Photo: U.S. Navy / Jim Cleveland (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons (source)
The Navy's program to rebuild its four public shipyards will cost more than $200 billion and take more than 50 additional years to complete, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Friday, Sept. 25.
The Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, or SIOP, began in 2018 to fix dry docks, facilities and equipment at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawaii. The yards maintain and modernize the Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines.
The Navy's early projection was roughly 20 years and about $21 billion, Breaking Defense reported. GAO said planning has taken years longer than expected. According to the report, the original estimate "omitted key costs," and projects were added or expanded after crews found environmental problems and unexpected site conditions at facilities that in many cases are close to a century old.
Seismic risk at Puget Sound is one driver. The Navy identified at least $1 billion in retrofits and new construction needed there since 2023 and asked for $830 million in its fiscal 2026 budget for seismic upgrades to Dry Dock 4, Defense One reported, citing the report. GAO also found that combined costs for dry dock projects at Portsmouth and Pearl Harbor grew by more than $2.5 billion after funding was first requested from Congress.
Oversight gap
The Navy briefs Congress on parts of the program, but it is not required to give lawmakers one standardized accounting of total costs, schedules and risks, as major weapons programs must do each year, GAO said. "Congress could make consequential decisions for SIOP based on incomplete information," the report said.
GAO asked Congress to consider requiring the Navy to report consolidated status information every year for the life of the program, including total spending to date, original and current cost and schedule estimates, and risk analysis. It also made three recommendations to the Navy: build reviews of program requirements and resources into its oversight framework and document the roles of the organizations managing shipyard projects. According to GAO, the Navy agreed with the recommendations and described planned steps to implement them.
Navy officials told Breaking Defense in 2025 that they expect SIOP to improve aircraft carrier maintenance by 10% and submarine maintenance by 15%, cutting about three months from a typical 25- to 36-month submarine maintenance period.
What's next
Navy leaders are expected to consider the updated SIOP plan and cost estimate this month, Defense One reported. Separately, President Donald Trump has called for a fifth public shipyard, according to Breaking Defense.
Sources
- U.S. Government Accountability Office: Naval Shipyards: Complete Information Needed for Decision-Making on Multibillion-Dollar, 50-Year Infrastructure Program (GAO-26-107830) (2026-09-25)
- Breaking Defense: Navy’s shipyard revamp could cost more than $200 billion: GAO (2026-09-25)
- Defense One: The Navy’s public shipyards will take more decades to repair, GAO says (2026-09-25)
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Added to the Motion Media archive on Sep. 28, 2026.
