Overview
- The Navy terminated four follow-on Constellation-class frigates under a new framework, leaving only the first two hulls under construction at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, which remain under review.
- Officials plan to ask Congress to reappropriate unspent frigate funds toward ships that can be built more quickly at Marinette, with options under consideration including Landing Ship Medium and larger unmanned surface vessels.
- Extensive U.S.-driven changes to the FREMM-based design led to major instability, pushing the lead ship’s delivery from 2026 to 2029 and adding roughly $1.5 billion in costs, according to Navy and GAO reporting.
- Work on Constellation (FFG-62) and Congress (FFG-63) will continue to preserve the Wisconsin shipyard’s capacity and workforce of about 3,000, with the lead ship reported at roughly 12 percent complete.
- The cutback underscores the Navy’s struggle to expand its small surface combatant force toward a requirement of about 73 ships as analysts warn of growing gaps with China’s rapidly expanding fleet.