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Just wait until President-elect Donald J. Trump finds out the Navy’s nuclear shipbuilding is close to a death spiral. The White House just asked Congress for an emergency $7.3 billion to cover costs on nuclear attack submarines to prey on China, plus the new Columbia-class nuclear missile "boomers" that will carry 70% of the U.S. nuclear deterrent in years ahead.

Maybe Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and the DOGE are savvy enough to speed up production of nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers. Because if the Navy can’t fix this problem fast, China will pull ahead.

For combat naval technology, America’s mastery of nuclear propulsion is the crown jewel. Quiet, lethal submarines powered by small nuclear reactors give the U.S. Navy an incalculable edge in countering China in the Pacific. But since Trump left office, the rate of new production and repairs has cratered. For example, the Navy wants to build two attack submarines per year, but the yards are barely producing one. The first Columbia class is already a year and a half late. Repairs are backlogged, too.

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What happened? COVID-19 delays, supply chain problems, inflation, labor shortages, you name it.

The U.S. nuclear submarine fleet is in trouble and needs help on production and repairs. FILE: In this handout image provided by the U.S. Navy, the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Tuscon (SSN 770) transits the East Sea Monday,........

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