In December, the Navy awarded General Dynamics a contract for the first Columbia-class strategic submarine, which will replace the aging Ohio-class subs in their critical nuclear deterrence mission. All in all, the modernization program is expected to cost upward of $110 billion and enjoys solid bipartisan support; even opponents of first-strike nuclear policies consider the sea-based leg of the nuclear triad to be the “most survivable” and therefore the most critical to modernize.
John is joined by Rich Abott, Defense Daily’s Navy and missile defense reporter, to discuss the “ins and outs” of the program — differences between the
Ohio-class and the Columbia-class, workforce challenges, and word on the Hill as the service prepares to spend billions per year on procurement.
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