Title page 1

Contents 3

Summary 2

Introduction 5

Background 6

U.S. Navy Submarines 6

U.S. SSN Force Levels 7

Force-Level Goal 7

Past and Current Force Levels 7

Projected Procurement Rates and Force Levels 8

Submarine Construction Industrial Base 8

Overview 8

Submarine Construction Industrial Base Enhancement Efforts 9

SSN Maintenance Backlog 11

U.S. SSN Classes 13

Los Angeles (SSN-688) Class 13

Seawolf (SSN-21) Class 13

Virginia (SSN-774) Class 14

Virginia-Class Program 16

Program Elements 16

FY2026 Procurement Request 20

AUKUS Submarine (Pillar 1) Project 20

Overview 20

Key Elements 21

Previous Countries That Requested but Did Not Receive U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Technology 24

2025 DOD Review 24

Alternative of a U.S.-Australia Division of Labor 25

Issues for Congress 28

Virginia-Class Procurement Rate in FY2026 and Subsequent Years 28

Uses and Impact of Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) Funding 28

SSN Maintenance Backlog 29

Whether to Implement Certain Elements of AUKUS Pillar 1 30

Overview 30

Arguments for Implementing Certain Pillar 1 Elements 30

Arguments for Instead Implementing Alternative Division-of-Labor Approach 34

Appendix A. Past SSN Force-Level Goals 44

Appendix B. Submarine Construction Industrial Base Capacity and Enhancement Efforts 46

Appendix C. SSN Maintenance Backlog 57

Appendix D. December 2021 Determinations Pursuant to Defense Production Act (DPA) 67

Appendix E. AUKUS-Related: Reduction in Size of U.S. SSN Force from Selling Virginia-Class Boats to Australia 70

Appendix F. AUKUS-Related: Previous Countries That Requested but Did Not Receive U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Technology 74

Appendix G. AUKUS-Related: 1987-1988 Letters and Statements from Members Regarding Proposed Canadian SSN Project 77

Appendix H. AUKUS-Related: Analysis of Alternatives (AOA) and Business Case 85

Appendix I. AUKUS-Related: Technology Security and Risk of Accident 89

Appendix J. AUKUS-Related: Projects Characterized as Too Big to Fail 94

Author Information 97

Disclaimer 97

Tables 4

Table 1. Numbers of SSNs in Maintenance or Awaiting Maintenance 12

Table 2. Actual and Requested Virginia-Class Procurement Quantities 17

Table 3. Pillar 1 as Currently Structured and Potential Alternative 28

Figures 3

Figure 1. Virginia-Class Attack Submarine 14

Figure 2. Virginia-Class Attack Submarine 15

Figure 3. Virginia-Class Attack Submarine 16

Appendix Figures 3

Figure B-1. Navy Graph Showing Projected Growth in Submarine Tonnage Under Construction 47