Navy Ford Cvn 78 Class Aircraft Carrier Program Background And Issues For Congress

CVN-78 and CVN-79 are the first two ships in the Navy's new Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. CVN-78 was procured in FY2008 and is scheduled to enter service in 2015. The ship's procurement cost is estimated in the proposed FY2010 budget at $10,846 million in then-year dollars--$389 million (about 3.7%) more than the estimate in the FY2009 budget. Although CVN-78 was procured in FY2008, it is being funded with four-year incremental funding across FY2008-FY2011. The proposed FY2010 requests $739.3 million in procurement funding to help complete the ship's procurement cost. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported in June 2008 that it estimates that CVN-78 will cost about $900 million more than the Navy estimates, and that if "CVN-78 experienced cost growth similar to that of other lead ships that the Navy has purchased in the past 10 years, costs could be much higher still." The Government Accountability Office (GAO) and other observers have expressed concern that difficulties in developing the CVN-78's new electromagnetic aircraft catapult (called the electromagnetic aircraft launch system, or EMALS), could delay the schedule for building the ship and increase the ship's construction cost. GAO highlighted the issue in a March 2009 report to Congress. The issue was the subject of a July 16, 2009, hearing before the Seapower and Expeditionary Forces subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.

CVN-78, CVN-79, CVN-80, and CVN-81 are the first four ships in the Navy's new Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs). CVN-78 (named for Gerald R. Ford) was procured in FY2008. The Navy's proposed FY2019 budget estimates the ship's procurement cost at $12,964.0 million (i.e., about $13.0 billion) in then-year dollars. The ship received advance procurement (AP) funding in FY2001-FY2007 and was fully funded in FY2008-FY2011 using congressionally authorized four-year incremental funding. To help cover cost growth on the ship, the ship received an additional $1,394.9 million in FY2014-FY2016 and FY2018 cost-to-complete procurement funding. The ship was delivered to the Navy on May 31, 2017, and was commissioned into service on July 22, 2017. CVN-79 (named for John F. Kennedy) was procured in FY2013. The Navy's proposed FY2019 budget estimates the ship's procurement cost at $11,341.4 million (i.e., about $11.3 billion) in then-year dollars. The ship received AP funding in FY2007-FY2012, and was fully funded in FY2013-FY2018 using congressionally authorized six-year incremental funding. The ship is scheduled for delivery to the Navy in September 2024. CVN-80 (named Enterprise) was procured in FY2018. The Navy's proposed FY2019 budget estimates the ship's procurement cost at $12,601.7 million (i.e., about $12.6 billion) in then-year dollars. The ship received AP funding in FY2016 and FY2017, and the Navy plans to fully fund the ship in FY2018-FY2023 using congressionally authorized six-year incremental funding. The Navy's proposed FY2019 budget requests $1,598.2 million in procurement funding for the ship. The ship is scheduled for delivery to the Navy in September 2027. CVN-81 (not yet named) is scheduled to be procured in FY2023. The Navy's proposed FY2019 budget estimates the ship's procurement cost at $15,088.0 million (i.e., about $15.1 billion) in then-year dollars. The Navy plans to request AP funding for the ship in FY2021 and FY2022, and then fully fund the ship in FY2023-FY2028 using congressionally authorized six-year incremental funding. The Navy's FY2019 budget submission programs the initial increment of AP funding for the ship in FY2021. The ship is scheduled for delivery to the Navy in September 2032. Oversight issues for Congress for the CVN-78 program for FY2019 include the following: whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's FY2019 procurement funding requests for the CVN-78 program; whether to accelerate the procurement of CVN-81 from FY2023 to an earlier year, or use a block buy contract to procure multiple aircraft carriers, or pursue a combined material buy for multiple aircraft carriers, or do some combination of these things; cost growth in the CVN-78 program, Navy efforts to stem that growth, and Navy efforts to manage costs so as to stay within the program's cost caps; whether to conduct the shock trial for the CVN-78 class in the near term, on the lead ship in the class, or years later, on the second ship in the class; CVN-78 program issues that were raised in a January 2018 report from the Department of Defense's (DOD's) Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E); and whether the Navy should shift at some point from procuring large-deck, nuclear-powered carriers like the CVN-78 class to procuring smaller aircraft carriers.

CVN-78, CVN-79, and CVN-80 are the first three ships in the Navy's new Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs).CVN-78 was procured in FY2008. The Navy's proposed FY2015 budget estimates the ship's procurement cost at $12,887.2 million (i.e., about $12.9 billion) in then-year dollars. The ship received advance procurement funding in FY2001-FY2007 and was fully funded in FY2008- FY2011 using congressionally authorized four-year incremental funding. The Navy did not request any procurement funding for the ship in FY2012 and FY2013. To help cover cost growth on the ship, the ship received an additional $588.1 million in procurement funding in FY2014, and the Navy is requesting another $663.0 million in procurement funding for FY2015.CVN-79 was procured in FY2013. The ship received advance procurement funding in FY2007- FY2012, and the Navy plans to fully fund the ship in FY2013-FY2018 using congressionally authorized six-year incremental funding. The Navy's proposed FY2015 budget estimates CVN- 79's procurement cost at $11,498.0 million (i.e., about $11.5 billion) in then-year dollars, and requests $1,300 million in procurement funding for the ship.CVN-80 is scheduled to be procured in FY2018. The Navy's proposed FY2015 budget estimates the ship's procurement cost at $13,874.2 million (i.e., about $13.9 billion) in then-year dollars. Under the Navy's proposed FY2015 budget, the ship is to receive advance procurement funding in FY2016-FY2017 and be fully funded in FY2018-FY2023 using congressionally authorized six-year incremental funding.

This book provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Columbia-class program, the Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) class aircraft carrier program, the Navy's FFG(X) program, on the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program and on three new ship-based weapons the Navy is developing that could improve the ability of Navy surface ships to defend themselves against missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and surface craft: the Surface Navy Laser Weapon System (SNLWS), the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG), and the gun-launched guided projectile (GLGP), previously known as the hypervelocity projectile (HVP).

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Contents: (1) Introduction; (2) Background: Proposed 313-Ship Fleet; FY 2010 Shipbuilding Request; (3) Oversight Issues for Congress: Adequacy of Proposed 313-Ship Fleet: Adequacy of Shipbuilding Plan for Maintaining 313 Ships; Shortfalls Relative to 313-Ship Goals; Affordability of Shipbuilding Plan; (4) Legislative Activity for FY 2010: FY 2010 Defense Authorization Act; FY 2010 DoD Appropriations Act; Resolution Directing Submission of FY 2010 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan; Legislation on Individual Shipbuilding Programs. Appendixes: (A) December 2009 Press Reports About Draft FY 2011 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan; (B) Adequacy of Planned 313-Ship Fleet; (C) Size of the Navy and Navy Shipbuilding Rate. Charts and tables.

The Navy s proposed FY2007 budget requested about $739 million in advance procurement funding for CVN-78, the first ship in the CVN-21 class of aircraft carriers, and about $45 million in advance procurement funding for the aircraft carrier CVN-79, the second ship in the class a total of $784.1 million. The FY2007 defense authorization act (H.R. 5122/P.L. 109-364) authorized 4-year incremental funding for procuring aircraft carriers, established procurement cost caps for CVN-21 class carriers, increased the existing procurement cost cap for the CVN-77 aircraft carrier, permits the Navy to reduce the minimum size of the carrier force from 12 to 11 ships, and expressed the sense of the Congress that CVN-78 should be named for president Gerald R. Ford. On January 16, 2007, the Navy announced that CVN-78 will be named for Ford. The FY2007 defense appropriations act (H.R. 5631/P.L. 109-289) provides $791.9 million in advance procurement funding for CVN-78 and CVN-79 an increase of $7.75 million above the requested amount. This report will be updated as events warrant.

For FY1999, the Administration is requesting funding for both CVN-77, a modified Nimitz (CVN-68) class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be procured in FY2001, and the CVX, an aircraft carrier planned for procurement in FY2006 that will be a further-evolved version of the Nimitz-class design. Issues for Congress to consider include FY1999 research and development funding for the two ships and the merits of the Navy's plan to incrementally evolve the Nimitz-class design.