Following revelations from families about some U.S. service members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln struggling with mental health after 250 days without a port visit, sailors, retirees and lawmakers told Military Times that troops were absorbing consequences of longtime flaws within the sea service that have been worsened by the current conflict.

The Navy has struggled for years to meet high operational tempo demands, they said. Deployments are regularly extended, scheduled maintenance is missed and the shipbuilding pace remains glacial, leading to delays in delivery and an undersized fleet.

The issues have spanned multiple presidential administrations but have been compounded by the handling of the Iran war and ensuing military operations, sources said, leading to dire circumstances for some sailors.

Leaders have disputed the descriptions of deteriorating conditions aboard the Lincoln and denied reporting about quality-of-life concerns.

Asked recently by reporters about families’ concerns over the length of the deployment, President Donald Trump dismissed the question, saying that it’s “not nearly long enough.”

Asked about those same concerns, Adm. Daryl Caudle, the service’s chief of naval operations, told Military Times, “Sailors first is not a slogan — it’s a warfighting imperative.”

“The sustained pace of operations in the Middle East has only reinforced that taking care of our sailors and maintaining combat readiness are inseparable,” Caudle said.

‘We need more ships’

Following outcry about conditions aboard the Lincoln, the Navy moved the Nimitz-class carrier USS George Washington from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East, where it arrived Wednesday. The ship is reportedly replacing the Lincoln, which will now steam toward its homeport of San Diego.

The move temporarily leaves the western Pacific without a U.S. aircraft carrier, the presence of which is a key part of the U.S. military’s effort to deter China in the South China Sea and reassure regional allies.

Operational tempo concerns, meanwhile, are nothing new for the service, according to retired Vice Adm. Fozzie Miller, who served as commander of U.S. Fifth Fleet and U.S. Central Command from 2012 to 2015.

Miller joined the Navy in 1979. From his early days in uniform, the service’s goal, he said, was to operate at a level that was neither too harsh for the individual sailor nor too unbearable for the equipment vital to mission success. An adequate number of warships was integral to maintaining that balance.

“We could use more carriers or less [operational] tempo,” Miller said. “It’s one or the other, but we’re a global Navy with global responsibilities, and so if we’re going to fulfill those, we need more ships.”

Rear Adm. Thomas Moore, who led the Navy’s acquisition program and went on to become commander of Naval Sea Systems Command, told Congress in 2013 that the service is “an 11-carrier Navy in a 15-carrier world.”

The demand is unlikely to dwindle, he said.

Thirteen years since Moore’s statement, the Navy is still at 11 carriers. With the USS Nimitz scheduled to retire at the end of next year, that number may soon be 10.

The USS Harry S. Truman and USS Gerald R. Ford are currently sidelined for maintenance after deployments, the latter of which notched a post-Vietnam record 326 days at sea in May after it was extended to support operations in the Middle East. The Nimitz-class USS John C. Stennis is undergoing a years-long overhaul.

The USS Ronald Reagan, also a Nimitz-class, is expected to be deployable by the end of August after a 17-month repair period. The Nimitz-class USS George H.W. Bush is in the Middle East.

“We just don’t have enough aircraft carriers right now in this rotation to sustain all the things we want to do, and I think this is a long-standing problem,” said Steven Wills, a Navy surface warfare officer who retired after 20 years.

In 2014, the Navy began implementing the Optimized Fleet Response Plan, or OFRP, deployment model, which places maintenance, training, evaluations and a single eight-month deployment within a 36-month cycle.

The service says the framework is intended to produce a more comprehensively manned and trained force while providing predictability to deployment schedules for sailors and their families.

In 2016, however, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that heavy operational demands led the Navy to increase ship deployment lengths and reduce or defer ship maintenance.

Those decisions made deployments less predictable, ate into training time, contributed to declining ship conditions and increased the time ships required for much-needed maintenance.

From fiscal 2014 through 2019, Navy ships spent more than 33,700 additional days in maintenance beyond intended scheduling, leading to fewer vessels available for training or operations.

An upended supply network

While the Navy has long struggled with carrier availability, current U.S. leadership has created more operational tempo issues through poor planning and insufficient wartime support, according to lawmakers and a sailor who deployed in support of the Iran war.

“Logistics was a complete failure the entire time out there — food, supplies, parts,” said the sailor, who served aboard an Independence-class littoral combat ship and was granted anonymity due to fear of reprisal.

Iranian attacks damaged the Navy’s longstanding logistics hub in Bahrain in February, disrupting the regional supply network supporting ships operating in the Middle East.

The Navy shifted the new logistics hub to Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, an atoll in the Indian Ocean that sits more than 2,000 miles away from the service’s carrier strike groups in the Middle East.

Diego Garcia’s distance proved to be problematic, the sailor said, with the hub requiring the LCS to place a food order 30 days in advance.

Those orders were nearly impossible, however, with an influx schedule exacerbated by poor planning, the sailor added. Sailors were unable to resupply from the hub, instead grabbing whatever could be salvaged from replenishment-at-sea oilers.

“There’s no excuse for why, if we’re at war, we can’t get an expedited food order,” the sailor said.

Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., told Military Times that the logistical issues described by the sailor were due to preparation failures.

“I’ve spoken to a lot of people who’ve been deployed, and you know, the basic problem seems to be that if they were going to use Bahrain as a hub to restock, to get food and to provide rest and all that,” Levin said. “If that was the idea, well, clearly that didn’t work out. After February, March — [the administration] should have thought of that.”

‘People can break, too’

At least two sailors attempted to jump overboard from the USS Abraham Lincoln, families of Lincoln sailors previously told Military Times.

While the individual mental circumstances of the incidents remain unknown, the frantic operational tempo of combat operations inevitably takes a natural toll on service members, according to one sailor who has deployed to the Middle East aboard an aircraft carrier during the current conflict.

“Just like machines, people can break, too,” said the service member, who was granted anonymity for fear of reprisal from leadership. “They need rest.”

Time to rest was not always available. Losing sleep was sometimes part of ensuring safety.

If equipment broke, sailors would, at times, work well beyond normal shifts until it was fixed. In some instances, completion of the task could mean the difference between life and death.

In a 2021 review, the GAO found that just 14% of Navy officers surveyed slept at least seven hours per night during a recent deployment, while 67% reported five hours or less. GAO also found that the Navy routinely assigned fewer sailors to ships than workload studies indicated were needed to safely operate them.

By 2023, surface-fleet sailors were averaging 5.25 hours of sleep every 24 hours, below the Navy’s standard of providing at least 7.5 hours of sleep opportunity. GAO identified crew shortfalls and mattress problems as challenges to managing fatigue.

For its part, the Navy has implemented measures to try to address the issue, including initiating a study involving about 1,600 sailors wearing Oura rings to monitor sleep and other biometric indicators while underway.

But lack of sleep, according to personnel, has been just one detriment experienced during the conflict with Iran. Service members have also faced food shortages onboard the carrier, the sailor said, with quality that fluctuated between bad and horrible.

“It was either undercooked, overcooked or unrecognizable at all,” the sailor said.

As extensions piled on, a decline in morale took on a recognizable tone at the phone center or in conversations at the galleys. Humor darkened even more than usual, and port visits meant less and less.

“These things have been happening on deployments for always,” said Parker Moore, a nuclear reactor operator who served aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln before its recent deployment. “It is bad, but it is always bad.”

During Moore’s time on Lincoln, the stigma surrounding mental health remained prevalent. There were mental health professionals aboard the ship, but if a sailor sought help, the service member could be taken off their job.

“They’re terrified to disappoint the people around them,” Moore said. “If I don’t do my job, there’s only 30 people who can do it, right? So now there’s only 29 people.”

Following the report on mental health issues aboard Lincoln, the Navy said it had not observed an increase in suicidal ideation or suicide attempts. The service did note, however, that additional counselors and resources were being sent to the crew.

Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, visited Lincoln on Saturday and issued a statement claiming that the ship had the lowest number of mental health cases among the Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers.

Lack of transparency

The Pentagon under the Trump administration has become increasingly tight-lipped over the information it provides to Congress.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released a memo in October 2025 informing Defense Department personnel, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that authorization was required for any communication to leaders on Capitol Hill.

Hegseth also dodged several questions from lawmakers during a July Senate hearing on the Iran War.

When Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., asked the Pentagon leader whether previous statements about Iran’s military being “destroyed” and “made combat ineffective” were true, Hegseth declined to answer.

Hegseth has also not held a Pentagon press briefing about the Iran war for more than 100 days, with the last coming on May 5.

To alleviate concerns over short-term problems with current military operations like those aboard the Lincoln, Congress must be able to carry out oversight, lawmakers said.

Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., told Military Times that the Pentagon should be sharing information that would allow political leaders to assess whether the president and defense secretary were deploying assets in the most mission-effective way.

Invoking the War Powers Resolution would allow lawmakers to hold the current administration accountable, some Democrats have argued.

The resolution requires the executive branch to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying military forces and allows lawmakers to enforce the removal of military forces within 60 to 90 days unless Congress has declared war or authorized military force.

Levin supports that approach, he said, and asked that his Republican colleagues stand up and ask tough questions.

Republican members of the House and Senate armed services committees did not respond to Military Times’ requests for comment.

“I think back to George W. Bush,” Levin said. “I disagreed wholeheartedly with Iraq, but you think about the steps that he took. You think about … Secretary Rumsfeld, Vice President Cheney, others — their consistent engagement.”

For the LCS sailor, planning deficiencies are already rearing their head.

Though the ship did assist with the Navy’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, turning away more than a dozen vessels, it will now be sidelined longer than scheduled because of deferred repairs.

It is one example, the sailor said, of there being no long-term plan for ship rotations.

“‘We’re gonna keep you out here,” the sailor said of the impression made on them, “until your ship can’t operate or function anymore.’”

The USS John F. Kennedy successfully concluded the testing period on Saturday after departing from Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia on Wednesday, according to a release from the shipbuilder.

“Our nation is depending on us to deliver these critical assets that will protect freedom around the world, and we’re proud to see CVN 79 take another step toward joining the fleet,” said Derek Murphy, NNS vice president of new construction aircraft carrier programs.

The ship successfully completed builder’s sea trials in February.

Acceptance sea trials mark one of the last steps a ship must complete before officially joining the Navy fleet.

The Kennedy was launched on Oct. 29, 2019, christened on Dec. 7, 2019, and is the second vessel named after President John F. Kennedy.

The new carrier is 1,092 feet long and weighs 100,000 tons. Its overall procurement cost was $13.2 billion, a December 2025 CRS report indicated.

The ship has been plagued by delays since it was christened on Dec. 7, 2019, with an initial delivery slated for July 2025.

The latest setback was due “to support completion of Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) certification and continued Advanced Weapons Elevator (AWE) work,” according to the Navy’s FY2026 budget documents.

In June 2026, a sailor was shot and killed aboard the ship.

Another sailor was detained for pretrial confinement in connection with the death but later released.

Adm. Brad Cooper met with sailors and Marines after Military Times learned that two service members attempted to jump overboard during the Lincoln’s extended deployment of more than 260 days.

“Of the U.S. Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers, the Lincoln currently has among the lowest number of cases related to mental health,” Cooper said in a social media statement.

Cooper conceded that not everything was perfect aboard the ship and that service at sea is challenging and affects each sailor differently.

Cooper’s visit came during a 10-day trip to the Middle East that saw him meet with civilian and military leaders from six countries, including Israel and Iraq.

Cooper last visited the Lincoln in February near the start of Operation Epic Fury.

Family members of service members aboard the Lincoln raised concerns on Aug. 6 during a town-hall meeting with Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao and other senior military officials.

Roughly 200 in-person attendees described worries that their loved ones were experiencing thoughts of self-harm during an extended deployment in which sailors haven’t had a port call in over 240 days.

The Lincoln stopped in Guam in December 2025 for a port call and then again for one in July in Oman.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal said in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that it was the longest continuous days at sea between port calls in Navy history.

Several other news outlets reported on sailors trying to flee the ship.

U.S. officials allegedly told CNN that a sailor went overboard on the Lincoln and was rescued within the hour.

Stars and Stripes reported an incident in which a crew member was intercepted by other service members before attempting to jump overboard.

MS NOW also reported that a sailor jumped overboard and was in the water for almost an hour before being rescued. The family member of that sailor described the jump as a suicide attempt and said her husband’s mental health concerns were brushed aside by the chain of command and medical team aboard.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters after the news broke that the reports were “completely misrepresented.”

When asked by reporters, President Donald Trump dismissed military families’ concerns about the Lincoln’s deployment length, saying that it’s “not nearly long enough.”

Operation Morale, Welfare and Recreation is bringing music acts to military facilities through April 2027. The event kicked off on Aug. 8 at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island with Fitz and The Tantrums and Alana Springsteen.

“Quality of service is about ensuring our sailors and their families have the support, connections and opportunities they need to thrive,” said Vice Adm. Scott Gray, commander of Navy Installations Command. “Programs like Operation MWR help reduce stress, strengthen unit and family support networks, and sustain the personal resilience sailors need to meet demanding operational requirements.”

The concert series follows several MWR events, including an Oct. 16, 2025, performance by Jelly Roll and Gwen Stefani at Naval Station Norfolk.

While the Navy is still hammering out the details for upcoming shows, the list of upcoming concerts is as follows:

• Aug. 29, 2026 — Naval Station Norfolk: Teddy Swims with special guest Miranda Lambert and opening act DJ Vito

• Sept. 11, 2026 – Naval Weapons Station Crane: Preston James and Band

• Oct. 2, 2026 — Naval Support Activity Saratoga Springs: Michael Kent

• Oct. 10, 2026 — Naval Base San Diego: Artist announcement forthcoming

• Oct. 17, 2026 — Naval Station Great Lakes: DJ Diesel, also known as Shaquille O’Neal

• April 30, 2027 — Naval Air Station Panama City: Artist announcement forthcoming

Service members and their families are not required to register for concerts in advance, but admission may be first-come, first-served at some venues with limited space.

Anonymous allegations of misconduct that occur in the Navy or Marine Corps will not be processed as a complaint under the Military Equal Opportunity program, which seeks to address unlawful discrimination and sexual harassment, the service announced. Instead, service members are encouraged to use the confidential reporting system, though the anonymous system remains available.

“This does not prevent a commander from taking appropriate action in response to an anonymous report,” a Navy administrative message said.

The reform follows a September 2025 Pentagon memo that called for the anonymous reporting system to be replaced with a confidential complaint system in order to “foster a more effective support and resolution-based program.”

Through the confidential complaint system, sailors are asked to identify themselves and provide information regarding the harassment or discrimination complaint to Navy or Marine Corps personnel tasked with receiving those complaints.

The military branches will document the report and send the service members to support services without requiring them to upgrade it to an informal or formal complaint, though they have that option, the administrative message said.

Personally identifying information contained in the confidential report can be forfeited for revelation if aspects of the complaint involve serious bodily harm, death, or admission of intent to commit a crime.

The Navy said that it will still process anonymous allegations regarding harassment, hazing and bullying, pending further guidance.

Making false official statements during complaints may violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice, according to the Navy.

If a service member makes an informal complaint, the Navy and Marine Corps will offer conflict resolution methods in an attempt to resolve the situation. But the service member can still begin the MEO complaint process if they want to decline that remediation strategy or if the conflict resolution process doesn’t work.

Formal MEO complaints can be dismissed if the complaint is made more than 60 calendar days after the most recent incident occurred for an active-duty service member or 120 calendar days for a reserve service member; if the complaint doesn’t fall within the jurisdiction of the MEO office; if the complaint doesn’t yield enough information to investigate; if the incident was resolved; if a false statement was made; or if the individual who filed the complaint doesn’t comply with Navy requests for information.

The U.S. Navy first introduced a confidential option for reporting sexual harassment in February 2024, adding another way to document allegations of misconduct besides the formal, informal and anonymous ones offered.

Several months later, the Department of Defense Inspector General chastised the service for providing inadequate training and documentation methods for military officials handling the sensitive cases.

The Navy has made other notable updates to guidance surrounding serious instances of reported wrongdoing.

The service recently announced a new policy for sailors being investigated for sexual assault after a high-profile murder was committed by a service member previously charged with sexual assault.

Military personnel who are being investigated for alleged sexual misconduct, sexual assault or stalking will now only be permitted for brief relocation to shore commands, whereas prior policy only stipulated that a service member be temporarily transferred from their parent command to another command.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner arrived at Naval Station Mayport along with almost 300 sailors after a nearly nine-month deployment to the U.S. 4th, 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations.

“Over the past almost nine months, this crew has demonstrated exceptional resilience and tactical proficiency across three different fleets,” said Cmdr. David Cook, commanding officer of the Hudner. “Their dedication is unmatched, and we are absolutely thrilled to be back in Mayport to reunite with the families and loved ones whose unwavering support made our success possible.”

Hudner departed Mayport for a scheduled deployment on Dec. 1, 2025, and made its way to the Caribbean Sea, where it provided support to Operation Southern Spear, a campaign the U.S. launched in September 2025 on the premise of reducing the flow of illegal drugs into the country.

As part of the efforts, the U.S. has launched 66 military strikes against alleged drug-carrying vessels, killing at least 196 people. The campaign has been divisive, with senators and legal experts questioning the legality of the strikes.

Hudner then transited to the 6th Fleet area of operations to support the readiness of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa.

Most recently, the ship participated in Operation Epic Fury, launching Tomahawk land attack missiles as the U.S. bombarded Iranian military targets, and helping establish maritime security in the region while the U.S. Navy enforced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Firestorm Labs manufactured more than 1,000 parts and 12 of its proprietary 3D-printable first-person view Squall drones aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex as it transited toward RIMPAC 2026 in Hawaii, according to a release.

“Every part xCell printed on deck is one that doesn’t need to be flown or shipped across contested waters — cutting the fuel, aircraft hours, and personnel it takes to keep a ship operational,” a social media release said. “Repairs that once meant days or weeks waiting on a resupply run can now happen in hours, on station.”

Firestorm Labs created the xCell as a factory-in-a-box that can be deployed aboard U.S. Navy vessels to churn out unmanned aerial systems and spare parts for expeditionary warfare.

As waves as high as 12 feet crashed against the ship, service members assembled drones that were later flown as adversary aircraft during a counter-drone exercise at RIMPAC 2026 in Hawaii.

The service members also helped print mechanical test components that assessed the efficacy of the 3D printer used for drone production and fabricated military repair parts that crew members of the USS Essex needed.

The Defense Department, and Navy in particular, is laser-focused on building out modular payload capabilities that can deliver mission-ready assets for the service.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle announced the “containerized capability campaign plan” in March at the McAleese Defense Programs conference.

Caudle outlined a vision in which transportable containers housing defense capabilities such as drones and weapons can be deployed to any region in the world.

In May, the Pentagon announced framework agreements with defense companies Anduril, CoAspire, Leidos and Zone 5 to acquire more than 10,000 containerized missiles over three years beginning in 2027.

The move signaled the launch of the “Low‑Cost Containerized Munitions (LCCM) program.”

The service changed the designation for 19 boats equipped with the Virginia Payload Module from “fast-attack submarines” to “guided missile submarines.”

“Reclassifying Virginia Payload Module-equipped submarines as SSGNs accurately reflects the extraordinary strike capacity, operational flexibility, and global reach these platforms bring to the fleet,” said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle. “These submarines will provide our nation with a powerful and persistent deterrent, expand options for our combatant commanders, and ensure the Navy remains ready to fight and win whenever and wherever called upon.”

The Virginia Payload Module will install four diameter payload tubes onboard each Virginia-class submarine, each of which can carry seven Tomahawk cruise missiles, totaling an extra 28 missiles for each submarine.

The first submarine to receive the added capabilities of the VPM is the second Block V Virginia-class submarine, USS Arizona, which is scheduled for delivery in fiscal year 2029.

The reclassification will apply to planned Block V and Block VI submarines, which are scheduled to be delivered through 2038.

The new categorization comes after the Navy announced on Wednesday that it is awarding $42.1 billion to General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding to build nine Virginia-class Block VI submarines.

In addition to these, 10 Block V Virginia-class submarines will incorporate the new VPM, according to the Navy.

There are currently 26 active Virginia-class submarines and 23 more Virginia-class submarines in total planned for construction.

The Navy separates the Virginia-class into blocks that delineate an upgrade in technology, munitions capabilities and design.

“The submarine force is defined by our ability to operate undetected and strike without warning,” said Vice Adm. Rick Seif, Commander, Submarine Forces. “By integrating high-volume precision strike capabilities into these stealth platforms, these SSGNs serve as the ultimate enabler for Distributed Maritime Operations, giving our warfighters the overwhelming, flexible firepower required to win decisively in any theater.”

Cmdr. Joseph Sammur was relieved due to a “loss of confidence in his ability to command” and was reassigned to Submarine Group 10. Sammur assumed command of the submarine on Aug. 14, 2025.

“The relief of the CO does not impact the ship’s mission or schedule,” the Navy said.

Submarine Squadron 20 Deputy for Training Cmdr. Luke Kelvington will take over as interim commanding officer.

The West Virginia is currently undergoing maintenance in port at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia.

The Navy did not specify the reasons or circumstances that led to the ousting, but the service generally uses “loss of confidence” as a blanket statement when dismissing senior leadership.

In June, the Navy fired three top officials at an overseas maintenance center after losing confidence in their ability to command.

And in February, the Navy relieved the commanding officer of the destroyer USS Mason for the same reason.

The Defense Department is granting a collective $76.6 billion to General Dynamics Electric Boat for five Columbia-class submarines and to both General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding for nine Virginia-class submarines to be built in the coming years.

“This historic investment underscores the department’s continued commitment to undersea superiority and the recapitalization of our nuclear triad,” said Vice Adm. Robert Gaucher, director of submarine programs. “By securing the continuous production of both the Columbia and Virginia classes, we ensure we will continue to deliver the world’s most lethal, survivable and resilient combat platform.”

The contract includes $29.5 billion for Columbia-class Build II submarines, $42.1 billion for Virginia-class Block VI submarines and $5 billion for investments in nuclear shipbuilding programs and shipbuilding infrastructure for both shipbuilders.

The Navy currently has seven Columbia-class submarines under contract, 26 active Virginia-class submarines and 23 more Virginia-class submarines in the pipeline for future construction, the service said.

The Navy has made its newest submarine class a top priority over the last several years.

The Columbia-class has big shoes to fill: the boats are being built to replace Ohio-class submarines as they phase out of service.

The latter continues to play a big part in underwater military operations. An Ohio-class submarine participated in military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities during Operation Midnight Hammer on June 22, 2025.

The Columbia-class is expected to surpass the missile payload and stealth capabilities of the Ohio-class, as well as harness the Trident II D5 Strategic Weapons System and hypersonic missiles.

While construction began on the Columbia-class in 2020, the Virginia class has been around for some time, with the launch of its lead boat in 2003.

Virginia-class submarines, which were designed to replace Los Angeles-class submarines, can host special operation forces undergoing long deployments onboard in a reconfigurable torpedo room.

Despite Columbia-class fabrication beginning six years ago, the program has faced delays.

The lead submarine in its class was originally slated for a 2027 delivery but has since been pushed back to 2028 after delivery postponement involving steam turbines and the submarine’s bow and stern, according to USNI News.

Government watchdogs initially predicted a rocky construction timeline for the newest addition to the silent service.

A U.S. Government Accountability Office report from January 2023 expressed concern that the building process would encounter hiccups because the submarine’s contractor, General Dynamics Electric Boat, hadn’t conducted a “schedule risk analysis.”

The latter practice, which is recommended by the GAO and is part of the Defense Department’s guidelines for large acquisition programs, helps set expectations for a program’s completion.

The Navy’s fiscal 2027 budget request for $378 billion includes money for the purchase of one Columbia-class submarine and two Virginia-class submarines.