Acting Secretary of the Navy announces Virginia Class Submarine Contract

Hello America, I'm here with my old friend Vice Admiral Ralph Gaucher who's in charge of all submarine construction in the Navy. To maintain our decisive advantage in the undersea domain, true deterrence requires a force unmatched in stealth and lethality. Building the fleet of future means giving our industrial base the long-term stability it needs to thrive. When the Department of War, Congress, and American industry march in lockstep, we will forge and deliver the Golden Fleet, a force ready to dominate in any maritime conflict. Today, we are pleased to announce a historic nine-ship Virginia-class submarine contract awarded to General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut and Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia. This five-year multi-year contract creates the predictability necessary to execute our requirement of delivering two fast-attack boats every year. The Virginia-class remains the ocean's apex predator. With incredible stealth, advanced intelligence gathering, and enhanced strike capabilities via the Virginia payload module and the endurance and speed only nuclear power can provide, we are giving our fleet commanders the tools they need to assure our allies, deter our adversaries, and keep the worldwide oceans free and open. With this, the Department of the Navy remains postured to drive efficiency and demand accountability on behalf of the taxpayer and ramp up production with the urgency it deserves. To the men and women designing and building our submarine force, thank you. We cannot accomplish our mission without you accomplishing yours. Now, let's get to work.