Image source: topwar.ru
The US Navy has submitted to the US Congress a report on the needs of the fleet in ships. According to the document, the American navy needs 373 ships. This is 75 more ships than the Navy currently has at its disposal. Most of the information passed to Congress is classified. The exception is a summary of the structure of the forces of the American fleet.
The new report is the latest since 2016. Meanwhile, back in February of this year, the Navy presented a long-term shipbuilding plan, in which three different options were proposed for 2052, depending on the amount of resources allocated to the service. The first option provides for the availability of 316 ships by fiscal year 2052, the second - 327 ships by fiscal year 2052, and the third - 367 ships.
In addition to traditional warships, the Navy should receive new unmanned platforms, which, according to the service, should significantly increase the combat potential of the American fleet. With such replenishment, the Navy can increase the number of ships and combat platforms to 500 hulls or more. This was stated by the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Mike Gilday, in a speech at the WEST 2022 conference, organized jointly by AFCEA and the US Naval Institute.
The main opponents for the US Navy, according to the report, remain China in the Indo-Pacific region and Russia in Europe. The Naval Forces do not declassify more detailed information on countering potential adversaries. But the increase in the number of ships, of course, is connected with the desire of the United States to feel more confident in the event of a confrontation with China and Russia in the World Ocean.
In addition, it is expected that during the last half of 2022, the US Navy will complete analytical work on the study of changes in the structure of forces and bringing them into line with the US National Defense Strategy of 2022.
