The Navy is building up to reach 308 ships by fiscal 2021, but the service’s top admiral said he expects a new assessment to say that number needs to go higher.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said that the 308 number is from an analysis finished in 2012, before Russia and China had increased their aggression.
He told members of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee that the Navy has commissioned another force structure assessment that will be completed this year.
Asked by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., if he expected the assessment to recommend a larger fleet, Richardson responded: “Yes, sir,” though he did not provide a prediction of what the new number would be.
Threats from major world powers such as Russia and China, which have active navies, represent a fundamental shift from the ground wars in the Middle East that the U.S. has been fighting for the past 15 years. One example is recent tension in the South China Sea, where lawmakers have been calling on the U.S. to sail near China’s man-made islands.
Both Richardson and Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller said the threats they see today are the worst they’ve seen in their careers.
“You’d have to go back to the Cold War to see anything that compares to today,” Richardson said.
The size of the Navy has been a hot topic in the presidential campaign, and many candidates are releasing shipbuilding plans that surpass the goal of 308 ships set by this administration.
Ted Cruz’s military plan calls for building at least 350 ships. Marco Rubio would toward a fleet of a minimum of 323 ships by 2024.
