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

Abstract

The Navy s proposed FY2014 budget requests funding for the procurement of 8 new battle force ships (i.e., ships that count against the Navy s goal for achieving and maintaining a fleet of 306 ships). The 8 ships include two Virginia-class attack submarines, one DDG-51 class Aegis destroyer, four Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs), and one Mobile Landing Platform/Afloat Forward Staging Base (MLP/AFSB) ship. The Navy s proposed FY2014-FY2018 five-year shipbuilding plan includes a total of 41 ships the same number as in the Navy s FY213-FY2017 five-year shipbuilding plan, and one less than the 42 ships that the Navy planned for FY2014-FY2018 under the FY2013 budget submission. The planned size of the Navy, the rate of Navy ship procurement, and the prospective affordability of the Navy s shipbuilding plans have been matters of concern for the congressional defense committees for the past several years. The Navy s FY2014 30-year (FY2014-FY2043) shipbuilding plan, like the Navy s previous 30-year shipbuilding plans in recent years, does not include enough ships to fully support all elements of the Navy s 306-ship goal over the long run. The Navy projects that the fleet would remain below 306 ships during most of the 30-year period, and experience shortfalls at various points in cruisers-destroyers, attack submarines, and amphibious ships. In its October 2013 report on the cost of the FY2014 30-year shipbuilding plan, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the plan would cost an average of $19.3 billion per year in constant FY2013 dollars to implement, or about 15% more than the Navy estimates. CBO s estimate is about 6% higher than the Navy s estimate for the first 10 years of the plan, about 14% higher than the Navy s estimate for the second 10 years of the plan, and about 26% higher than the Navy s estimate for the final 10 years of the plan.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 08, 2013
Accession Number
ADA590254

Entities

People

  • Ronald O'Rourke

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Boats
  • Carrier Based Aircraft
  • Employment
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • National Security
  • Naval Aviation
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navy
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.
  • Public Financial Management and Budgeting