What Happened?

Taxpayers could be on the hook for $3.1 billion, without mitigation, to support Navy attack submarines that are slated for decommissioning. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the federal watchdog that audits government spending, published a report this past August examining a decade of Navy submarine maintenance data. ​

The Navy has 44 active attack submarines, but vessels slated for retirement are stuck in shipyards because dry docks are full or unavailable. When a submarine cannot enter a dry dock, it enters a holding pattern where crews stay assigned, systems stay powered, and costs keep running, even though the vessel will never deploy again. Fifteen attack submarines are projected to enter that holding pattern between fiscal years 2026 and 2030.

Why Does it Matter to Me?

Money spent keeping idle submarines running cannot go toward maintaining the submarines that actually deploy.

Over the 10 fiscal years from 2016 through 2025, the Navy lost more than 15,000 operational days to maintenance delays and idle time, at an estimated cost of $3.4 billion. The GAO projects more than 14,000 additional idle days and $3.1 billion in costs over just the next five years, nearly matching a decade of waste in half the time.

The active fleet is already stretched thin by maintenance backlogs, meaning fewer submarines are available for the missions commanders are requesting.

Both Sides, Now

The GAO concluded the Navy's problem is a planning failure: it has not evaluated alternative decommissioning options or developed a plan to reduce idle time. The GAO made two recommendations to the Secretary of the Navy: evaluate alternatives such as defueling submarines outside dry docks and reducing crew assignments for vessels awaiting retirement, and develop a formal inactivation plan with timelines and risk-monitoring steps.

The GAO report found that the USS Boise sat docked awaiting maintenance for more than two years, and that the Navy spent $1.5 billion since 2008 supporting submarines it could not deploy.

The Navy verbally agreed with both recommendations but did not provide written comments. Both recommendations remain "Open," meaning actions to satisfy them have not been taken or are being planned. Congress directed the GAO audit through the House Committee on Armed Services, which included the review requirement in the report accompanying the fiscal year 2025 defense authorization bill.

What Happens Next?

The GAO's two recommendations remain open, and the Navy has not committed to written responses outlining how or when it will act. Congress may need to follow up to ensure the recommendations translate into action before the projected costs materialize.

The public version of the GAO report is a declassified version of a classified report the GAO issued on July 16, and the Department of Defense omitted classified or sensitive information from it, including attack submarine operational availability.

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