Doctor of Military Sciences Sivkov: The United States can accelerate the construction of warships by 20-30 times
The US Navy has unveiled a fleet development plan for the next 30 years. It contains three possible options, one of which must be approved by Congress. The first option involves the construction of 316 ships by 2052, the second - 327 ships, the third - 367. The implementation of any of these options will depend on the actions of China and Russia.
The representative of the US Navy, Vice Admiral Scott Conn, explained that "the plan is of a framework nature and will be clarified based on the emergence of new technologies, the allocated budget and the actions of Russia and China."
In addition to the construction of new ships, the plan talks about the decommissioning of the Ticonderoga-class cruisers by 2027 and the decommissioning of coastal warships by 2024 - the Independence and Freedom projects. It is noteworthy that these are new projects. Thus, two coastal warships of the Independence class - the Jackson (LCS-6) and Montgomery (LCS-8) - were commissioned in 2015 and 2016, and the multipurpose ships of the Freedom project were developed in 2005.
These projects were initially criticized in the United States itself. "Coastal warships were designed without reliable protection systems. The lack of firepower further undermined their credibility. Now the Pentagon is betting on classic frigates and destroyers, " wrote the publication Naval Technology
The conclusion of the "Ticonderoga" captain of the first rank retired, Doctor of Military Sciences Konstantin Sivkov explains their age.
In general, Sivkov called the US navy development program "very large-scale."
"This is a very large and extensive shipbuilding program, which is comparable in scale to the Chinese one. Such a pace of construction suggests that every year they should launch 10 warships and withdraw other, earlier ships from the fleet. Before that, they commissioned 1-2 large ships of the ocean zone in 2-3 years," says Sivkov. Thus, if this plan is implemented, the Pentagon will accelerate the construction of warships by 20-30 times.
Special emphasis, as Sivkov points out, the US Navy is making on the construction of anti-submarine ships.
"Most likely, these will be small-displacement ships designed to solve anti-submarine defense and patrol tasks in the territory adjacent to the US coast. In addition, they can be surface anti-submarine ships of the far sea and ocean zone," says Sivkov.
In his opinion, the SOSUS zonal anti-submarine defense system, which provided the US Navy with control over ocean space, is not working now - it was created more than 60 years ago and tracked submarines by infrasound, and modern submarines got rid of the infrasound component of noise, so the system does not "hear" them.
Sivkov suggests that SOSUS can replace 80-100 patrolling marine robots that will be able not only to detect submarines, but also to attack independently, as well as to direct anti-submarine aircraft at them. This will allow the US Navy to ensure control over the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
"Drones are not a fashion statement. They are needed so that the water area can be patrolled for a long time. The task is very simple - to detect a submarine and set up tracking for it," says Sivkov.
The new plan does not change the overall concept of the US Navy. "While this is all in line with what they have now - the aircraft carrier continues to be the main striking force of the American fleet, they are going to maintain dominance in ocean and sea spaces," Sivkov notes.
Deputy Director of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis Alexander Khramchikhin, in turn, draws attention to the fact that the plans and their implementation "may differ."
But nowadays it is difficult to predict for 30 years. Maybe this should be done, but what happens in reality is a completely separate question," concludes Khramchikhin.
Denis Telmanov
