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Updated December 9, 2021
Navy Next-Generation Logistics Ship (NGLS) Program:
Background and Issues for Congress
Introduction
armed with anti-ship cruise missiles and other weapons
The Navy’s Next-Generation Logistics Ship (NGLS)
would hop on and off islands in the Western Pacific to
program envisages procuring a new class of medium-sized
conduct “shoot-and-scoot” operations against adversary
at-sea resupply ships for the Navy. The Navy’s proposed
ships. For more on DMO, EABO, and the Navy’s more
FY2022 budget requests $27.8 million in research and
distributed fleet architecture, see CRS Report RL32665,
development funding for the program. The issue for
Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background
Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the
and Issues for Congress, by Ronald O'Rourke, and CRS
Navy’s proposed funding requests and emerging acquisition
Report R46374, Navy Light Amphibious Warship (LAW)
strategy for the NGLS program. Congress’s decisions on
Program: Background and Issues for Congress, by Ronald
this issue could affect Navy capabilities and funding
O'Rourke.
requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.
Logistics Ships Currently Being Procured
Terminology
The Navy is currently procuring new John Lewis (TAO-
The Navy’s Combat Logistics Force (CLF) ships, also
205) class oilers (Figure 1), which are large CLF ships. For
called underway replenishment (UNREP) ships, are
more on the TAO-205 program, see CRS Report R43546,
logistics ships that resupply the Navy’s combatant ships
Navy John Lewis (TAO-205) Class Oiler Shipbuilding
(e.g., aircraft carriers, surface combatants, and amphibious
Program: Background and Issues for Congress, by Ronald
ships) at sea, so that the combatant ships can continue
O'Rourke.
operating without having to return to port. The Navy’s
current CLF ships include oilers (TAOs), dry cargo and
Figure 1. John Lewis (TAO-205)
ammunition ships (TAKEs), and fast combat support ships
(TAOEs). In these designations, T means the ship is
operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC) with a
mostly civilian crew, A means auxiliary ship, O means
oiler, K means cargo, and E means ammunition (i.e.,
explosives). These CLF ships are large auxiliary ships.
Anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities aim to create a
defended area around a country that in time of conflict
would be a “no-go zone” for opposing military forces.
Operational concepts are general approaches for how to use
military forces for achieving certain objectives. Fleet
architecture refers to the types and mix of ships that make
up a navy.
Source: Cropped version of photograph accompanying National
Steel and Shipbuilding Company, “General Dynamics NASSCO
New Fleet Architecture and
Launches First Ship in the T-AO Fleet Oiler Program for the U.S.
Operational Concepts
Navy,” January 13, 2021.
To more effectively counter the improving A2/AD
Note: Launching is when a ship that is under construction is put into
capabilities of China in particular, the Navy wants to begin
the water for the final phases of its construction.
shifting to a new, more distributed fleet architecture that is
to include a reduced proportion of larger ships and an
Next-Generation Logistics Ship
increased proportion of smaller ships. This more distributed
(NGLS) Program
fleet architecture is intended to support a new Navy and
Marine Corps operational concept for countering adversary
Basic Concept for Ship
A2/AD forces, called Distributed Maritime Operations
The NGLS program, also known as the Next-Generation
(DMO), and an associated new Marine Corps operational
Medium Logistics Ship program, was initiated in the
concept called Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations
Navy’s FY2021 budget submission. The program envisages
(EABO).
building a new class of CLF ships that would be smaller
and individually less expensive to procure than the Navy’s
DMO aims at avoiding a situation in which an adversary
current CLF ships. Like the Navy’s current CLF ships,
could defeat U.S. naval forces by concentrating its attacks
NGLSs would be operated by MSC with mostly civilian
on a relatively small number of large, high-value U.S. Navy
crews. The Navy states that
ships. Under EABO, relatively small Marine Corps units
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Navy Next-Generation Logistics Ship (NGLS) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
The Next Generation Logistics Ship (NGLS) is
The December 9, 2020, long-range Navy shipbuilding
planned to be a new class of ships to augment the
document showed an NGLS procurement cost of $150
current Combat Logistics Force ships, through the
million per ship.
use of commercial ship designs tailored for military
applications to conduct logistics missions. The
Industry Day
NGLS will enable refueling, rearming, and resupply
The Navy held an industry day for the NGLS program on
of Naval assets—afloat and ashore—in support of
June 25, 2020, the purpose of which was to introduce the
Distributed
Maritime
Operations,
Littoral
program to potential industry participants and give them a
Operations
Contested
Environment,
and
chance to ask initial questions about the program. Attendees
included representatives from shipyards, ship-design firms,
Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations. The
and component suppliers.
NGLS is envisioned to be smaller than existing
ships in the Combat Logistics Force, and will
Industry Studies
operate near contested environments, sustaining
The Navy plans to award contracts for industry studies for
afloat (Surface Action Group) and ashore
the NGLS program to multiple shipyards and/or design
(Expeditionary Advanced Base) requirements.
agents in August 2021. The Navy will use the results of the
NGLS is potentially a family of vessels with
studies to inform its understanding of cost-capability trade-
commercial
designs
tailored
for
military
offs for the NGLS.
applications. RDT&E [research, development, test,
and evaluation] funding will continue to support
Program Schedule
requirements trade-off studies, development of
Under a schedule shown in the Navy’s industry day
indicative [i.e., notional] designs, specification
briefing, the contract for designing and constructing or
development,
and
demonstrations
of
converting the first NGLS would be awarded in the second
experimentation and proof-of-concepts focused on
quarter of FY2023. The December 9, 2020, shipbuilding
the Refuel, Resupply, and Rearm logistics missions.
document submitted by the Trump Administration showed
the first six NGLSs being procured in FY2023-FY2026 in
(Source: Department of Defense, Fiscal Year (FY)
annual quantities of 1-1-2-2.
2022
Budget
Estimates,
Navy,
Research,
Development, Test & Evaluation, Navy [account],
FY2022 Funding Request and
Justification Book Volume 2 of 5, May 2021, page
Congressional Action
452.)
The Navy’s proposed FY2022 budget requests $27.8
million in research and development funding for the
The Navy’s Fleet Readiness and Logistics office (known as
the N4 division within the Office of the Chief of Naval
program in Project 4045 (Next Generation Medium
Operations, or OPNAV) approved the top-level
Logistics Ship) within Program Element (PE) 0603563N,
Ship Concept Advanced Design, which is line 46 in the
requirements (i.e., major required features) for the NGLS in
Navy’s FY202
March 2020. The top-level requirements envision NGLSs
2 research and development account. (Other
being built in two variants: a Platform Supply Vessel (PSV)
Navy documents show the requested amount as $28.0
million.)
variant and a Fast Supply Vessel (FSV) variant. The two
variants would perform the same missions, but the FSV
variant would be smaller and faster than the PSV variant.
The joint explanatory statement for the HASC-SASC-
negotiated proposal for the FY2022 National Defense
The Navy states that commercial PSVs and FSVs are
potential design solutions for the NGLS program, but that
Authorization Act (S. 1605) that was released on December
the Navy is not limiting the potential solution to those types
7, 2021, recommends approving the Navy’s research and
of vessels.
development funding request for the program.
Potential Procurement Quantity
The House Appropriations Committee’s report (H.Rept.
117-88 of July 15, 2021) on the FY2022 DOD
The Navy has not yet determined how many NGLSs it
wants to procure. Long-range Navy shipbuilding documents
Appropriations Act (H.R. 4432) recommends reducing the
released by the Trump Administration and the Biden
request by $3.5 million for “industry studies and design
contract award delay” ($1.0 million) and “special studies
Administration on December 9, 2020, and June 17, 2021,
excess to need” ($2.5 million
respectively, call for future Navy fleets with an increased
). (Page 266) The Senate
number of CLF ships, some of which are to be NGLSs.
Appropriations Committee, in the explanatory statement it
released on October 18, 2021, for the FY2022 DOD
Press reports about the Navy’s new fleet architecture have
suggested that the Navy might want to procure between 18
Appropriations Act (S. XXXX), recommends reducing the
and 30.
request by $6.57 million for “Project 4045 prior year
execution baseline adjustment.” (PDF page 175 of 253)
Potential Procurement Cost
The procurement cost for an NGLS is to be substantially
Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs
less than that of the TAO-205 design, which is about $670
IF11674
million per ship when procured at a rate of one per year.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Navy Next-Generation Logistics Ship (NGLS) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Disclaimer
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