BCA of Internet Connectivity for USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)

Abstract

Internet connectivity aboard U.S. Navy ships has been historically unreliable and slow, limiting both Quality of Work (QoW) and Quality of Life (QoL). USS Abraham Lincoln (ABE) is testing new advancements in internet technology (Starlink, 5G and fiber) to close the bandwidth gap on ships. Our thesis aims to identify if having high-speed internet (HSI) aboard ABE, at sea and in-port, can provide a financial benefit to the Navy. We used peer-reviewed studies to determine the economic impact of HSI on the modern world, and the Net Present Value (NPV) method to calculate the value of having HSI for ABE over a 10-Year period. We concluded that HSI would provide a Net Benefit to ABE of $22,598,921 over a 10-Year period. This represents the monetary value of having improved QoW and QoL solely due to HSI. Even with all QoL benefits removed, HSI still provides a Net Benefit of $2,548,053. Our results point to the massive positive implications this could have for the Navy. We recommend further research be conducted into this field, and current policies be reviewed and modified for adoption of commercial HSI aboard U.S. Navy ships.