- Secretary of
Defense Mark Esper visited Naval Station Norfolk on Wednesday, where he praised the readiness of the USS Boise, an attack submarine hasn't deployed since 2015 and lost its certification to conduct unrestricted operations in 2016. - From 2008 to 2018, US Navy attack subs spent 10,363 days in idle time or dealing with maintenance delays, and the Navy has spent $1.5 billion over that period to maintain attack subs that have no operational capability.
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Secretary of Defense Mark Esper visited the USS Boise on Wednesday, praising the crew for maintaining "readiness and lethality," even though the Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine completed its most recent deployment in 2015.
The Boise has been in limbo, awaiting repairs amid a Navy-wide backlog that has sent subs, including the Boise, to private docks for repair, driving up costs.
The Boise is currently at Naval Station Norfolk, according to the Daily Press, and awaiting repair at Newport News Shipbuilders.
Read on to learn more about Esper's visit to the Boise.