Wilson Beaver
There are only two shipyards that build the U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines: one in Groton, Connecticut, and one in Newport News, Virginia, near my hometown of Norfolk. These submarines are critical to American national security strategy in the Indo-Pacific, where the U.S. Navy is confronting a rapidly expanding and aggressive People’s Republic of China.
Indeed, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) already exceeds ours in overall size and is numerically the largest navy in the world, with over 370 ships and submarines, including 140 major surface combatants. China has made significant strides in all things naval, and its rapid modernization is a worrying trend for U.S. military planners.
Virginia’s shipbuilding industry, however, could help turn the tide. Naval experts have identified our nuclear-powered subs as one of the key technological advantages the U.S. Navy holds over the PLA. American Virginia-class attack submarines are still a generation ahead of Chinese subs in terms of noise-reduction technology, propulsion, weapons systems, and several other areas. Of course, China doesn’t necessarily need to match or exceed U.S. submarines capabilities, as it can gain advantage by producing at scale. To combat this, the U.S. Navy needs all the subs it can get.
Unfortunately for the United States, and the people of Virginia, the Biden-Harris administration’s official defense budget request asked for only a single submarine to be built, a move that jeopardizes the long-term shipbuilding goals of the Navy and could hurt folks in Virginia.
The House Armed Services Committee has moved to remedy this by authorizing funding for two submarines. However, debate is still underway as to whether a second submarine makes sense, especially because every ship now being built faces delays and cost overruns. Congress, the Navy, and the shipbuilders will all need to institute reforms and make smart investments in infrastructure and labor to get shipbuilding back on track. » Read More
https://www.heritage.org/defense/commentary/the-virginia-class-subs-being-built-newport-news-are-crucial-national-security