There are only two shipyards that build the U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines: one in Groton, Connecticut, and one in Newport News, Virginia, near my hometown of Norfolk. These submarines are critical to American national security strategy in the Indo-Pacific, where the U.S. Navy is confronting a rapidly expanding and aggressive People’s Republic of China.

Indeed, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) already exceeds ours in overall size and is numerically the largest navy in the world, with over 370 ships and submarines, including 140 major surface combatants. China has made significant strides in all things naval, and its rapid modernization is a worrying trend for U.S. military planners.

Virginia’s shipbuilding industry, however, could help turn the tide. Naval experts have identified our nuclear-powered subs as one of the key technological advantages the U.S. Navy holds over the PLA. American Virginia-class attack submarines are still a generation ahead of Chinese subs in terms of noise-reduction technology, propulsion, weapons systems, and several other areas. Of course, China doesn’t necessarily need to match or exceed U.S. submarines capabilities, as it can gain advantage by producing at scale. To combat this, the U.S. Navy needs all the subs it can get.

Unfortunately for the United States, and the people of Virginia, the Biden-Harris administration’s official defense budget request asked for only a single submarine to be built, a move that jeopardizes the long-term shipbuilding goals of the Navy and could hurt folks in Virginia.

The House Armed Services Committee has moved to remedy this by authorizing funding for two submarines. However, debate is still underway as to whether a second submarine makes sense, especially because every ship now being built faces delays and cost overruns. Congress, the Navy, and the shipbuilders will all need to institute reforms and make smart investments in infrastructure and labor to get shipbuilding back on track.

Existing shipyards need to be expanded, and Congress will need to invest in new shipyards if we are to expand capacity for maintenance and shipbuilding. Shipbuilders also need to be offering more competitive wages to attract and retain more young workers. The Navy, meanwhile, needs to resist the temptation to micromanage every aspect of design and overload the shipbuilders with requirements.

In the meantime, increasing ship orders or at least keeping them steady sends long-term demand signals to the shipbuilding industry, and helps it attract the capital investment it needs to acquire labor and facilities. Cost overruns and delays need to be addressed by the Navy, the shipbuilders, and Congress, but they do not negate the strategic need to build these submarines.

To this end, prominent conservative organizations like The Heritage Foundation are supporting dramatic increases in shipbuilding moving forward, having identified a strong U.S. Navy as a critical component of a successful deterrence strategy in the Indo-Pacific. In fact, many American conservatives are advocating for block buys of American ships, which have historically reduced costs and encouraged shipbuilders to invest in additional infrastructure based on marginal revenue and anticipated profits.

Virginians interested in the national security of the United States and the shipbuilding industry in Newport News should support sustained and even increased investment in the Navy’s Virginia-class submarines. They are critical to deterring China, expanding our defense industrial base in places like Coastal Virginia, and most importantly, safeguarding American national security.