The US Navy (USN) released its long-delayed 30-year shipbuilding plan on 10 December with a future fleet architecture that echoes the Pentagon plan detailed earlier this year as part of the Department of Defense’s Battle Force 2045.
The Pentagon in February told Congress it was withholding the mandatory Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels until it finished the Future Naval Force Study (FNFS), which was examining competitive advantage in great-power military competition through 2045.
The new US Navy shipbuilding plan tries to retain the long-deck aircraft carrier fleet, eye the development of light carriers, fund Columbia-class strategic submarines, significantly augment the number of Virginia-class attack submarines, and substantially increase the number of unmanned systems.
The US Navy 30-year shipbuilding plan includes an expanded fleet of Virginia-class attack submarines, like the USS North Dakota (SSN 784). (US Navy)
In the plan, the USN says it will provide for “additional ships and associated readiness while staying within the Fiscal Year [FY] 2022 FYDP [Future Years Defense Plan] topline”.
Beyond the five-year FYDP, the USN plan says, “DoN [Department of Navy] funding required to grow and sustain the objective battle force paces forecast long-term US economic growth (2.1% inflation and 2% real growth). This level of projected funding will address both the force structure described in this plan and the manning, training, operations, modernization and infrastructure required to sustain a larger fleet.”
The USN plan also noted, “This shipbuilding plan reflects the necessary increased funding for both shipbuilding and ship sustainment funding. A combination of topline increases and major internal efficiency savings are used to procure, modernise, man, train, equip and sustain the fleet.”
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