As the United States appears increasingly eager to antagonize other nations and project its military power globally, it seems that one critical element of its war machine— nuclear attack submarines — may no longer be as formidable as it once was.
During the Cold War, the US Navy operated approximately 140 nuclear-powered submarines; today, that number has dwindled to just 67, with only 49 classified as fast attack submarines.
This decline is highlighted by retired US Navy Captain Jerry Hendrix in his article for the journal American Affairs.
Furthermore, submarine production in the United States is lagging, with Hendrix pointing out that only one new fast attack submarine is slated for procurement in the military’s budget for fiscal year 2025.
“In fact, production of new submarines dropped from two to just over one per year at the very point when the Navy’s thirty-year shipbuilding plan called for industry to ramp up production to three fast-attack submarines and one ballistic missile submarine per year,” he observed.
The US also apparently does not have enough shipyards to maintain its submarine fleet.
The ten dry docks at four naval shipyards and three dry docks at two commercial shipyards – the only facilities certified to perform maintenance on US naval submarines, as mandated by congressional decree – are full to capacity and still delays occur. Hendrix estimated that at least three new dry docks and an “associated workforce” are needed.
