The meantime, it is the most super secret of all
of U.S.
military hardware, our submarine fleet.
And apparently there are new problems with readiness.
Our Jennifer Griffin live at the Pentagon with that for
us,
Jen.
John When the Biden administration rolled out to much fanfare
its three-way partnership with Australia and the UK,
an historic agreement known as August,
the US agreed to sell nuclear powered attack submarines to
Australia and to share nuclear submarine technology for the first
time ever.
One problem the US does not have enough submarines for
itself.
We've yet to take the actions necessary to ensure that
our industrial base can support both the United States and
Australia.
The basic fact is this,
our defense industrial base is not where it needs to
be.
Submarines like this one recently visited by a Fox News
team during a mission in the Arctic,
are a key part of this strategy to deter China.
And yet the Biden budget only allows for enough funds
to build 1 Virginia class submarine a year.
Even though the US is supposed to be building 2.3
attack Subs a year under August,
the submarine industrial base simply cannot keep up with demand.
In 2011, the United States basically doubled its orders for
nuclear powered submarines.
All told in the last 15 years.
Our demand for industry to produce submarines has gone up
by roughly 5 times.
We're going through a generational change in the workforce at
our shipyards and also our suppliers.
And so we need to build new talent,
bring in more Americans to work in this sector and
also on supply chain.
Covic was a significant interruption in our ability to do
business.
The Navy recently launched the Blue Forge Alliance,
a campaign to attract young people into submarine building and
appeal to patriotism.
A modern day Uncle Sam wants you.
There are literally 10s of thousands of opportunities over the
coming decade and more for long term family sustaining,
generational jobs that have a really important purpose.
The ability to serve your country in a job that
you go to every day is an enormous sense of
pride.
The supplemental funding for Ukraine,
Taiwan and Israel, currently held up in Congress,
has $3.3 billion for the submarine industrial base,
which proponents say the US will need to deter China.
John. All right. Jennifer Griffin for us from the Pentagon.
Jennifer, thank you.