Navy League jumps into debate over fleet size
March 20th, 2012 | Budget China Congress Navy Navy secretary Ships The Pacific | Posted by Charles Hoskinson
The Navy League of the United States has jumped into the fleet size debate, saying in its annual Maritime Policy Statement that a minimum of 305 ships are needed “to continue to deliver disaster aid and humanitarian assistance, deter aggression, maintain freedom of the seas and, if necessary, win wars. These are the capabilities upon which the global community has come to depend.”
The statement puts the group at odds with Navy leaders, who have proposed a five-year budget plan that includes early retirements of seven Ticonderoga-class cruisers and two amphibious ships, along with shipbuilding delays that will bring the fleet down below the current level of 282 ships. The cuts are part of the Defense Department’s plan to shrink its budget by $259 billion through fiscal year 2017, as mandated by law.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week that the Navy would “again cross the threshold of 300 ships” by 2019 under the service’s budget plans.
Republicans in Congress oppose shrinking the size of the fleet, saying it’s inconsistent with the focus on Asia in the Obama administration’s new national security strategy. Navy League Executive Director Dale Lumme echoed that concern, saying: “In light of the new national defense strategy’s emphasis on the Asia-Pacific and continued presence in the Middle East, the need for maritime forces that are forward deployed, forward engaged and ever-ready to respond is more critical now than ever before.”
You think we’ve got budget woes?
November 2nd, 2011 | Budget Royal Navy | Posted by Bill McMichael
The U.S. budget battle threatens to put a serious crimp in Pentagon spending. But when the dust settles somewhat, here’s guessing the Navy will likely still be able to defend the nation’s coastlines and meet most of today’s overseas commitments.
But budget cuts and the strain of the war in Libya have already left cash-strapped Great Britain unable to provide the single warship that normally stands by in case of a terrorist attack or other home front threat, as this sobering news clip from London’s Telegraph newspaper makes clear …
The Navy and the budget: What’s getting cut?
October 10th, 2011 | Budget Carriers Navy Navy Times Uniforms | Posted by Bill McMichael
The Navy is about to start seeing significant reductions in spending for operations and maintenance, spare parts, new ships and aircraft, research and development, and personnel, all essentially the result of a flagging U.S. economy. In the new Navy Times, analysts and insiders assess the areas at risk, while readers offer suggestions on what they’d cut if they could be king for a day.
What sort of changes are they talking about inside the Pentagon? Try eliminating the scheduled 2016 nuclear refueling of the aircraft carrier George Washington, commissioned in 1992. How would readers save? Stop the perpetual uniform and sea bag changes.
The stories aren’t yet posted online, save for subscribers. But if you’re a subscriber with that access or are buying a newsstand copy, we’d like to hear your thoughts about what they have to say. Check out the stories, then come back and weigh in on the Scoop Deck.