Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress

Abstract

In December 2016, the Navy released a force-structure goal that calls for achieving and maintaining a fleet of 355 ships of certain types and numbers. The 355-ship goal was made U.S. policy by Section 1025 of the FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2810/P.L. 115-91 of December 12, 2017). The Trump Administration has identified the achievement of a Navy of 355 or more ships within 10 years as a high priority. The Navy states that it is working as well as it can, within a Navy budget top line that is essentially flat in real (i.e., inflation-adjusted terms), toward achieving that goal while also adequately funding other Navy priorities, such as restoring eroded ship readiness and improving fleet lethality. Navy officials state that while the 355-ship goal is a priority, they want to avoid creating a so-called hollow force, meaning a Navy that has an adequate number of ships but is unable to properly crew, arm, operate, and maintain those ships.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 22, 2020
Accession Number
AD1146827

Entities

People

  • Ronald O'Rourke

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Amphibious Operations
  • Boats
  • Congress
  • Covid-19
  • Employment
  • Engineers
  • Marine Transportation
  • National Security
  • Naval Aviation
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navy
  • Personnel Management
  • Public Policy
  • Shipbuilding
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Readers

  • Economics
  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.