
The latest issue of the annual Government Accountability Office (GAO) assessment of major defense acquisition programs outlined remaining risks to the design and on-time production of the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN). In the GAO’s Defense Acquisition Annual Assessment, published June 3, the office noted while the Navy reports the nuclear reactor technology as mature since 2018, “several other technologies we previously identified as critical remain immature.” GAO explained manufacturing challenges delayed delivery of the first production-representative motor for the…