Ohio-Class Submarine Replacement Program Receives 'Milestone A' Authority

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy's Ohio-class submarine replacement program achieved 'Milestone A' and is approved to enter the Technology Development Phase of the Department of Defense life cycle management system as of Jan. 10. 

Milestone A is the point at which a recommendation is made and approval sought regarding starting or continuing an acquisition program, i.e., proceeding to the next phase. Reaching the milestone allows the Ohio-class replacement program to move into the technology development phase. During this phase, the program will establish requirements and continue design and technology development efforts that will ultimately lead to a ship construction contract. 

The milestone was met following the endorsement of the Defense Acquisition Board, chaired by Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, Dr. Ashton Carter, on Dec. 9. 

"The Navy is committed to ensuring that an affordable replacement ballistic missile submarine is designed, built, and delivered on time with the right capabilities to sustain the most survivable leg of our triad for many decades to come," said Program Executive Officer for Submarines Rear Adm. Dave Johnson.

The Defense Acquisition Board endorsed replacing the current 14 Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines as they reach the end of their service life with 12 Ohio replacement submarines, each comprising 16, 87-inch missile tubes, in a acquisition decision memorandum. 

The acquisition decision memorandum validates the program's technology development strategy and allows entry into the technology development phase during which warfighting requirements will be refined to meet operational and affordability goals. 

Design, prototyping, and technology development efforts will continue to ensure sufficient technological maturity for lead ship procurement in 2019. 

The 2010 Nuclear Posture Review revalidated the recapitalization of the nation's sea-based strategic deterrent. This study followed the May 2009 Final Report of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States, that recognized submarine-launched ballistic missiles as the most survivable, and therefore most capable, of the three strategic deterrence legs of the U.S. nuclear triad. The Ohio replacement will leverage the successful Virginia-class acquisition program and carry the Trident II (D5) Life Extension missile, the nation's most accurate and reliable strategic missile system with 134 consecutive successful flight tests. 

Navy embarks on replacements for Trident submarines

The first Ohio-class submarine arrived at Naval Submarine Base Bangor. Suddenly, the ballistic-missile subs are pushing 30, and the Navy is preparing to replace them.

Rear Adm. David Johnson spoke about the changeover Thursday before a luncheon crowd of Navy supporters. Johnson, as Program Executive Officer, Submarines, in Washington, D.C., is responsible for new submarine construction programs.

Rear Adm. David Johnson

Fresh out of the Naval Academy, he was assigned to Bangor's Trident Refit Facility in December 1982, coming just as the USS Ohio returned from its first patrol. Much has changed since then. Silverdale was horse pastures and an Elsie's restaurant, he said. There was a Soviet Union, and a Cold War.

Today, stores have overtaken fields, and the USS Ohio doesn't even carry nuclear warheads anymore. It and three sister ships were converted to conventional weapons. Fourteen ballistic-missile subs remain — eight at Bangor and six at Kings Bay, Ga. Over the next three decades, they'll give way to a dozen new ones. The new nuclear fuel cores will last as long as the boats themselves, unlike the Ohios that need a two-year midlife refueling, so the Navy can cover the same ground with fewer subs, Johnson said.

Construction of the first new boat will begin in 2019, be completed by 2026 and it will be patrolling by 2029, Johnson said. The Navy intends to add one per year, through 2040. With a 42-year life span, matching the Ohios, the final boat will remain on duty until 2082, 70 years from now. The first Ohio-class sub will be retired in 2027, followed each of the next 13 years by another.

The Ohio-class boats have 24 tubes for D-5 ballistic missiles. Each missile can carry eight warheads. New subs will keep the D-5 missiles, at least to begin with, but pare down to 16 missile tubes.

"We took a little risk in the number of missile tubes," said Johnson, explaining that the Navy is balancing capabilities with cost so the price doesn't get out of control and threaten other shipbuilding programs.

Development and design work have begun. The Navy received $497.4 million in research and development funding in the Fiscal Year 2010 budget for what's called the SSBN(X) program, and requested $672.3 million more in FY2011. The first boat is expected to cost $6 billion to $7 billion, with the ensuing ones possibly dipping to $5 billion, according to a congressional report.

Johnson has credentials for containing prices. He helped reduce the costs of the new Virginia class of fast-attack subs by $4 billion, and the program won major awards for value engineering and acquisition excellence. He'll use that program as a model, he said.

"They were delivered at less cost, more complete and more deployment-ready out of the chute," he said.

The new Tridents will have a conservative design, fewer missile tubes, use proven D-5 missiles and components from Seawolf- and Virginia-class subs to keep down costs, Johnson said.

"There's a long way to go, but we're making great progress," Johnson said. "I really, really look forward to the work ahead."