The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Alabama, one of the boats the Navy plans to replace with the Columbia-class. USN
Warrior Maven: Navy Accelerates New Nuclear Armed Columbia-Class Submarine
The Navy 2019 budget request increases funding for the service's new nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine by $2 billion over this year's amount in what appears to be a clear effort to further accelerate technology development and early production. The request, which marks a substantial move on the part of the Navy and DoD, asks for $3.7 billion in 2019, up from $1.9 billion in 2018. The new budget effort is quite significant, given that there has been a chorus of concern in recent years that there would not be enough money to fund development of the new submarines, without devastating the Navy shipbuilding budget.
The Columbia-class plus-up is a key element of a cross-the-board Navy budget increase; overall, the Navy 2019 request jumps $14 billion over this year, climbing to to $194 billion.
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WNU Editor: These new subs are not cheap .... The U.S. Navy New Missile Sub Will Now Cost $7.2 Billion (November 12, 2017).
