The construction of new ships under the Navy’s 2025 shipbuilding plan would cost $1.075 trillion in 2024 dollars in total over the next three decades, according to an analysis carried out by the Congressional Budget Office.
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Average Annual Shipbuilding Cost
That amount would average out to $35.8 billion annually from 2025 through 2054, at which point the Navy is expected to achieve its target of 381 manned battle force ships, of which 364 would be new acquisitions, the CBO said in a report issued Monday. Those battle force ships comprise combat ships as well as logistics and support ships.
Difference in Estimates
The Navy’s own estimates put new ship construction costs at $903 billion over 30 years, or $30.1 billion annually on average. CBO attributes the difference between its projections with those of the Navy’s to differences in methodology and assumptions about future ship designs and capabilities.
Shipbuilding Plan Objective
According to the CBO report, the Navy seeks to build a large fleet so as to be able to place offensive capabilities like missiles and unmanned systems on more ships. Distributing firepower in this manner not only provides greater offensive operation capabilities but also makes it more difficult for adversaries to neutralize those capabilities.
