01.17.24 HASC FC-SPF FY25 Virginia-class Submarine Letter [FINAL]
- Contributed by
- Sam LaGrone (U.S. Naval Institute)
p. 1
January 17, 2024
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Biden,
We, the undersigned, are writing to you as a bipartisan coalition that supported advancement of
the recently enacted Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). One of
the most significant provisions of the new law are several authorities to enable execution of the
trilateral AUKUS security agreement amongst the United States, Australia, and the United
Kingdom.
The intent of this historic enterprise, which your administration initiated, is aimed at preserving a
free and open Indo-Pacific by rebalancing the deteriorating security environment in the region. In
particular, the centerpiece of those authorities in the NDAA is authorization to sell three Virginia-
class submarines to the Government of Australia as they recapitalize their Navy in the coming
years. Now that AUKUS is codified, we are writing to express our conviction that the U.S. Navy
and Congress maintain continued procurement of two Virginia-class submarines per year, as
detailed in the Navy’s FY2024 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan.
Our belief is based on the promising increase in U.S. submarine production tonnage in 2023. Part
of this growth is due to investments from the Navy and Congress in workforce and supply chain
development over the last five years, which requires continuous support to mature and stabilize
the health of the industrial base. Even more importantly, this growth is dependent on the
persistent two-per-year demand signal to the nationwide submarine industrial base that Congress
has defended since 2011. That commitment has driven suppliers to make critical capital
investments and expand capacity based on a predictable forecast in expected work. It has also
driven metal trades workers, designers, and engineers to choose shipbuilding as promising
careers in record numbers. Deviation from projected procurement rates in the FY2025 budget
request would upend the faith of a steady procurement profile in the Future Years Defense Plan
by our suppliers, as well as any plans for future capital investments in the supply chain.
In March 2023, the joint announcement of the AUKUS Optimal Pathway by the heads of
government of the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom triggered a robust
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Biden,
We, the undersigned, are writing to you as a bipartisan coalition that supported advancement of
the recently enacted Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). One of
the most significant provisions of the new law are several authorities to enable execution of the
trilateral AUKUS security agreement amongst the United States, Australia, and the United
Kingdom.
The intent of this historic enterprise, which your administration initiated, is aimed at preserving a
free and open Indo-Pacific by rebalancing the deteriorating security environment in the region. In
particular, the centerpiece of those authorities in the NDAA is authorization to sell three Virginia-
class submarines to the Government of Australia as they recapitalize their Navy in the coming
years. Now that AUKUS is codified, we are writing to express our conviction that the U.S. Navy
and Congress maintain continued procurement of two Virginia-class submarines per year, as
detailed in the Navy’s FY2024 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan.
Our belief is based on the promising increase in U.S. submarine production tonnage in 2023. Part
of this growth is due to investments from the Navy and Congress in workforce and supply chain
development over the last five years, which requires continuous support to mature and stabilize
the health of the industrial base. Even more importantly, this growth is dependent on the
persistent two-per-year demand signal to the nationwide submarine industrial base that Congress
has defended since 2011. That commitment has driven suppliers to make critical capital
investments and expand capacity based on a predictable forecast in expected work. It has also
driven metal trades workers, designers, and engineers to choose shipbuilding as promising
careers in record numbers. Deviation from projected procurement rates in the FY2025 budget
request would upend the faith of a steady procurement profile in the Future Years Defense Plan
by our suppliers, as well as any plans for future capital investments in the supply chain.
In March 2023, the joint announcement of the AUKUS Optimal Pathway by the heads of
government of the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom triggered a robust