Pentagon budget 2027: US Navy seeks nearly USD15 billion in submarine investments

The first Ohio-class submarine, USS Ohio, shown here, was commissioned in 1981. (Michael Fabey)

The US Navy (USN) has proposed at least USD14.9 billion in funding for ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and attack submarines (SSNs) in the Department of Defense's fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request.

The proposed budget requests about USD5.8 billion in advance procurement for Virginia-class boats, which includes about USD4.1 billion in discretionary funding and USD1.4 billion in “mandatory” funding, according to Pentagon documents accessed by Janes on 6 April..

The documents use “mandatory” to refer to spending that could be added this fiscal year through a potential budget reconciliation process, which only requires a simple majority to pass, and can obviate a Senate filibuster if the legislation meets certain requirements.

About USD9.3 billion in discretionary funding was requested for the SSBNs. That number includes ship construction as well as about USD5 billion for additional advanced procurement, according to budget documents. The budget also credits about USD3.6 billion for Columbia-class for previous years' advance procurement funding.

USN officials have stated for more than a decade that the Ohio-class SSBN's replacement, Columbia-class submarines, are the service's top shipbuilding priority.

Ronald O'Rourke, a naval analyst who recently retired from the Congressional Research Service (CRS), said on 11 February during a panel discussion at the AFCEA West 2026 conference that the Columbia-class programme is experiencing an approximate 12- to 16-month delay.

Speaking on 3 March to the Submarine Industrial Base Council in Arlington, Virgina, Admiral Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations, acknowledged the USN's hurdles in meeting submarine-building schedules.