Q: What happened to the frigates coming to Naval Station Everett?
A: The Navy cancelled the Constellation-class frigate program in November 2025 after years of cost overruns and construction delays, ending a plan to homeport 12 new ships in Everett. Local leaders are now fighting to ensure the base secures a role in whatever comes next.

Naval Station Everett’s Fight for Its Future After the Frigate Program Collapse

For years, Naval Station Everett had a clearly defined destiny: become the Pacific homeport for 12 brand-new Constellation-class guided-missile frigates, transforming the base into one of the most significant surface combatant hubs on the West Coast. The frigates would bring thousands of additional sailors and their families to Snohomish County, generate billions in economic activity, and cement Everett’s identity as a Navy town well into the 21st century.

Then, on November 25, 2025, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan posted a message on social media: the Constellation-class frigate program was over.

The cancellation sent shockwaves through the Everett community — and set off a scramble that’s still playing out today.

What Happened to the Constellation-Class Frigates

The Constellation-class frigate program, designated FFG-62, was supposed to be the Navy’s answer to a capability gap in its surface fleet: a capable, affordable, medium-sized warship that could be produced faster and cheaper than the larger DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. Congress funded the program starting in 2020, and in 2021 the Navy selected Naval Station Everett as the future homeport for all 12 ships.

The problems began almost immediately. Construction of the lead ship, USS Constellation (FFG-62), began at Fincantieri Marinette Marine’s shipyard in Wisconsin — but the program struggled from the start to complete its functional design. Without design stability, construction stalled. By May 2024, the Government Accountability Office found that the first ship was running approximately three years behind its original schedule, with delivery pushed to at least April 2029 instead of the originally planned July 2026.

Costs climbed alongside the delays. The lead ship had gained nearly 759 tons of additional weight compared to original specifications, and the price tag ballooned. Secretary Phelan’s blunt assessment: “The Constellation-class frigate was canceled because, candidly, it didn’t make sense anymore to build it. It was 80 percent of the cost of a destroyer and 60 percent of the capability.”

Construction on the first two ships — USS Constellation (FFG-62) and one follow-on hull — will continue to completion. But homeporting decisions for those ships have not been made, and may not be made until much closer to their eventual commissioning dates. The remaining ships on order have been cancelled entirely.

What It Means for Everett

Naval Station Everett currently employs approximately 6,000 military personnel and 500 civilian workers, making it one of Snohomish County’s largest employers. The base’s economic footprint touches everything from local housing markets to small businesses that cater to military families.

The frigate program had been expected to dramatically expand that footprint. New personnel would have created demand for thousands of additional housing units, strained and eventually grown local schools, and generated ripple effects throughout the regional economy. The Navy had already secured $19 million from Congress to build 88 new family-style military homes at the Navy Support Complex in Smokey Point — 11 miles north of the main base in Marysville — specifically to prepare for the incoming frigate crews and their families. That construction was anticipated to begin in early 2026.

With the program cancelled, the region now faces a more uncertain equation. The housing investment may still proceed, but the population surge that justified it is on hold. And the question of what Naval Station Everett’s long-term mission will look like — with or without new frigates — is very much unanswered.

Everett Leaders Push Back

The response from Snohomish County’s political and economic leadership has been forceful, if not always optimistic.

Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), whose district includes Naval Station Everett and who has spent years advocating for the base on Capitol Hill, called the cancellation “disheartening” but immediately redirected his focus toward the future. In an interview in December 2025, Larsen said Naval Station Everett is “uniquely situated” to receive whatever next-generation frigates the Navy ultimately develops — pointing to the same geographic, logistical, and strategic advantages that originally made Everett the Navy’s choice for the Constellation-class ships.

Larsen has since been pressing defense officials to ensure that Everett is at the front of the line when homeporting decisions are made for the Navy’s new FF(X) program — the replacement frigate concept based on the Coast Guard’s Legend-class National Security Cutter. Congress has already appropriated $242 million in long-lead funding for the first FF(X) ships, and the program is moving forward, though no homeporting decisions have been announced.

On the local advocacy front, the Economic Alliance Snohomish County has re-activated its Military Affairs Committee — a group that had previously gone dormant — specifically to serve as what organizers called “a coordinated regional voice that understands both the national security implications and the local economic impacts” of decisions affecting the base. Representatives from the Port of Everett, the City of Everett, Snohomish County government, and the Economic Alliance have all been making trips to Washington, D.C., to make the case for Naval Station Everett’s continued relevance.

The FF(X) Program: Everett’s Next Best Hope

The Navy’s replacement frigate concept, officially called FF(X), represents a significant philosophical shift from the Constellation-class approach. Rather than designing an entirely new ship from scratch — the approach that led to the Constellation’s cost and timeline disasters — the FF(X) will be based on an existing, proven design: the Coast Guard’s 418-foot Legend-class National Security Cutter, built by Huntington Ingalls Industries.

The theory is straightforward: use a design that’s already been built, add naval combat systems, and avoid the years of engineering uncertainty that plagued the Constellation program. The FF(X) program was announced in December 2025, with Huntington Ingalls Industries named as the builder.

No homeporting decisions have been made. The first FF(X) ships won’t be ready for years. But the Navy’s shift to a more producible design gives Everett advocates something concrete to fight for — and a program that at least has a realistic path to completion.

What the Base Means to This Community

Beyond the economics and the politics, it’s worth pausing to remember what Naval Station Everett actually is: a community. Roughly 6,000 service members and their families live, work, and raise children in Snohomish County. They fill the bleachers at high school football games. They shop at local businesses. Their spouses navigate the particular challenges of military life — frequent moves, long deployments, career uncertainty — often far from extended family.

The Everett Vet Center, located at 1010 SE Everett Mall Way, provides confidential counseling and support for veterans, service members, and their families. The Snohomish County Veterans’ Assistance Program serves as a single portal for veterans seeking help with emergency financial assistance, employment, and benefits navigation. These aren’t abstract institutions — they’re the connective tissue of a military community that has made its home here.

Whatever happens with frigates and fleet allocations in the years ahead, that community isn’t going anywhere. The men and women of Naval Station Everett serve with distinction. Their families carry significant burdens with quiet strength. And the people of Everett have, by and large, embraced them as neighbors.

That relationship is worth fighting for — which is exactly what Everett’s leaders say they intend to do.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Naval Station Everett at risk of closing?

There are no current indications of closure. The base remains active with approximately 6,000 military personnel and 500 civilian employees. While the cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate program is a setback, local and congressional leaders are actively advocating for the base to receive future naval assets.

What happened to the 12 frigates that were supposed to come to Everett?

The Constellation-class frigate program was cancelled by the Secretary of the Navy in November 2025 due to construction delays and cost overruns. Only the first two ships (FFG-62 and FFG-63) will be completed; the remaining 10 planned ships have been cancelled.

Will Everett still get new ships?

It’s possible but not confirmed. The Navy has launched a new FF(X) frigate program based on the Coast Guard’s National Security Cutter design. No homeporting decisions have been made, but Rep. Rick Larsen and other local leaders are advocating for Naval Station Everett to be a priority homeport.

What is the FF(X) frigate?

The FF(X) is the Navy’s next-generation small surface combatant, intended to replace the cancelled Constellation-class. It will be built by Huntington Ingalls Industries and based on the Legend-class National Security Cutter design. Congress approved $242 million in long-lead funding for the program in early 2026.

What military housing is being built near Naval Station Everett?

Congress approved $19 million to construct 88 new family-style military homes at the Navy Support Complex in Smokey Point (Marysville), originally intended to house families of incoming frigate crews. The status of that construction in light of the frigate cancellation has not been formally announced.

How does Naval Station Everett affect the local economy?

The base employs approximately 6,000 military personnel and 500 civilian workers, making it one of Snohomish County’s largest employers. Military families’ spending, housing needs, and community engagement generate significant economic activity throughout the region.

What is the Economic Alliance Snohomish County doing about the frigate cancellation?

The Economic Alliance has reactivated its Military Affairs Committee to advocate for the base at the federal level, coordinating with the Port of Everett, City of Everett, and Snohomish County to present a unified regional voice in Washington, D.C.