DOD submits proposal to allow contract for up to five Columbia subs, mirroring House and Senate provisions

DOD submits proposal to allow contract for up to five Columbia subs, mirroring House and Senate provisions

The Defense Department is asking Congress to consider a new legislative proposal that would allow the Navy secretary to enter into a contract for up to five Columbia-class submarines beginning in fiscal year 2026, with a goal of improving industrial base stability and reducing schedule slippage. The proposal -- sent in a letter to Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) last Thursday -- asks that the Navy be allowed to ente…