A New American (Naval) Expeditionary Force
By Sal Mercogliano
December 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic will have long-term ramifications on the nation, from the deaths of more than 300,000 Americans to a massive spike in federal spending—at least an additional $4 trillion. As a result, the world will look much different after this event and the U.S. Navy will face changes in how it operates in the future. The potential for smaller budgets and a shift in priorities will impact operations. One of the actions the Navy may be forced to consider will be a decreased forward presence and reduced deployments to lower costs.
With Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear carriers and Columbia nuclear ballistic missile submarines in the Future Year Defense Program, a large percentage of the Navy’s funds are allocated to the construction of these high-ticket items. At the same time, the new Constellation-class frigate, sealift recapitalization, and the continued production of Arleigh Burke–class destroyers and Virginia-class attack submarines place severe constraints on the Navy to achieve the elusive 355-ship goal. If the U.S. Navy was forced to reduce its forward presence, as the Royal Navy did more than a century ago, it would need to look far back in its own history to relearn the lessons of having to surge forces under a more expeditionary model when needed.
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2020/december/new-american-naval-expeditionary-force
