GROTON, Conn. (WTNH) — More than $15 billion and thousands of new jobs are in store for Groton-based Electric Boat — a pair of announcements that underscore a national emphasis on submarine building.
The Pentagon announced it was awarding Electric Boat a $15.4 billion contract to ensure the new Columbia-class of ballistic missile submarines stay on track for delivery in the coming years. The Columbia-class vessels will replace the aging Ohio-class submarines as the Navy’s contribution to the nation’s three-legged nuclear arsenal.
Nuclear-armed ballistic missiles carried by stealthy submarines are considered a key element of nuclear deterrence because they’re well suited to survive a so-called “first strike” by an adversary. The other two legs of the nuclear triad are land-based missiles and bombers. Fleets of both are based at publicly known military installations.
Ballistic missile-carrying submarines are designed to evade detection and can loiter off enemy coastlines, giving them the ability to strike with little notice.
“The Ohio subs that they’re gonna replace are really old,” Rep. Joe Courtney said of the Columbia-class. “And they really need to keep the schedule moving forward.”
Courtney represents eastern Connecticut and is the top Democratic on the House subcommittee that oversees the nation’s naval policies.
The expanded hiring at the shipyard will support construction of both the new Columbia-class and the existing Virginia-class of attack submarines.
“It’s predominately metal trades, in terms of people — welding, electricians, outside machinists,” Courtney said, noting the economic effects new jobs will have on eastern Connecticut.
Like the Ohio and Columbia-class submarines, Virginia boats are powered by a nuclear reactor. But their role in the fleet differs from their larger counterparts because they carry conventional weapons like Tomahawk cruise missiles and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
Ramping up production of the Virgina-class is particularly important to the U.S. Navy because of a trilateral agreement between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.
The agreement, called AUKUS, will see Australia replace its diesel-powered submarine fleet with nuclear-powered submarines in the next several years. To accomplish this, the U.S. intends to sell the Royal Australian Navy three used Virginia-class boats while the Australians work with the United Kingdom to develop an entirely new class of nuclear-powered subs for both of their fleets to use.
Luke Akehurst, a member of the UK Parliament visiting Connecticut this week, said equipping Australia with nuclear-powered submarines will help them “take on more of the burden-sharing with the U.S. Navy in the Indo-Pacific theatre and deal with future naval threats from China.”
While the Australians work toward a nuclear submarine fleet, the UK’s Royal Navy is working to upgrade its existing one. Like the U.S. Navy, the Royal Navy has nuclear submarines designed for both conventional attack and nuclear strikes. When it receives the next-generation UK-Australia attack submarine, Akehurst said the Royal Navy will put them to work patrolling the waters of the North Atlantic where Russian submarines often lurk. Sailing those waters has long been a specialty of the Royal Navy.
Akehurst is part of a delegation of members of Parliament (MPs) touring Connecticut. The delegation includes members of both the ruling Labour Party and the Conservatives. AUKUS is a key part of the reason the delegation is visiting the state. They will visit the Groton area on Wednesday.
Some of the MPs, like Amanda Martin, represent Britain’s storied naval communities. Martin’s constituency covers portions of Portsmouth, which is home to the bulk of the Royal Navy’s surface fleet. At the height of the British Empire’s power, when “Britannia ruled the waves,” Portsmouth was the world’s preeminent naval port.
Today, the Royal Navy remains a leading force but also relies heavily on international cooperation with allies.
“It’s not just about the hardware,” Martin said. “It’s also about how do we support our people and how do we make sure that those relationships are as good.”
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