PRIA Logo™
Take the PRIA Score
Title 10 — Armed ForcesRelease 119-73

§8671 Determination of vessel delivery dates

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle C— - Navy and Marine Corps › Part PART IV— - GENERAL ADMINISTRATION › Chapter CHAPTER 863— - NAVAL VESSELS › § 8671

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

A covered vessel is treated as delivered on the day the Secretary of the Navy says the ship is fully assembled and the Navy takes custody of the ship and all its systems. The delivery dates must be included in the budget materials the Secretary of Defense sends to Congress in support of the President’s budget each fiscal year (under 31 U.S.C. 1105(a)) and in any relevant Selected Acquisition Report submitted under 10 U.S.C. 4351. A ship cannot be listed in the Naval Vessel Register or counted as a battle force ship until that delivery date. Definitions: "covered vessel" — a Navy ship built or being built with funds for Navy shipbuilding and conversion. "battle force ship" — either a commissioned United States Ship that can take part in combat, or a United States Naval Ship that directly supports Navy combat or support missions.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §8671

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The delivery of a covered vessel shall be deemed to occur on the date on which—
(1)the Secretary of the Navy determines that the vessel is assembled and complete; and
(2)custody of the vessel and all systems contained in the vessel transfers to the Navy.
(b)The delivery dates of covered vessels shall be included—
(1)in the materials submitted to Congress by the Secretary of Defense in support of the budget of the President for each fiscal year (as submitted to Congress under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code); and
(2)in any relevant Selected Acquisition Report submitted to Congress under section 4351 of this title.
(c)A covered vessel may not be listed in the Naval Vessel Register or other fleet inventory measures as a battle force ship until the delivery date specified in subsection (a).
(d)In this section:
(1)The term “covered vessel” means any vessel of the Navy that is under construction or constructed using amounts authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Defense for shipbuilding and conversion, Navy.
(2)The term “battle force ship” means the following:
(A)A commissioned United States Ship warship capable of contributing to combat operations.
(B)A United States Naval Ship that contributes directly to Navy warfighting or support missions.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 116–283, § 1849(f), formerly § 1849(m), as renumbered and amended by Pub. L. 117–81, § 1701(o)(5)(B), (6)(D), substituted “section 4351” for “section 2432”. 2018—Pub. L. 115–232, § 807(d)(2), renumbered section 7301 of this title as this section. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 115–232, § 1014(a)(2), added subsec. (c). Former subsec. (c) redesignated (d). Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 115–232, § 1014(b), added subsec. (d) and struck out former subsec. (d). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “In this section, the term ‘covered vessel’ means any vessel of the Navy that is under

Construction

on or after the date of the enactment of this section using amounts authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Defense for shipbuilding and conversion, Navy.” Pub. L. 115–232, § 1014(a)(1), redesignated subsec. (c) as (d).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2021 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 117–81 applicable as if included in the enactment of title XVIII of Pub. L. 116–283 as enacted, see section 1701(a)(2) of Pub. L. 117–81, set out in a note preceding section 3001 of this title and note below. Amendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Effective Date

of 2018 AmendmentAmendment by section 807(d)(2) of Pub. L. 115–232 effective Feb. 1, 2019, with provision for the coordination of

Amendments

and special rule for certain redesignations, see section 800 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title. Certification Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title I, § 121(b), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2030, provided that: “(1) In general.—Not later than January 1, 2017, the Secretary of the Navy shall certify to the congressional defense committees [Committees on Armed Services and Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives] that the delivery dates of the following vessels have been adjusted in accordance with section 7301 [now 8671] of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a):“(A) The U.S.S. John F. Kennedy (CVN–79). “(B) The U.S.S. Zumwalt (DDG–1000). “(C) The U.S.S. Michael Monsoor (DDG–1001). “(D) The U.S.S. Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG–1002). “(E) Any other vessel of the Navy that is under

Construction

on the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 23, 2016]. “(2) Contents.—The certification under paragraph (1) shall include—“(A) an identification of each vessel for which the delivery date was adjusted; and “(B) the delivery date of each such vessel, as so adjusted.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 8671

Title 10 — Armed Forces

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73