Pentagon budget 2027: Proposed spending plans seeks to increase US Navy shipbuilding by more than a third

The proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget requests includes funding to continue procurement of Virginia-class submarines like USS Arkansas, shown here while under construction. (Michael Fabey)

The proposed Pentagon Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget seeks to increase the US Navy (USN) Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy budget lines — known as the SCN account — by about 39%, according to proposal documentation released on 3 April by the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

The budget request includes USD65.8 billion in shipbuilding funding for 18 battle force ships and 16 non-battle force ships, compared to about USD47.3 billion enacted for FY 2026, according to OMB and USN budget sources.

That true shipbuilding base is significantly more, though, as the base FY 2026 request was for USD20.8 billion, with the remainder being included in the accompanying reconciliation funding approved by lawmakers.

Under the base budget amount requested, the USN sought to procure 19 battle force ships in FY 2026, including three ships in the base: one Columbia-class strategic submarine (SSBN); one Virginia-class attack submarine (SSN); and one ocean surveillance T-AGOS ship.

There were 16 ships included in the requested reconciliation funding: two Arleigh Burke-class DDG 51 guided-missile destroyers, one Virginia-class SSN, one amphibious assault ship (LHA), nine Landing Ships Medium (LSMs), one landing platform dock ship (LPD) and two T-AO replenishment oilers.

The FY 2027 request seeks to “maintain or increase the procurement of existing battle force platforms, including amphibious vessels, and Columbia-class and Virginia-class submarines,” while including proposed funding for “strategic sealift vessels, hospital vessels, Consolidated Cargo Replenishment at Sea tankers, a special mission ship, submarine tenders and other vessels vital for logistics”.