The U.S. Department of Defense awarded contracts on to expand the nation’s undersea warfighting capabilities, the department and contractors announced July 29. The Columbia-class submarines will provide an effective sea-based strategic deterrent to meet U.S. Strategic Command’s requirements. The awards also support the fielding of enhanced Virginia-class submarines, a platform engineered for unparalleled stealth, heavy payload strike capability and multi-domain lethality. The Navy now has seven Columbia-class submarines under contract, complementing a force of 26 operational Virginia-class submarines with 23 more slated to be built. General Dynamics Electric Boat designs, builds, repairs and modernizes nuclear submarines for the U.S. Navy.