Changing Aircraft Carrier Procurement Schedules: Effects that a Five- Year Procurement Cycle would have on Cost, Availability, and Shipyard Manpower and Workload

摘要

Nuclear aircraft carriers, the centerpiece of the naval forces of the United States, are one of the most complex weapon systems the military buys. At present, it takes more than seven years to authorize, construct, and deliver an aircraft carrier. There are also several years of advance funding before the contract for a new aircraft carrier is signed for the procurement of long-lead-time items and some advance construction work at the shipyard. Because of their size and complexity and the time it takes to construct aircraft carriers, it is difficult to quickly change the number in the fleet and, especially, to increase it. The August 2008 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan (SBP)2 sought to stabilize the long-term number of aircraft carriers, each with a 50-year operational life, by establishing a cycle of approximately four years for the authorization of a new aircraft carrier. In April 2009, the Secretary of Defense suggested extending this acquisition cycle to five years. Ultimately, this extension will result in a force of ten aircraft carriers by 2040. Such a cycle could affect the Navy's ability to meet forward-presence goals for aircraft carriers, as well as the acquisition costs of Ford-class aircraft carriers. Recognizing the need to understand these potential impacts, the Program Executive Office (PEO) for Aircraft Carriers asked RAND to examine the impact that a five-year acquisition cycle would have on various force structure metrics and on current and future aircraft carrier acquisition costs.