
The Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) latest audit of the Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine program estimated the first new boat has cost overruns several times higher than the shipbuilder and Navy estimates, so the service needs to review cost estimates. In April, the Secretary of the Navy’s 45-day shipbuilding review found significant delays in major programs, including how the lead submarine, the future USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826), is running 12 to 16 months behind schedule (Defense Daily, April 3).…