Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the name on 3 September 2015 at a ceremony hosted in Billings, Montana with U.S.

On 23 December 2014, they were awarded an additional $121.8 million contract modification to buy long lead-time material for the three Virginia-class submarines.

[8] The U.S. Navy awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat the contract to construct 10 Block IV Virginia-class submarines for $17.6 billion on 28 April 2014.

[6] Construction of Montana began in May 2015 at Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia.

Interior Secretary, christened the vessel on 12 September 2020 at Newport News Shipbuilding, via a virtual ceremony due to the pandemic.