Navy to Reclassify Virginia Payload Module-equipped SSNs to SSGNs, Unleashing Next-Generation Strike Power

WASHINGTON– Today, the Department of the Navy announced a decisive step to sharpen its competitive edge, reclassifying nineteen planned Virginia Class submarines equipped with the Virginia Payload Module (VPM) as guided missile submarines (SSGN). This pivotal shift clearly differentiates these advanced platforms from traditional Virginia Class fast attack submarines (SSNs), signaling a leap forward in undersea warfighting capability, lethal combat power, and global deterrence.