Navy Nuclear-Powered Surface Ships: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

Some Members of Congress, particularly on the House Armed Services Committee, have expressed interest in expanding the use of nuclear power to a wider array of Navy surface ships, especially the Navys planned CGX cruiser The Navy wants to procure the first CGX in FY20 11, and is currently studying design options for the ship, including the use of nuclear power A 2006 Navy study concluded the following, among other things In constant FY2007 dollars, building a Navy surface combatant or amphibious ship with nuclear power rather than conventional power would add roughly 600 million to 800 million to its procurement cost The total life-cycle cost of a nuclear-powered medium-size surface combatant would equal that of a conventionally powered medium-size surface combatant if the cost of crude oil averages 70 per barrel to 225 per barrel over the life of the ship Nuclear-power should be considered for near-terms applications for medium-size surface combatants Compared to conventionally powered ships, nuclear-powered ships have advantages in terms of both time needed to surge to a distant theater of operation for a contingency, and in terms of operational presence time on station in the theater of operation.