How technology and acquisition reform are propelling Navy submarine production
Deep within the massive, modular bays of General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, CT, an extraordinary reawakening of the nation’s submarine-building efforts is underway to secure the world’s deep blue oceans.
For decades, the United States has held undisputed command below the waves, leveraging a sophisticated nuclear-powered submarine force that remains the most technologically advanced and acoustically silent weapon system on Earth. During its peak in the 1980s, Electric Boat’s roughly 25,000 workers were producing three Los Angeles-class submarines a year.
But that manufacturing dominance has foundered in the post-Cold War industrial age, as decades of low demand has gutted submarine industrial base capacity, leaving the U.S. hobbled by fragile single-source supply lines and an exodus of skilled workers. The expansion of China’s nuclear submarine production in recent years, combined with rapid technological change, has forced the U.S. Navy and the defense industrial base to find new ways to revitalize U.S. shipbuilding capabilities.
Among them have been sweeping Defense Department acquisition reforms, according to Stephanie Link, Deputy Director for In-Service Submarines and the Industrial Base for the Department of the Navy. Speaking during the recent GDIT Battlespace of the Future summit, hosted by Scoop News Group, she highlighted how recent institutional reorganizations — specifically the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager (DRPM) Submarines and the Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) Undersea structure — have fundamentally reshaped naval acquisition.
“The benefits of that reorganization are that it centralizes accountability…to support on-time delivery of new-construction submarines, and to support our sustainment side, ensuring that we have submarines that are ready,” she said. Under this modernized configuration, the Navy has also systematically dismantled fragmented oversight, moving away from legacy practices in which sub-tier approvals were scattered across independent, competing bureaucracies.
By concentrating technical authority, contracting authority, and milestone decision authority directly within the Director of Submarine Programs, the Navy is better able to bypass external administrative bottlenecks, expedite execution funding and deliver rapid programmatic answers straight to the shipyard floor, she explained.
Modernizing training with gaming engines
Another major hurdle to speeding up production has been the generational rebuilding of the industrial base workforce as Cold War era experienced shipbuilders retire, necessitating recruiting and training a new generation of workers.
That’s where technology is playing a greater role, according to Dave Roberts, Vice President of Attack Submarine Programs at General Dynamics Electric Boat.
“We’re bringing in thousands of new ship builders this year, and for the foreseeable future,” he said. The central challenge remains, “How do you get them up to speed to build a submarine in a safe environment and with very high quality?”
Rather than relying solely on classroom lectures, Roberts explained that the shipyard is deploying flat screens and Active l Learning Centers directly on the floors of its massive construction facilities. Using advanced commercial software, such as interactive gaming engines, inexperienced shipbuilders can digitally “fly” through dense, multi-inch-thick steel modules to visualize electrical hangers and wire pathways before construction. This technique delivers sophisticated digital blueprints to work areas in a visually instructive format, accelerating comprehension and preventing costly manual assembly errors.
Strengthening the supply chain
Even with advanced shipyard technology, defense leaders emphasize that final assembly is not the critical chokepoint in the submarine production pipeline. Instead, the primary threat to accelerating submarine production centers on reestablishing a reliable ecosystem of sub-tier component manufacturing.
“Restoring the submarine industrial base to achieve at least one Columbia and two Virginia class submarines per year remains the nation’s and the Navy’s top acquisition priority,” said Tom Callender, Senior Manager for Navy Programs, General Dynamics Electric Boat.
The production of specialized maritime hardware—such as heavy pumps, valves and machined steel — remains extremely fragile, with over 50% of the industrial base relying on single-source suppliers for critical submarine parts, according to Roberts.
To fortify this precarious supply base, the Navy is deploying targeted supplier development funding to help specialized vendors upgrade facilities and train industrial workers to meet rigorous quality metrics, according to Link. Concurrently, the service is introducing advanced information technology systems to directly alert vendors of long-term demand requirements. Improved predictability enables manufacturers to budget, schedule and scale their operations further in advance.
At the same time, Link noted that the Navy is taking steps to maintain its quality standards to protect the nation’s sailors while preventing unnecessary administrative burdens that could alienate critical small-business suppliers.
Sustaining in-service fleet readiness
Link emphasized that easing supply chain constraints and leveraging advanced technology play an equally important role in sustaining the Navy’s in-service fleet, given that operational submarines draw from the same component inventory as new-construction shipyards.
The long service lives of the Navy’s vessels require continuous structural inspections and heavy repair workloads that can create significant backlogs across maintenance depots. To optimize hull availability, the Navy and its industry partners are aggressively integrating automated manufacturing tools, such as robotic welding and underwater drones for hull inspections and repairs. Additionally, the service is expanding the use of digital remote advisory tools to deliver real-time technical advice directly to sailors working in tight compartments aboard seagoing vessels.
While the Navy and the nation’s shipbuilding community still face a steep climb to regain the capacity they once enjoyed, the recent restructuring of acquisition and portfolio management authorities, together with innovative uses of technology, suggest the nation’s submarine industry is on the rise.
This article was produced by Scoop News Group for DefenseScoop and sponsored by GDIT.
