US Navy Lost Years of Submarine Availability
Maintenance delays have left submarines idling at a daily cost of $230,000.
Updated on Sept. 20, 2026 in Nuclear
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The US Navy has lost 41 cumulative years of operational attack-submarine availability due to maintenance and decommissioning delays at shipyard facilities. These vessels remain on the official register, accruing significant idle costs while awaiting processing capacity.
Why it matters
A shortage of specialized shipyard facilities and certified personnel has forced the Navy to spend billions on idle vessels that cannot return to service. This backlog limits fleet readiness and consumes budget resources that could otherwise support active naval operations.
The Navy spent $3.3 billion on idle Los Angeles-class submarines and $835 million on Virginia-class submarines over the past decade. It currently costs the service $230,000 per day to maintain each submarine waiting for shipyard processing.
The players
US Navy
The US Navy is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for naval warfare, including the operation and maintenance of the nation's submarine fleet.
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is a major United States Navy repair facility responsible for maintenance, repair, and decommissioning of naval vessels.
USS Pasadena
The USS Pasadena is a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine currently held in an inactive idle status.
USS Boise
The USS Boise is a nuclear-powered attack submarine that the Navy decided to deactivate following $1.6 billion in maintenance spending.
The details
Submarines like the USS Pasadena, which entered inactive status on January 1, 2025, remain crewed even when they cannot return to service due to expired certifications. The Navy projects that 15 attack submarines will accumulate 14,000 days of idle time from fiscal year 2026 through 2030, costing an estimated $3.1 billion.
Timeline
The Navy spent billions supporting idle submarines between 2016 and 2026.
The USS Pasadena entered inactive idle status on January 1, 2025.
The Navy decided to deactivate the USS Boise in April 2026.
Projected idle time for 15 submarines spans from FY2026 through FY2030.
The USS Pasadena is scheduled for decommissioning on November 15, 2028.
Deeper Dive
The accumulation of inactive submarine time follows a pattern set by the operational limits of US Navy shipyard processing capacity. This reliance on a constrained network of dry-dock facilities dictates the speed at which the Navy can transition vessels from active service to decommissioning.
These maintenance delays impact national defense capabilities by effectively reducing the number of operational submarines available for strategic deployment. The significant financial resources directed toward idle vessels could otherwise be invested in shipyard infrastructure upgrades or fleet modernization.
The takeaway
The Navy must address shipyard capacity bottlenecks to prevent further loss of operational availability and reduce the multi-billion dollar cost of maintaining idle vessels. Long-term readiness depends on balancing scheduled maintenance cycles with the logistical realities of aging nuclear-powered assets.
What happens next
The Navy expects to spend $3.1 billion on idle submarine costs from FY2026 through FY2030, with the USS Pasadena scheduled for decommissioning by November 15, 2028.
Further reading
For more on the status of the submarine fleet, see the Nuclear section.
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Should the U.S. increase spending to resolve military maintenance and infrastructure backlogs?
