Battle Force 2045 Raises Important Questions
By Harlan Ullman
October 2020
This week, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper outlined his plan for the future Navy called Battle Force 2045. The plan calls for a Navy and Marine Corps of about 500 or more ships based on 8-11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and their associated air wings; an increase in nuclear submarines to between 70-80; six smaller aircraft carrier/amphibious warfare ships; a total of 355 manned ships; and between 140-240 unmanned or partially manned vehicles.
While there are certainly merits to this proposal, which was developed in partnership with the Hudson Institute and OSD’s Cost Assessment and Program Analysis Division (CAPE) rather than by the Navy alone, it raises a number of serious questions at this stage. Most important, what are the purposes and rationale for this larger Navy?
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2020/october/battle-force-2045-raises-important-questions
