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Updated January 7, 2022
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
Industry Day
planned to be a new class of ships to augment the
The Navy held an industry day for the NGLS program on
current Combat Logistics Force ships, through the
June 25, 2020, the purpose of which was to introduce the
use of commercial ship designs tailored for military
program to potential industry participants and give them a
applications to conduct logistics missions. The
chance to ask initial questions about the program. Attendees
NGLS will enable refueling, rearming, and resupply
included representatives from shipyards, ship-design firms,
of Naval assets—afloat and ashore—in support of
and component suppliers.
Distributed
Maritime
Operations,
Littoral
Industry Studies
Operations
Contested
Environment,
and
A January 6, 2022, press report stated that the Navy on
Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations. The
December 17, 2021, awarded contracts to Austal USA of
NGLS is envisioned to be smaller than existing
Mobile, AL; Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, LA; and TAI
ships in the Combat Logistics Force, and will
Engineers, with main offices in New Orleans, LA, for
operate near contested environments, sustaining
industry studies for the NGLS program. The contracts
afloat (Surface Action Group) and ashore
reportedly have a base value of $2 million each, with Austal
(Expeditionary Advanced Base) requirements.
USA’s contract having a potential value of up to $3.65
NGLS is potentially a family of vessels with
million, Bollinger’s up to $4.1 million, and TAI Engineers’
commercial
designs
tailored
for
military
up to $3.46 million. The Navy will use studies, which are to
applications. RDT&E [research, development, test,
last 24 months, to inform its understanding of cost-
and evaluation] funding will continue to support
capability trade-offs for the NGLS.
requirements trade-off studies, development of
indicative [i.e., notional] designs, specification
Program Schedule
development,
and
demonstrations
of
Under a schedule shown in the Navy’s industry day
experimentation and proof-of-concepts focused on
briefing, the contract for designing and constructing or
the Refuel, Resupply, and Rearm logistics missions.
converting the first NGLS would be awarded in the second
quarter of FY2023. The December 9, 2020, shipbuilding
(Source: Department of Defense, Fiscal Year (FY)
document submitted by the Trump Administration showed
2022
Budget
Estimates,
Navy,
Research,
the first six NGLSs being procured in FY2023-FY2026 in
Development, Test & Evaluation, Navy [account],
annual quantities of 1-1-2-2.
Justification Book Volume 2 of 5, May 2021, page
452.)
FY2022 Funding Request and
Congressional Action
The Navy’s Fleet Readiness and Logistics office (known as
the N4 division within the Office of the Chief of Naval
The Navy’s proposed FY2022 budget requests $27.8
Operations, or OPNAV) approved the top-level
million in research and development funding for the
program in Project 4045 (Next Generation Medium
requirements (i.e., major required features) for the NGLS in
March 2020. The top-level requirements envision NGLSs
Logistics Ship) within Program Element (PE) 0603563N,
being built in two variants: a Platform Supply Vessel (PSV)
Ship Concept Advanced Design, which is line 46 in the
Navy’s FY2022 research and development account. (Other
variant and a Fast Supply Vessel (FSV) variant. The two
variants would perform the same missions, but the FSV
Navy documents show the requested amount as $28.0
million.)
variant would be smaller and faster than the PSV variant.
The Navy states that commercial PSVs and FSVs are
potential design solutions for the NGLS program, but that
The joint explanatory statement for the HASC-SASC-
the Navy is not limiting the potential solution to those types
negotiated proposal for the FY2022 National Defense
of vessels.
Authorization Act (S. 1605) that was released on December
7, 2021, recommends approving the Navy’s research and
Potential Procurement Quantity
development funding request for the program.
The Navy has not yet determined how many NGLSs it
wants to procure. Long-range Navy shipbuilding documents
The House Appropriations Committee’s report (H.Rept.
released by the Trump Administration and the Biden
117-88 of July 15, 2021) on the FY2022 DOD
Appropriations Act (H.R. 4432) recommends reducing the
Administration on December 9, 2020, and June 17, 2021,
respectively, call for future Navy fleets with an increased
request by $3.5 million for “industry studies and design
contract award delay” ($1.0 million) and “special studies
number of CLF ships, some of which are to be NGLSs.
excess to need” ($2.5 million). (Page 266) The Senate
Press reports about the Navy’s new fleet architecture have
suggested that the Navy might want to procure between 18
Appropriations Committee, in the explanatory statement it
and 30.
released on October 18, 2021, for the FY2022 DOD
Appropriations Act (S. XXXX), recommends reducing the
Potential Procurement Cost
request by $6.57 million for “Project 4045 prior year
execution baseline adjustment.” (PDF page 175 of 253)
The procurement cost for an NGLS is to be substantially
less than that of the TAO-205 design, which is about $670
million per ship when procured at a rate of one per year.
Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs
The December 9, 2020, long-range Navy shipbuilding
IF11674
document showed an NGLS procurement cost of $150
million per ship.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Navy Next-Generation Logistics Ship (NGLS) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Disclaimer
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