What you need to know: The US Navy’s “America’s Navy Battle Plan” sets a goal of having 80 percent of its fleet combat-ready by 2027 to counter China’s military buildup. However, delays and budget overruns, particularly with the Virginia-class submarine program, jeopardize this timeline.

-Projected costs for these submarines are $17 billion over budget, and production schedules are two to three years behind schedule. Congressman Ken Calvert and other critics have raised concerns about the transparency of the Navy’s shipbuilding programs.

-Deficiencies in the maritime industrial base and shortage of skilled labor also pose serious challenges, raising doubts about the Navy’s readiness for a potential conflict with China.

Will delayed Virginia-class submarines affect US Navy’s China strategy?

In September, the United States Navy announced that it was adopting a new strategy to counter the ongoing military build-up in China, the sea service’s “Navy Plan for America’s War Navy” calls for it to be prepared for a possible conflict with the People’s Republic of China before the end of the decade.

“By 2027, the Navy will be more ready for sustained combat as part of a joint and combined force, prioritizing the People’s Republic of China as a pace challenge,” the report said.

The timeline is “directly tied to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s goal of having the PLA capable of invading Taiwan by 2030.” Marine Insight reported. The US Navy is trying to have more than 80 percent of its fleet ready for combat by the deadline.

However, it looks like the US Navy may have its work cut out for it, with a few hurdles to overcome to achieve its goals. Among them is the latest nuclear-powered Virginia-class block fast attack submarineswhich is now projected to cost more than $17 billion over budget by the end of the decade.

This is “an emblematic problem of a crisis in the program,” Bloomberg reportedciting the House’s leading MP on defense spending.

“It’s clear that the Navy and the shipbuilders have known about this shortfall for at least 18 months (but) Congress was notified just two weeks ago,” said Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), chairman of the appropriations subcommittee for the defense of the Chamber. in a statement before last Thursday’s secret hearing with US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro.

Virginia class boats that are late

The United States Navy experienced significant delays with Virginia class boatsand the latest subscriptions are not delayed by two or even three years while prices continue to rise.

Calvert also suggested that the Virginia class is just one of several US Navy programs that are “in crisis” and strongly criticized the maritime service for failing to disclose the problems.

“It’s not clear to me that anyone has accurate information about the trajectory of any shipbuilding program other than the program’s executive officers, and since they change every two years, the options for long-term accountability are limited,” he added Calvert. “For too long, this committee has been put in the position of asking what the Navy is hiding behind the curtain. It’s time to draw the curtain altogether.”

The two prime contractors for the Virginia-class submarines, General Dynamics and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), have been contracted to build two submarines per year, but as Bloomberg reported, the defense firms are only “averaging completion of one plus 20 % of working on building a second submarine”.

The companies are now projected to “not reach the two-year rate until 2028,” and more worryingly, the delays will not only affect the US Navy, but could “undermine” AUKUS alliance with Australia and Britain as the US was tasked with selling Canberra the first of five Virginia-class boats from 2032.

All about that base

The US Navy acknowledged the problem, but in a statement after the hearing, the service said it “advocated for improvements to the maritime industrial base and increased funding to ensure the Navy meets its acquisition goals.”

For its part, the Navy established “an independent naval costing agency to improve cost estimates and created a maritime industrial base program to manage the funding that supports the industrial base.”

The root of the problem is easy to see. Since the 1970s, 14 “defense-related shipyards” were closedwhile only one new shipyard opened. In addition, the the number of companies still in the shipbuilding sector it decreased. Furthermore, the shipbuilding industry faces an ongoing challenge to attract, train and retain a skilled workforce. As the US military has struggled to fill its ranks, the shipbuilding industry is facing a very serious labor shortage. There are not enough new workers to replace those who are retiring.

With these issues in mind, the US Navy may have to rethink how it can be prepared to take on China in just over two years.

Experience and expertise author: Peter Suciu, defense expert

Peter Suciu is a writer from Michigan. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites with more than 3,200 articles published over a twenty-year career in journalism. He writes regularly on military hardware, firearms history, cyber security, politics and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: (email protected).

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