US Navy needs 66 attack submarines but fleet could fall to 46-47 by 2030
The US Navy has decommissioned the USS San Juan, the first of its Improved Los Angeles-class submarines, as it faces a projected decline in its attack submarine fleet by 2030. The Navy struggles to balance the maintenance of aging vessels with the production of new Virginia and Columbia-class submarines.
Why it matters
The shrinking submarine fleet poses a strategic challenge to US maritime dominance and its ability to counter global naval competitors.
The US Navy decommissioned the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS San Juan (SSN-751) on Thursday, ending the 38-year service of the first Improved Los Angeles-class, or 688i, submarine.The decommissioning ceremony was held at the US Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Washington. San Juan was commissioned on August 6, 1988, as the first of 23 Improved Los Angeles-class submarines.Its retirement comes as the US Navy faces a widening gap between ageing attack submarines leaving service and Virginia-class replacements entering the fleet.The Navy's long-term requirement is about 66 nuclear-powered attack submarines, while the force is projected to fall from roughly 49-50 boats in 2025 to about 46-47 around 2030, according to figures cited in the supplied material.The problem is not only the number of submarines.
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