The Virginia will join the Navy's fleet in a commissioning ceremony to be held Oct. 23 at the Norfolk Naval Base in its namesake state.

As the lead ship of the most capable class of nuclear attack submarines in the world, the Virginia has been designed from the ground up to operate as a key element of a joint naval force.

Unobtrusive, non-provocative and connected with land, air, sea and space-based assets, Virginia-class ships are uniquely equipped to wage multi-dimensional warfare in the farthest reaches of the globe, providing the U.S. Navy with continued dominance in coastal waters or the open ocean.

These submarines will transit submerged at high speeds, undetected, independent of sea state or logistic support and arrive on station ready for action.

"Virginia and the rest of the ships of its class are designed specifically to incorporate emerging technologies that will provide new capabilities to meet new threats," said Electric Boat President John Casey.

"This enables Virginia to provide a unique and vital contribution to the nation's defense that will become increasingly important in a new and changing security environment."

Virginia-class missions will include conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, ensuring that U.S. commanders understand the scope and capability of an enemy's forces.

Submarines of the class also will be able to engage enemy submarines, surface ships and critical targets ashore, both through precision strike and the covert insertion of special operations forces.

With their stealth and unlimited endurance, they will be flexible assets for Joint Force Commanders, able to maneuver with impunity, even in the most contested forward areas.

Approved nearly four years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Virginia embodies warfighting and operational capabilities required to dominate the littorals while maintaining undersea dominance in the open ocean.

Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman Newport News are under contract to build the first 10 submarines of a planned 30-ship Virginia class under a teaming agreement that splits the construction workload between the two shipyards.

A revolutionary approach to design and construction processes was employed for the Virginia class.

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