SENSE OF CONGRESS ON NUCLEAR-POWERED BALLISTIC SUBMARINES.

SEC. 130. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON NUCLEAR-POWERED BALLISTIC SUBMARINES. It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the continuous at-sea deterrence provided by a robust and modern fleet of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines is critical to maintaining nuclear deterrence and assurance and therefore is a central pillar of the national security of the United States; (2) the Navy should— (A) carry out a program to replace the Ohio class ballistic missile submarines; (B) ensure that the first such replacement submarine is delivered and fully operational by not later than 2031 in order to maintain continuous at-sea deterrence; and (C) develop a risk mitigation plan to ensure that robust continuous at-sea deterrence is provided during the transition from Ohio class ballistic missile submarines to the replacement submarines; and (3) a minimum of 12 replacement ballistic missile submarines are necessary to provide continuous at-sea deterrence over the lifetime of such submarines and, therefore, the Navy should carry out a program to produce 12 such submarines.