This week, the Navy’s top officer said she sees a priority of her tenure will be heavily investing in the defense industrial base to help speed up production of major systems.
“I think during my tenure, my job is going to be to really invest heavily in our defense industrial base, in our weapons industrial base, but really working with shipbuilding industry on workforce development, on getting the long lead time materials they need, on having the infrastructure they need to be able to really speed up production that will help us procure more ships, more submarines, and everything else we need in the future,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti said Wednesday during the pre-recorded Defense One State of the Navy interview event.
She underscored the Navy is making many investment in the submarine industrial base (SIB) between the amount sought for the fiscal year 2024 Navy budget request, funds sought in the FY ‘24 supplemental defense spending request, the FY ‘25 Navy budget request, and planned future funds throughout the next five years of the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP).
During the Navy’s FY 2025 budget request press conference, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget/Director Rear Adm. Ben Reynolds said the Navy plans to invest $3.9 billion in the SIB on FY ‘25, $11.1 billion across the FYDP, $3.4 billion in the FY ‘24 supplemental request and additional funds in the FY ‘24 budget.
Franchetti said improving the SIB and advancing the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program to modernize and revamp the four public shipyards are the foundation of what the Navy needs to put American naval shipbuilding and maintenance on the pace needed for the fleet.
She noted the SIB capacity needs to improve to meet both U.S. and AUKUS agreement needs, as the U.S. plans to sell three to five Virginia-class (SSN) submarines to Australia starting in the 2030s. To support Navy plans plus the Australia sales would require the SIB to increase from the current 1.3 SSNs built annually to 2.33 boats per year, plus continuing production on the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines. The U.S. Navy currently seeks a rate of two SSNs per year to meet domestic needs.
“So as far as the submarine industrial base goes, we’re making extensive investments, working alongside industry to develop the workforce, provide training and certification programs. Also to support infrastructure changes that will help them help us get our submarines out onto the field much faster.”
However, the CNO admitted the Navy’s FY ‘25 30-year shipbuilding plan includes “a recognition that there are really tough choices to be made with the budget that we have, with this Fiscal Responsibility Act. And, you know, I think it represents a good budget, a good shipbuilding plan to get after that.”
Franchetti said in this fiscally resource-constrained environment, she has to focus on readiness. While government and non-government studies since 2016 say the Navy needs a larger fleet, “we also need a Navy that’s ready to be able to do its job. So, you know, I focus on doing the things that we can do right now.”
The submarines are built by General Dynamics‘ Electric Boat [GD] and HII‘s Newport News Shipbuilding [HII].