
The U.S. Navy, which has said for years that it wants to buy 12 Columbia-class, nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines to replace its aging Ohio-class fleet, is leaving open the possibility that it will end up acquiring more than that, a service official said April 11.“That’s a decision that will be made and a recommendation made by leadership as we approach the end of production,” said Vice Adm. Terry Benedict, director of the Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs. “But I think given…