In light of growing escalations between Washington and Beijing in the South China Sea, the US Navy is continuing to field advanced warships in order to retain its power projection strategy. Earlier this month, the keel for the service’s future 31st Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine was laid. The upcoming USS Barb will represent the Navy’s latest effort to steer away from older, Cold War-era-designed Los Angeles-class submarines to newer and technically superior variants. 

During the submarine’s keel-laying ceremony, Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said, “It marks the beginning of a construction journey, and while it is a journey measured in inches of weld, amount of pipe, and amount of cable pulled, it is fueled by the strength and determination of shipbuilders and our partners working together toward a common objective.” Like her Virginia-class sister ships, USS Barb is being........

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