Inside the Pentagon slugfest over the future of the fleet
No one can agree on how many ships the Navy needs, and Congress isn't pleased.
By LARA SELIGMAN, LEE HUDSON and PAUL MCLEARY
07/24/2022 07:00 AM EDT
The Navy of the future needs 316 ships. Actually, make that 327. No, more like 367. You know what? Let’s make it 373, or maybe even 500.
At different points this year, the Pentagon and Navy leaders have floated all five numbers as the desired size of the Navy, the result of a high-stakes — and still raging — internal battle among top Navy, Marine Corps and Pentagon leaders.
And the discord at the top has real-world consequences for America’s sea service, denying lawmakers a number to shoot for as they figure out how many ships to buy in the fiscal year that starts in October, and beyond.
At issue, according to six people with knowledge of internal discussions, is the desired number of amphibious warships, which carry Marines and can launch warplanes and landing craft.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/24/pentagon-slugfest-navy-fleet-00047551
