U.S. Navy Faces Growing Backlog in Submarine Maintenance and Retirement
A GAO report reveals that limited shipyard capacity is forcing the U.S. Navy to keep inactive submarines crewed and costly, hindering operational readiness.
According to a recent GAO assessment, the U.S. Navy’s shipyards cannot keep pace with the maintenance and retirement demands of its attack-submarine fleet, resulting in a loss of over 41 cumulative years of operational availability. The report highlights that vessels like USS Pasadena, which entered inactive status at the start of 2025, will not be decommissioned until late 2028, requiring a full crew and ongoing support throughout the interim.
Similar delays affect both Los Angeles-class and Virginia-class submarines, with each idle boat incurring daily costs in the hundreds of thousands. The backlog stems from the specialized nature of nuclear-submarine work, limited dry-dock space, and a shortage of nuclear-certified personnel. Strategically, the shortage undermines the Navy’s capacity to deploy enough stealthy attack submarines in the Pacific, a key element of U.S. deterrence against rising regional threats.
Why it matters
The maintenance backlog reduces the Navy’s submarine readiness, affecting U.S. strategic posture in the Pacific.
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