The Navy's Fleet Plan Has Two Strikes Against It
A recent report about the plan is classified, which will hinder leaders’ efforts to talk about it, and the service lacks a confirmed acquisition chief.
BRENT D. SADLER | AUGUST 8, 2022
Recently, the Navy quietly submitted a report required by the fiscal 2022 defense authorization bill. Thes classified report apparently details the number and type of warships needed to execute the national defense strategy. Little is known of this Battle Force Ship Assessment and Requirement report other than a goal of 373 ships.
This raises several questions. Why is this report classified? After all, long-range shipbuilding plans must be submitted periodically (the last came in April), and they are not classified. And why did Congress feel it necessary to stipulate that this latest report had to come directly from the Navy (versus the Secretary of Defense)?
There are three possible answers to the “why classified” question. First, there’s the military’s well-known tendency to over-classify everything. Unless this document offers insight regarding war planning, there is little reason for it to be classified. It would be highly unusual for the Navy to send Congress sensitive operational details.
https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2022/08/navy-fleet-plan-has-two-strikes-against-it/375471/
