audit found.
Navy and Pentagon officials “have not
The 12-ship Columbia class is set to replace the current fleet of 14 Ohio class ballistic-missile submarines. It’s envisioned as a key component of the US nuclear deterrence strategy into the late 21st century, complementing intercontinental ballistic missiles and air-launched weapons in the nation’s nuclear triad.
The first ship is estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to cost $15 billion in 2022 dollars, one of the costliest US weapons systems ever.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: This is one big red flag that there is a problem with the program. The latest Congressional report on the Columbia submarine program is here .... Report to Congress on Columbia-class Ballistic Missile Submarine Program (USNI News).