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Navy Light Replenishment Oiler (TAOL) Program:
Background and Issues for Congress
Introduction
Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO). DMO
The Navy’s Light Replenishment Oiler (TAOL) program,
aims at avoiding a situation in which an adversary could
previously called the Next-Generation Logistics Ship
defeat U.S. naval forces by concentrating its attacks on a
(NGLS) program, envisages procuring a new class of
relatively small number of large, high-value U.S. Navy
potentially 13 at-sea resupply ships for the Navy. The
ships. Under EABO, relatively small Marine Corps units
Navy’s proposed FY2025 budget requests $7.7 million in
armed with anti-ship cruise missiles and other weapons
research and development funding for the program.
would hop on and off islands in the Western Pacific to
conduct “shoot-and-scoot” operations against adversary
The Navy’s FY2024 five-year (FY2024-FY2028)
ships. For more on DMO, EABO, and the Navy’s more
shipbuilding plan programmed the procurement of the first
distributed fleet architecture, see CRS In Focus IF12599,
TAOL in FY2026 at a cost of $150.0 million, the second in
Defense Primer: Navy Distributed Maritime Operations
FY2027 at a cost of $156.0 million, and the third in
(DMO) Concept, by Ronald O'Rourke.
FY2028 at a cost of $159.0 million. Compared to the
Navy’s FY2024 five-year shipbuilding plan, the Navy’s
Logistics Ships Currently Being Procured
FY2025 five-year (FY2025-FY2029) shipbuilding plan
The Navy is currently procuring new John Lewis (TAO-
defers the programmed start of TAOL procurement by one
205) class oilers, which are large CLF ships. TAO-205s
year and roughly triples the estimated procurement cost of
have a currently estimated procurement cost of more than
each ship—the plan programs the procurement of the first
$800 million per ship. For more on the TAO-205 program,
TAOL in FY2027, the second in FY2028, and the third in
see CRS Report R43546, Navy John Lewis (TAO-205)
FY2029, each at a cost of $453 million.
Class Oiler Shipbuilding Program: Background and Issues
for Congress, by Ronald O'Rourke.
Terminology
The Navy’s Combat Logistics Force (CLF) ships, also
TAOL Program
called underway replenishment (UNREP) ships, are
logistics ships that resupply the Navy’s combatant ships
Basic Concept for Ship
(e.g., aircraft carriers, surface combatants, and amphibious
The TAOL program (referred to in some documents as the
ships) at sea, so that the combatant ships can continue
NGLS or Next-Generation Medium Logistics Ship
operating at sea without having to return to port.
program) was initiated in the Navy’s FY2021 budget
submission. The program envisages building a new class of
The Navy’s current CLF ships include oilers (TAOs), dry
CLF ships (or a family of CLF ship designs) that would be
cargo and ammunition ships (TAKEs), and fast combat
smaller and individually less expensive to procure than the
support ships (TAOEs). In these designations, T means the
Navy’s current CLF ships. Figure 1 shows a sketch of a
ship is operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC)
Navy notional TAOL design concept. The Navy states that
with a mostly civilian crew, A means auxiliary ship, O
the TAOL
means oiler, K means cargo, and E means ammunition (i.e.,
explosives). (TAO, TAKE, etc. are also typed as T-AO, T-
is planned to be a new class of ships to augment the
AKE, etc.) These CLF ships are large auxiliary ships. In the
traditional Combat Logistics Force (CLF) to enable
designation TAOL (also typed as T-AOL), the L means
refueling, rearming, and resupply of Naval assets—
light, meaning a smaller version of such a ship. TAOL thus
afloat and ashore—near contested environments via
means an oiler that is smaller than a full-sized oiler.
ship-to-ship operations and ship-to port operations
New Fleet Architecture and
in support of Distributed Maritime Operations
Operational Concepts
(DMO), Littoral Operations in a Contested
Environment
(LOCE),
and
Expeditionary
To more effectively counter the improving A2/AD
Advanced Base Operations (EABO). Augmenting
capabilities (i.e., capabilities that aim to create a defended
the traditional CLF, NGLS will provide a flexible,
area around a country that in time of conflict would be a
“no
responsive platform to move fuel, personnel,
-go zone” for opposing military forces) of China in
equipment, and supplies between ships, advanced
particular, the Navy wants to begin shifting to a new, more
distributed fleet architecture (i.e., mix of ships) that is
bases, ports, and dispersed nodes of the seabase;
intended to support a new Navy and Marine Corps
sustaining afloat (Surface Action Group) and ashore
operational concept (i.e., a general approach for using
(Expeditionary Advanced Base) requirements.
forces) called Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO), and
an associated new Marine Corps operational concept called
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Navy Light Replenishment Oiler (TAOL) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
(Source: Department of Defense, Fiscal Year (FY)
FY2027 at a cost of $156.0 million, and the third in
2024
Budget
Estimates,
Navy,
Research,
FY2028 at a cost of $159.0 million. Compared to the
Development, Test & Evaluation, Navy [account],
Navy’s FY2024 five-year shipbuilding plan, the Navy’s
Justification Book Volume 2 of 5, March 2023,
FY2025 five-year (FY2025-FY2029) shipbuilding plan
page 421.)
defers the programmed start of TAOL procurement by one
year and roughly triples the estimated procurement cost of
Figure 1. Navy Notional TAOL Design Concept
each ship—the plan programs the procurement of the first
TAOL in FY2027, the second in FY2028, and the third in
FY2029, each at a cost of $453 million.
Contracts for Industry Studies
A January 6, 2022, press report stated that the Navy on
December 17, 2021, awarded contracts to Austal USA of
Source: U.S. Navy information paper, June 14, 2022, received by
Mobile, AL; Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, LA; and TAI
CRS from Navy Office of Legislative Affairs, June 16, 2022. The Navy
Engineers, with main offices in New Orleans, LA, for
states that the rendering “was developed by the Navy as an
industry studies for the TAOL program. The contracts
il ustration of the indicative design that supports the refuel, rearm
reportedly have a base value of $2 million each, with Austal
and resupply missions currently contemplated by the NGLS program.
USA’s contract having a potential value of up to $3.65
This il ustration does not represent the final NGLS design.”
million, Bollinger’s up to $4.1 million, and TAI Engineers’
up to $3.46 million. The Navy will use studies, which are to
A February 1, 2022, report from Inside Defense stated that a
last 24 months, to inform its understanding of cost-
Navy spokesman said that the TAOL will potentially be a
capability trade-offs for the TAOL.
family of vessels rather than a single class of ships. The
Navy’s Fleet Readiness and Logistics office (known as the
Funding Request and Congressional
N4 division within the Office of the Chief of Naval
Action
Operations, or OPNAV) approved the top-level
The Navy’s proposed FY2025 budget requests $7.7 million
requirements (i.e., major required features) for the TAOL in
in research and development funding for the TAOL
March 2020. The top-level requirements envision TAOLs
program in Project 4045 (Next Generation Medium
being built in two variants: a Platform Supply Vessel (PSV)
Logistics Ship) within Program Element (PE) 0603563N,
variant and a Fast Supply Vessel (FSV) variant. The two
Ship Concept Advanced Design, which is line 45 in the
variants would perform the same missions, but the FSV
Navy’s FY2025 research and development account.
variant would be smaller and faster than the PSV variant.
The Navy states that commercial PSVs and FSVs are
The House Armed Services Committee, in its report
potential design solutions for the TAOL program, but that
(H.Rept. 118-529 of May 31, 2024, page 463) on the
the Navy is not limiting the potential solution to those types
FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
of vessels.
(H.R. 8070); the Senate Armed Services Committee, in its
report (S.Rept. 118-188 of July 8, 2024, page 484) on the
Procurement Quantity
FY2025 NDAA (S. 4638); and the House Appropriations
The Navy’s FY2025 30-year (FY2025-FY2054)
Committee, in its report (H.Rept. 118-557 of June 17, 2024,
shipbuilding plan indicates that the Navy currently
page 186) on the FY2025 DOD Appropriations Act (H.R.
envisages procuring a total of 13 TAOLs, but also indicates
8774), recommend approving the Navy’s funding request.
that the total desired number of TAOLs is subject to further
analysis and could change.
Procurement Schedule and Procurement Cost
The Navy’s FY2024 five
Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs
-year (FY2024-FY2028)
shipbuilding plan programmed the procurement of the first
IF11674
TAOL in FY2026 at a cost of $150.0 million, the second in
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Navy Light Replenishment Oiler (TAOL) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
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