10 U.S.C. § 8671 — Determination of vessel delivery dates

(a) In General — A covered vessel's delivery happens on the date when both of these are true: (1) the Secretary of the Navy decides the vessel is fully assembled and complete; and (2) the vessel and all of its onboard systems are officially handed over to the Navy. (b) Inclusion in Budget and Acquisition Reports — Delivery dates for covered vessels must be included in: (1) the budget materials the Secretary of Defense sends Congress each year under section 1105(a) of title 31; and (2) any related Selected Acquisition Report sent to Congress under section 4351. (c) Listing as Battle Force Ship in Naval Vessel Register — A covered vessel cannot be listed as a "battle force ship" in the Naval Vessel Register or other fleet lists until its delivery date under subsection (a) has arrived. (d) Definitions — "Covered vessel" means any Navy vessel built or being built using money authorized for Navy shipbuilding and conversion. "Battle force ship" means either a commissioned United States Ship warship that can help with combat, or a United States Naval Ship that directly supports Navy warfighting or support missions.