Source: Fox News
Summary
The US Navy has canceled a long-delayed overhaul of the USS Boise, a Los Angeles-class attack submarine, due to costs ballooning to nearly $3 billion. The project, which was originally expected to cost $1.2 billion, was deemed no longer financially or strategically viable. The Navy plans to redirect funding and skilled labor towards building newer Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines. The USS Boise has been out of service since 2015 and was expected to remain inactive for another 15 years.
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As expected, the matter has reached another stage.
The Navy Secretary, John Phelan, has announced the cancellation of the overhaul, citing the high costs and limited remaining service life of the submarine. The decision was made to free up resources for newer, more advanced submarines. The USS Boise has been a symbol of the Navy’s maintenance and shipyard challenges, with delays, rising costs, and declining readiness. Phelan emphasized the need for speed and efficiency in delivering war-fighting capability to the fleet.
The cancellation comes as the Navy faces growing competition with China, which has built the world’s largest navy by number of ships. The US is pushing to accelerate shipbuilding and submarine production to keep pace with rising global demands. The USS Boise’s problems long predate the canceled contract, with the submarine being out of service since 2015.
The decision reflects a broader effort by Navy leadership to reevaluate underperforming programs and change how the service approaches acquisitions. Phelan described the program’s failure as the result of multiple factors, including engineering challenges, shifting priorities, and strain on the Navy’s industrial base.
Author: Evan Null
