The U.S. Navy has incurred approximately $3.4 billion in costs over the past decade due to delays in attack submarine maintenance, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Thursday. The public version of the assessment, originally issued in classified form on July 16, 2026, highlights operational impacts including the loss of more than 15,000 operational days over the same period.
Delays have extended as long as four years for vessels waiting in dry-dock berths with crews aboard. The GAO projects an additional $3.1 billion in costs from fiscal 2026 through fiscal 2030 as 15 attack submarines enter inactive idle time, potentially resulting in more than 14,000 additional lost days. The affected fleet comprises 44 Los Angeles-class and Virginia-class submarines, with insufficient dry-dock and shipyard capacity identified as the primary causes of the delays.
The GAO recommends the Naval Sea Systems Command evaluate alternative decommissioning methods, such as defueling outside dry docks and reducing crew requirements for submarines awaiting retirement. The report also calls for developing an implementation plan to minimize inactive idle time. The Navy verbally concurred with the recommendations but did not provide written comments in response.
