(NewsNation) — In an era of heightened tensions with foreign adversaries like Russia and China, 60% of U.S. attack submarines aren’t operational.
Geopolitical tension has been high, with the U.S. at odds with Russia over the war in Ukraine and China over Taiwan. Now, Congress reports many U.S. attack submarines aren’t working.
It’s a perfect storm of problems. Difficulties with supply chains make it harder to get materials to shipyards, which have also had issues finding enough workers to meet day-to-day demands.
It’s left the U.S. Navy with just 31 nuclear-powered attack submarines that are ready to launch in the event of a conflict.
In comparison, China has just six nuclear-powered attack subs.
For subs that are out of service, it won’t necessarily be easy or quick to get them back under the water.
Take, for example, the USS Connecticut. Twenty months ago, it struck an underwater mountain in the South China Sea. It won’t be back in service for at least another three years.
A July 6 report from Congress shows the problem has gotten worse in recent years. The last time the U.S. had so few operational submarines was 15 years ago.
Proposed solutions include adding more shipyards to improve maintenance. Currently, there are just four public Navy shipyards in Norfolk, Virginia; Portsmouth, Maine; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and the Puget Sound shipyard in Bremerton, Washington.
Navy and Pentagon leadership have repeatedly said the Navy’s submarine force is one of America’s top advantages over adversaries like China and Russia. But the force remains sub-par to their own goals.
Delays have dropped over the past few years, with around 1,000 delays in 2022. The goal now is to get to as close to zero delays as possible by 2026, by making sure that nearly 100% of materials are on site when work begins.