Strategic Platform Support Equip

The Strategic Platform Support Equipment program (Budget Line Item 0950) is a Navy procurement initiative focused on maintaining, modernizing, and sustaining critical shipboard and shore-based systems supporting the OHIO Class SSBN/SSGN submarines. The program's primary objectives are to ensure continued operational availability, safety, and reliability of these strategic platforms as they approach the end of their service life and transition to the COLUMBIA Class.

Funding under this line item is used for the acquisition and installation of Hull, Mechanical, and Electrical (HM&E) equipment, as well as Non-Propulsion Electronics Equipment (NPES), at both shipboard and dedicated support facilities such as the TRIDENT Refit Facility (TRF), Navy Intermediate Maintenance Facility (IMF), and TRIDENT Training Facility (TTF).

HM&E & SWS/SS Alteration funding supports the replacement and modernization of obsolete or unreliable equipment on OHIO Class submarines and associated shore facilities. This includes procurement, installation, technical planning, and training resources to address safety and reliability concerns. The Ship Control System (SCS) Shipalt Development and Sustainment subprogram specifically targets interoperability issues and periodic upgrades to mitigate obsolescence, ensuring that ship control systems remain compatible with evolving technologies and mission requirements.

Strategic Weapons Support Systems (SWSS) Modernization is a key objective, with efforts such as the SWSS Ventilation and Alarm Monitoring Panel (VAMP MOD 3) solution and SWSS Sustainability programs. These initiatives address aging analog systems and obsolescence by harvesting critical components, reverse engineering, and integrating COLUMBIA Class technology to minimize development effort and establish a common equipment baseline. The goal is to maintain mission capability and operational availability of the SSBN fleet through the end of its planned service life, while reducing maintenance costs and risks associated with unsupported legacy components.

Missile Compartment Thermal Event (MCTE) Mitigation and Passive Fire Protection (PFP) are funded to address high-risk vulnerabilities in strategic assets. This includes non-recurring engineering, development, installation of fire detection and suppression equipment, and application of advanced insulation and intumescent coatings to missile tubes. These measures are designed to prevent, detect, contain, and suppress fires, significantly increasing the time available to respond to thermal events and reducing the risk to the strategic deterrence mission.

Life Support System Modernization is another critical focus, with procurement and installation of Low Pressure Electrolyzers (LPE) to replace legacy Electrolytic Oxygen Generators (EOG) on both SSBN and SSGN submarines. The LPEs eliminate the need for high-pressure oxygen storage, improving safety and reducing maintenance costs. Design and development efforts also support future upgrades to Central Atmosphere Monitoring Systems (CAMS) and other life support technologies, ensuring that submarines can sustain operational requirements throughout their service life.

Emergency Diesel Generator (EDG) Sustainment and Modernization programs address reliability and obsolescence issues that have previously resulted in significant lost operational days. Funding is allocated for non-recurring engineering, procurement of long-lead time parts for a rotatable pool, and development of a modern digital control panel with enhanced monitoring and logging capabilities. These upgrades are intended to reduce hard shutdowns, improve cold start lubrication, and enable early identification of negative trends, thereby improving overall fleet availability and safety.

Additional objectives include procurement of Electrical Hull Penetrators (EHPs) to replenish critical stock and support ongoing maintenance, modernization of Combat Control Systems (CCS) to maintain interface connectivity and address cybersecurity requirements, and upgrades to torpedo tube interfaces for compatibility with new weapon systems. The program also funds engineering, configuration management, and quality assurance activities during maintenance availabilities, ensuring accurate configuration control and readiness for strategic deployment.