GROTON, Conn. (AP) — The Navy has announced a proposed $9.5 billion contract with General Dynamics’ Electric Boat to build the first two submarines of a new generation of ballistic missile vessels.

The new Columbia-class submarines are being built at Electric Boat’s shipyards in Groton, Connecticut, and Quonset Point, Rhode Island. Early construction began at Quonset Point in 2017. Final assembly is set to begin in 2024 in Groton.

The contract announced by the Navy on Monday requires congressional approval.

The Navy also said it will be giving Electric Boat another $869 million to continue design and engineering of the submarines, and efforts to expand the submarine industrial base.

Electric Boat is planning to hire up to 18,000 additional workers over the next decade to work on the 12-submarine Columbia program. The new submarines will be the largest ever built by the U.S.

General Dynamics, based in Reston, Virginia, also is spending $1.8 billion on its facilities to support construction of the new subs, including a new 200,000-square-foot building in Groton.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, a Connecticut Democrat, said the Columbia-class program will shape the region’s economy for the next two decades.

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