The Navy is currently procuring one Virginia (SSN-774) class attack nuclear-powered submarine per year. Each submarine currently costs about $2.4 billion. The FY2006-FY2011 Future Years Defense Plan (FYDP) submitted in February 2005 by the Department of Defense (DoD) proposes maintaining the one- per-year procurement rate through FY2011 rather than increasing it to two per year in 2009, as previously planned. A 30-year Navy force-level projection submitted in March 2005 shows the SSN force declining from more than 50 boats today to 37 to 41 boats by FY2035. Submarine supporters are concerned that the Navy and DoD are not placing adequate emphasis on attack submarines in Navy force-structure planning and ship-procurement plans. Issues for Congress include the following: What should the attack submarine force-level goal be. At what rate should Virginia-class submarines be procured in coming years. Should the current joint-production arrangement for building Virginia-class submarines be continued or altered. Should the Navy start design work now on a new kind of attack submarine. In considering what the attack submarine force-level goal should be, key factors to consider include day-to-day demands for attack submarines, potential wartime demands for attack submarines, submarine-launched unmanned vehicles (UVs), attack submarine homeporting and crewing arrangements, and the Trident cruise missile submarine (SSGN) conversion program. In considering the rate at which Virginia-class submarines should be procured in coming years, key factors to consider include the attack submarine force-level goal, attack submarine service lives, the effect of annual procurement rates on unit procurement costs, and industrial-base considerations. Options for a new attack submarine design would be a non-nuclear-powered boat equipped with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system and a reduced-cost SSN using new 'Tango Bravo' technologies being developed by the Navy.


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