THE U.S. NAVY PLANS TO EXPAND ITS submarine fleet at a cost of $200 billion, equivalent to the GDP of Ukraine. But as Republicans hotly debate ongoing military aid to Kiev, neither party has questioned the far more costly submarine program—allowing the Navy to conceal a startling fact about America’s submarine fleet. The Navy calls its submarines “the most lethal and capable force.” It is also the “silent service,” shrouded in secrecy, the nature of its operations closely guarded.
The American attack submarine force—the “fighting” submarines—exist in order to pursue enemy submarines and ships, eavesdrop on adversaries and support operations by special forces. Hollywood productions like The Hunt for Red October have created the impression of submarines tracking the enemy while moving noiselessly under the sea, operating stealthily for months on end. The reality is markedly different. The U.S. Navy can deploy barely a quarter of its attack submarine force at any one time, and last year, despite a war raging in Ukraine and China’s rise as a global superpower, only 10 percent of its submarines operated stealthily by spending more than 30 days fully submerged.
A three-month Newsweek investigation reveals the problematic arithmetic of contemporary submarine operations. Newsweek obtained classified documents that show the full scope of submarine activities in 2022; reviewed the work of submarine-spotters worldwide; and conducted extensive interviews with naval officers and experts. The conclusion is stark: American submarines never came out in what naval officers call a “surge” against Russia or China, nor did the overall force ever increase its level of operations.
“In some ways, this is just the cost of doing business,” says one retired naval officer who spoke with Newsweek, explaining why the submarine force operates the way it does, and why it takes four submarines to deploy every one forward. “Could we be more transparent about what the boats actually do? And could we be so without harming the operational security of the force? Absolutely,” says the officer, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly.
The Navy’s $200 billion building program is aimed at increasing the number of its attack submarines from 50 to 66. That number is public. The statistic that’s not discussed is that modern submarines have become so complex, the only way the Navy can appreciably increase its level of operations against Russia and China is
