And the challenges it faces
- The District of Columbia is the capital city of the United States of America.
- However, the Columbia-class SSBNs are being plagued by delays and ballooning cost overruns, serving as a reminder of the dysfunction that also sometimes characterizes its namesake.
- Depending on the source, the Columbia submarine program is costing the U.S.
$348 Billion And 17 Months late: Columbia-Class SSBNs Face A Schedule Crunch
The District of Columbia is the capital city of the United States of America. It is therefore a point of national pride, as embodied in the monuments that attract tourists around the globe, from the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial to the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial. It is fitting,then,that the U.S. Navy should name its latest series of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) the columbia-class.
However, the Columbia-class SSBNs are being plagued by delays and ballooning cost overruns, serving as a reminder of the dysfunction that also sometimes characterizes its namesake.
Columbia-Class in Crisis?
Depending on the source, the Columbia submarine program is costing the U.S. taxpayer $348 billion over its entire lifecycle. Despite all that money, the boats are lagging behind. The lead boat of the class, the USS district of Columbia (SSBN-826), is now projected to be delivered 17 months late, in 2029.
The Columbias’ woes sound a familiar note-one ringing throughout the American shipbuilding enterprise:
-The Navy is desperately short of the estimated 140,000 skilled workers needed to build the new boats. The service has run the BuildSubmarines recruiting push, which is sponsored by the Department of the navy in tandem with the BlueForge Alliance, as November 2022.As the mission statement declares, “The Navy is on a once-in-a-generation journey to wholly transform its nuclear-powered submarine fleet and maintain its critical undersea advantage. … And there’s not a moment to spare.”
-The American shipbuilding industry as a whole is a shell of its former self, which prompted President Donald Trump’s to issue 
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Wash.(Aug. 14, 2003) – USS Ohio (SSGN 726) is in dry dock undergoing a conversion from a Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN) to a guided Missile Submarine (SSGN) designation. Ohio has been out of service since Oct. 29, 2002 for conversion to SSGN at Puget Sound Naval shipyard.Four Ohio-class strategic missile submarines, USS Ohio (SSBN 726), USS Michigan (SSBN 727) USS Florida (SSBN 728), and USS Georgia (SSBN 729) have been selected for transformation into a new platform, designated SSGN. The SSGNs will have the capability to support and launch up to 154 Tomahawk missiles, a significant increase in capacity compared to other platforms.The 22 missile tubes also will provide the capability to carry other payloads, such as unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and Special Forces equipment. This new platform will also have the capability to carry and support more than 66 Navy SEALs (Sea, Air and land) and insert them clandestinely into potential conflict areas. U.S. Navy file photo. (RELEASED)
