To keep up with China’s naval shipbuilders, the Navy must ensure that it can recruit high-quality workers who wish to make shipbuilding their long-term career. Now it is more of a human resources problem. Supply chain issues can also lead to delays and budget problems. Usually, delays and cost overruns are the result of human error that includes poor planning and subpar execution. The Navy will also start informing high school and community college students that working in shipbuilding can be both financially rewarding and personally fulfilling since workers will be serving their country in a defense role. One way to alleviate this problem is to focus on the relatively high compensation that these jobs pay and spread the word that the employment would be a great fit for women. The service branch is now re-evaluating that practice and is brainstorming ways to attract more workers to its submarine-building yards. The Navy in the past has depended on industry to recruit new workers for shipyards. Get the Word Out that Shipbuilding Is a Rewarding Career Those dates do not appear attainable with the delays and costs incurred from the Block V labor shortage issue. Block VI was supposed to begin upgrades for delivery between FY24 and FY28. Block VI boats are planned to be quieter than the Block V. In 2020, the Navy thought that Block VI would be a “bridge” to a new class of attack submarines – the next-generation SSN(X) program. This means the plans for a Block VI submarine upgrade will be affected. What About Block VI Virginia-Class Submarine The Navy had earlier determined it would fix its labor problems before 2022, but that is not the case. These delays will also create a situation in which more money will be spent than what was originally budgeted. This Will Create DelaysĪs a result, the GAO has determined that the first three Block V Virginia -class subs will be delivered late. The firms are worried that they may have to employ workers with less experience and fewer skills. Both companies have communicated to the Navy that these labor shortages will continue to create a problem with submarine construction. Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding, the other major submarine builder, also does not have enough welders, electricians, riggers, and other shipyard workers. Virginia-Class: Labor Shortage Is a Problem Welders are in short supply and Electric Boat, a subsidiary of General Dynamics Corporation, has a program in which the firm is trying to hire more women to be welders. The GAO believes that the Navy chose to build the Columbia -class submarine while prioritizing the Block V upgrades at the same time. GAO worries that these upgrades will be delayed and cost more than previously estimated. Navy wants to bring as many anti-ship missiles to the fight as possible. China has the biggest Navy in the world, so the U.S. This is an important upgrade since the Block V boats will have a role to play in the Indo-Pacific should a conflict with China arise. The new Tomahawks on board, also known as the Block V batch, will be improved to add an anti-ship capability. This addition is called the Virginia Payload Module. An 84-foot-long extension will be built to provide for four new vertical launch tubes resulting in more Tomahawks. The Block V will have more sensors and a new weapons module. Ten of these will be the Virginia Block V boats. The Navy aims to build between 72 to 78 new attack submarines. This is more than the Seawolf -Class that has room for 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles. This will make the submarine longer but will increase the total number of Tomahawk-sized weapons to 65. These boats will have an additional 28 missile slots in an elongated section behind the sail. The Virginia Class Block V submarine has more room for weapons. Much to Like in the Block V Virginia-Class It is due to an “overall higher workforce demand and additional factors such as correspondingly less experienced workers.” The GAO raised the question of whether the Navy will be able to proceed with its Block VI program if the labor shortage problems in the Block V program persist. Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report that this malady has been created due to problems with human resources. Navy’s new Virginia -class Block V fast attack submarines are behind schedule and over budget. A government watchdog agency has determined that the U.S.
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