Navy John Lewis (TAO-205) Class Oiler Shipbuilding Program: Background and Issues for Congress

The John Lewis (TAO-205) class oiler shipbuilding program is a program to build a new class of 20 fleet oilers for the Navy. The Navy procured the first TAO-205 in FY2016, and a total of 10 TAO-205s have been procured through FY2025. (The 10th was procured in FY2024, and no TAO-205s were procured in FY2025.) The first TAO-205 entered service in 2022, and a total of four were in service as of December 2024. The Navy’s proposed FY2026 budget requests the procurement of two more TAO-205s. An issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy’s FY2026 request for the TAO-205 program. Congress’s decisions on this issue could affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.