JUST IN: Navy Chief Says Flat Budget Will Impede Fleet Growth (Updated)
7/20/2021
By Mandy Mayfield
The Navy will not achieve its fleet growth goals if the service doesn't get a budget boost, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said July 20.
There are currently just under 300 ships in the Navy’s manned battle force. The 30-year shipbuilding plan released in December in the final weeks of the Trump administration, called for growing the fleet to 316 ships by 2026 and 355 by the early 2030s.
“I still think that 355 is a good target, but the reality is that we can't really afford to have a Navy bigger than one that we can sustain given the resources that we receive,” he said during a Navy League event. “Based on our current budget, I believe the analysis shows that we can afford a fleet of about 300 ships, that includes the manning, the training, the equipping, the supply parts, the ammunition, … the flying hours, all of that.”
https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2021/7/20/navy-chief-says-flat-topline-budget-will-impede-fleet-growth
