Next-Generation Logistics Ship
The Next-Generation Logistics Ship (NGLS) is a U.S. Navy program to build mid-sized support ships. They will provide underway replenishment, disaster relief, and logistics for both land and sea operations. The goal is to supplement, not replace, existing ships like the John Lewis-class oilers and the Supply-class fast combat support ships, especially in shallow and combat zones where large ships are at risk.
The NGLS began in 2020, with potential suppliers contacted in 2021. The first vessel was expected to be delivered in 2025.
The Navy’s Combat Logistics Force (CLF), run by the Military Sealift Command, operates a large fleet of auxiliary ships for refueling, rearming, and resupplying combat fleets. Unlike the ships they support, CLF vessels are not commissioned and are mostly operated by civilian crews. They are typically large and expensive and offer only limited defensive capabilities, making them less suitable for high-risk, near-shore operations.
A key strategic aim is anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD): creating no-go zones for enemy forces. Larger ships are high-value targets, so the Navy is moving toward distributed fleets with more smaller ships, like frigates and littoral combat ships, to reduce risk from concentrated attacks.
NAVSEA began exploring NGLS in 2020 and, in 2021, considered two paths: adapting existing commercial vessels or building a new class that is smaller, cheaper, and quicker to procure than current CLF ships. The new ships would be smaller in size and capacity and would support smaller ships or small task groups rather than large capital ships.
The Navy’s five-year shipbuilding plan (2023–2027) envisions the first NGLS in 2026 at about $150 million and the second in 2027 at about $156 million—each roughly one-fifth the cost of a John Lewis-class vessel. The total number of ships has not been fixed, but a 30-year plan starting in 2023 calls for at least a dozen, potentially more.
In December 2021, NAVSEA selected three U.S. shipyards and gave each $2 million to conduct conceptual design studies for a proposed NGLS. The program is expected to produce a family of ships built on a common modular design, capable of fulfilling the same roles as current auxiliary vessels.
Some designers have suggested that the new ships could be based on existing designs rather than being built from scratch. Austal, for example, anticipates their vessel would be similar in size and layout to Russia’s Project 03182 small seagoing tanker Vice Admiral Paromov, delivered to the Black Sea Fleet in 2021.
The contracted companies have the option to modify existing military or commercial ship designs rather than creating an entirely new vessel.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 13:53 (CET).