Sustaining U.S. Nuclear Submarine Design Capabilities

Executive Summary

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For the first time since the design of the first nuclear submarine, the U.S. Navy has no nuclear submarine design program under way, which raises the possibility that design capability could be lost. Such a loss could result in higher costs and delays when the next submarine design is undertaken, as well as risks to system performance and safety. The authors estimate and compare the costs and delays of letting design capability erode vs. those of alternative means of managing the workload and workforce over the gap in design demand and beyond. The authors recommend that the Navy consider stretching out the design of the next submarine class and starting it early, or, if that seems too risky, sustaining design resources at the shipyards, their vendors, and in the Navy itself that exceed those supported by the demand.

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Year:
2007
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Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Available
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 48
  • List Price: $20.00
  • Price: $16.00
  • ISBN/EAN: 978-0-8330-4161-6
  • Document Number: MG-608/1-NAVY
  • Year: 2007
  • Series: Monographs

Contents

  • Chapter One

    Introduction

  • Chapter Two

    Framing the Shipyard Analysis

  • Chapter Three

    Workforce Levels and Costs for the Shipyards

  • Chapter Four

    Critical Skills at the Shipyards

  • Chapter Five

    Suppliers

  • Chapter Six

    Effect of a Design Gap on Navy Resources

  • Chapter Seven

    Conclusions and Recommendations

The research described in this report was prepared for the United States Navy. The research was conducted in the RAND National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Unified Combatant Commands, the Department of the Navy, the Marine Corps, the defense agencies, and the defense Intelligence Community.

This report is part of the RAND Corporation monograph series. RAND monographs present major research findings that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND monographs undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

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