Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle C— Navy and Marine Corps › Part IV— GENERAL ADMINISTRATION › Chapter 863— NAVAL VESSELS › § 8669c
The Secretary of the Navy must not approve building the first ship in a major shipbuilding program until 15 days after he sends a report to the congressional defense committees, certifies that a production readiness review supports starting construction, and certifies that at least 95 percent of the basic and functional design drawing packages are finally approved. The report must say how complete the detailed and production drawings are, whether the shipyard and workforce are ready, the Navy’s estimated delivery date and any risks to that date, and whether the program has good processes and measures to manage risks. For the first ship, it must explain how the Navy will oversee and document construction. The report must give a clear definition of “start of construction” for the first ship that does not mean a point after completion of 5 percent of lightship displacement or after advance procurement or advance construction. It must identify any hull or superstructure work that will happen before the certifications and explain how vendor and government information supports the design, including whether vendors are selected, specifications are finalized, and factory acceptance testing is done. Key terms: basic and functional design — computer-aided (for manned combatants, 3-D) models that set hull form, hydrodynamics, and major system routing; first ship — first built under the program or first at a given shipyard for that program; major shipbuilding program — Navy program for combatant and support ships in the annual construction plan; production readiness review — a formal check that design and production planning are ready.
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10 U.S.C. § 8669c
Title 10 — Armed Forces
Last Updated
Apr 3, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60