The U.S. Navy needs to better manage the risks associated with its project to acquire 12 Columbia class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines for $130 billion, according to the Government Accountability Office.
In a report published on Monday, GAO said design and construction challenges continue to plague the program, noting that the first vessel will be delivered over a year late and will cost the government more money.
The office reviewed the program’s latest construction performance and concluded that the first submarine will come out between October 2028 and February 2029.
Consequently, the late delivery would push back the initial submarine’s scheduled availability for operations in 2030 and affect the United States’ nuclear deterrence efforts, the report warned.
To address the delays and cost overruns, GAO urges the Navy to implement specific measures, such as establishing realistic program cost estimates and analysis to address the risk of further degrading the project’s performance.
It is also crucial for the service to rethink whether its investments in the supplier base led to higher production, resulted in significant cost savings and created the intended program benefits, the report stressed.
Overall, GAO submitted five recommendations, including that the Navy must direct its partner shipbuilder to revise the program’s estimated cost at completion.
For its part, the Department of Defense agreed with the suggestions and outlined the actions it would take to address them.