The US Navy’s Virginia-class program now stands at 26 commissioned hulls, but the number doing the real work in Washington is different: the Congressional Budget Office and naval analysts have long flagged that the service needs between 66 and 72 attack submarines to meet combatant commander demand across the Pacific and Atlantic simultaneously. Saturday’s commissioning of USS Idaho (SSN-799) at Naval Submarine Base New London moves the needle, but the gap remains wide.
Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao used the ceremony to anchor the boat’s entry into service within the current administration’s strategic framing. “We are a maritime nation, with coastlines on both the Atlantic and the Pacific. Our commerce depends on secure sea lanes,” he said. “President Trump’s directive to our Armed Forces is clear: achieve peace through strength. USS Idaho joins the fleet ready to answer in any ocean, at any time.” Idaho Sen. James Risch delivered the keynote, with Gov. Brad Little and Director of Naval Reactors Adm. William Houston rounding out the official party.
Idaho Sen. James Risch delivered the keynote, with Gov. Brad Little and Director of Naval Reactors Adm. William Houston rounding out the official party. Houston highlighted the technical standard achieved by the unit and its operational readiness. Cmdr. Chad J. Guillerault, Idaho’s first commanding officer, addressed the crew directly. “The connection to Idaho is more than a name — it is a legacy reborn today,” he said. “It is an honor to be the commissioning commanding officer of a unit with such tradition and, above all, to lead a crew that has demonstrated a superior level of performance.” Sponsor Teresa Stackley then gave the traditional order to man the ship and bring her to life. “This moment is for you, Commander Guillerault, and your crew,” she said. “Know that when you sail, my heart will sail with you.”
Cmdr. Chad J. Guillerault, Idaho’s first commanding officer, leaned into the boat’s historical lineage at the ceremony. His predecessors in the Idaho name include USS Idaho (BB-42), a New Mexico-class battleship that earned seven battle stars across the Pacific campaign — Iwo Jima and Okinawa among them. The sponsor, Teresa Stackley, gave the traditional order to man the ship and bring her to life. SSN-799 is the fifth US Navy vessel to carry the Idaho name.
Idaho is a Block IV Virginia-class boat, built under the long-standing teaming arrangement between General Dynamics Electric Boat and Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding facility. Block IV introduced design changes aimed at cutting lifecycle maintenance requirements and boosting operational availability — a direct response to the readiness problems that have kept portions of the attack submarine fleet sidelined for extended periods. The Navy accepted the delivery of the SSN-799 in December 2025; commissioning followed a standard post-delivery testing and evaluation period.
Displacing roughly 7,800 tons and stretching 377 feet, Virginia-class submarines carry a nuclear reactor that requires no refueling across the boat’s entire service life — a design choice that distinguishes them from earlier Los Angeles-class boats and reduces long-term infrastructure demands on the shipyard system. The class integrates advanced stealth, a flexible payload section, and special operations support capabilities that make it the DoD’s preferred platform for contested undersea environments.
The commissioning arrives as the AUKUS submarine pathway keeps Virginia-class production timelines under scrutiny. Australia’s eventual acquisition of SSN-AUKUS boats — and the potential rotational basing of US Virginia-class submarines at HMAS Stirling near Perth — places additional pressure on a shipbuilding industrial base that has already struggled to sustain its contracted build rate of two boats per year. Idaho’s delivery and commissioning, on schedule, is a data point the Navy will be keen to highlight.
You may also like: USS Eisenhower nuclear aircraft carrier completes sea trials early at Norfolk
 joined the US Navy fleet on April 25 at Groton, Connecticut — the 26th Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine commissioned as undersea competition with China intensifies.){kind=link}