Weapons Industrial Facilities

The Weapons Industrial Facilities (WIF) line item in the Department of the Navy's FY 2026 budget is designed to support the modernization, recapitalization, and expansion of the Navy's Organic Industrial Base (OIB) for weapons production. This program is managed primarily by NAVSEA and NAVAIR and focuses on key facilities such as the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL) in West Virginia, the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division (NSWC IHD) in Maryland, the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWC WD) in California, and the inactive Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) in Massachusetts. The overarching goal is to ensure these facilities can meet current and future national security requirements by improving infrastructure, increasing production capacity, and resolving critical safety and environmental issues.

One of the primary objectives of the WIF program is to fund capital rehabilitation projects that address aging infrastructure and eliminate environmental and safety deficiencies. These projects are necessary to comply with local, state, and federal OSHA regulations, and to avoid operational shutdowns that could result in criminal liability or severe financial penalties. Specific upgrades include fire and security systems, roofs, boilers, electrical distribution, bridge crane systems, and other essential structural repairs. These improvements are vital for maintaining the industrial integrity of the plants and ensuring uninterrupted support for Navy weapons programs.

The WIF program also targets process improvements to accelerate the development, production, and support of a wide range of weapon systems. Supported systems include the Standard Missile, Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, torpedoes, mines, One-Way-Attack systems, 2.75-inch rockets, Rolling Airframe Missile, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile, Sidewinder Missiles, FMU-143 Penetrating Bomb Fuze System, Hellfire Missile, Guided Multiple-Launch Rocket System, and Trident Gas Generators. The program aims to alleviate supply chain bottlenecks, particularly for sub-tier components such as safe and arm devices, igniters, propulsion systems, thermal batteries, airframes, and guidance systems, while also planning for future surge capacity.

In FY 2024, the WIF program received supplemental funding from the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act and the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act. At ABL, the funding supports the construction of a new Plant 5, which will include new mixer complexes to increase production of solid rocket motors and other munition components. At NSWC IHD, the funds are used for infrastructure and equipment upgrades aligned with the Navy's OIB modernization plan, aimed at improving munition production and fleet support capabilities.

The FU002 Capital Type Rehabilitation subprogram specifically funds projects to eliminate environmental and safety deficiencies, as well as critical upgrades to high-liability areas. This includes investments in fire and security systems, electrical distribution, and other structural repairs. The program also supports efforts to alleviate component bottlenecks and to plan and design for future surge capacity, ensuring that overlapping demand at component suppliers can be managed effectively. The increase in funding from FY 2025 to FY 2026 is justified by the need to address supply chain challenges for Navy munitions and to support readiness and safety repairs.

The FUCA1 Facilities Restoration (ABL) subprogram focuses on restoring and upgrading the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory. This restoration is essential for maintaining the facility's ability to produce solid rocket motors and energetic components, which are critical for multiple Navy weapon systems. The restoration includes upgrades to grinding and mixing facilities, power and fire protection systems, and other support infrastructure necessary for safe and efficient operations.

The FU020 NWIRP MCGREGOR subprogram addresses support for the Government-Owned Contractor Operated (GOCO) facilities. These funds ensure that contractor-operated plants can maintain the necessary infrastructure and equipment to support Navy weapons production. The Weapons Industrial Facilities line item represents an investment in the Navy's ability to produce, maintain, and support advanced weapon systems, with a focus on safety, compliance, capacity expansion, and supply chain resilience.