What You Need to Know: The U.S. Navy's Columbia-class submarines, designed to replace the aging Ohio-class fleet as a cornerstone of the nuclear triad, face delays of up to 16 months for the lead boat, USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826).

-This results from contractor setbacks, including late delivery of the bow section by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and turbine generators from Northrop Grumman. These delays may force the Navy to extend the service life of five Ohio-class submarines to maintain nuclear deterrence.

-With a lifecycle cost of $348 billion, the Columbia-class program is under intense scrutiny by lawmakers, as timely delivery and operational success are critical.

The United States Navy's future Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines – which are set to replace the aging Ohio-class boats – will eventually become a major component of the nation's nuclear triad.

Each of the planned dozen boats will be equipped with sixteen SLBM tubes, as opposed to twenty-four SLBM tubes on the Ohio-class SSBNs. That was meant to reduce construction, operations, and maintenance costs. In addition, the new ballistic missile submarines will utilize the joint American-British developed Common Missile Compartment (CMC), which will also be installed on the Royal Navy's new Dreadnought-class submarines. It was designed to launch the Trident II D5........

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