The New and Improved US Navy (Achieving Donald Trump's Goal of 350 Commissioned Naval Vessels)

The New and Improved US Navy

 The US Navy should achieve the President-Elect’s goal of a 350 ship Navy by building 6 new carrier strike groups with Ford-Class Carriers as the Flag ship and 20 accompanying naval ships of various types and classes.

    Currently, the US Navy has 234 commissioned ships.  The President-Elect, Donald Trump, has set a campaign goal of getting our Navy back up to 350 commissioned ships.  The goal Donald Trump has set is both achievable, realistic, and vital to the National Security Interests of the United States of America.   While I am by no means a Navy expert, I thought it would be interesting to dive into the specifics and numbers behind achieving these goals.  I’d start out, by saying, that the Pentagon does not have the same degree of certainty about military conflict in the coming decades as it had previously.

     During the interwar period, the focus was on large land wars like what was witnessed in World War I, and so developing next generation tanks and bombers was the wise goal.  During the Cold War, the US focus was on the nuclear triad and missile defense while continuing to plan for great power conflicts and the defense of Western Europe.  After 9/11 the focus was on transitioning our military over into a more agile fighting force capable of attacking and holding the territories of lesser powers where terrorist groups were operating.   In the future, the US will need to plan and prepare for a wide array of potential conflicts. 

     The US may indeed, need to engage in larger ground war operations in the future to stabilize territories, engage in conventional warfare, wage successful counter-insurgency missions and defeat terrorist organizations all while preparing for conventional war efforts against rival national-state actors.  The United States will need to continue to pay attention to its nuclear triad and specific nuclear capabilities gaps (tactical and neutrino) and close them in the coming years.  Also, it will need to retain dominance of the air by winning the next generation fighter and long range bomber competition.   It may have lighter, quick action attack-hold-attack types of engagements as Donald Rumsfeld shifted the military towards, it may continue light special operating Forces and air support missions as Obama Administration has preferred, but I speculate that the US will need to contend with an under-committed Europe, rising land, air and space threat from China, a regionally aggressive Russia and more direct conflict with Iran in the future.  The US will also have to contend with a growing network of Radical Islamic Jihad engaged in terrorism from Nigeria to the Philippines that are increasing capable of developing Domestic terrorism threats within Western Countries’ homelands because of porous borders, ease of travel and weak immigration enforcement standards. 

       Attaining Donald Trump’s goal of a 350 Ship Navy, will require 116 new naval ships.  Nothing defines the lethal capabilities of the US Navy and power projection like US Carrier Strike Groups, and with a diverse array of ship types supporting our US carriers they continue to project American power and provide capabilities to respond to a diverse array of threats like no other type of fighting force in the history of the world.  Unlike air and military bases in foreign countries, such Carrier Strike Groups, require no diplomatic concessions to acquire and retain, they are stand-alone reminders of the high costs associated with challenging American primacy and efforts to inflict harm on the American people, our Country and our Allies.    They present a formidable deterrent and ever-ready response to any troubles that appear on the horizon.  

         My proposal, is to develop 6 new state-of-the-art carrier strike groups with 21 ships each, with Ford Class Carriers as their flagships and twenty supporting ships including: 5 Arleigh Burk-class Destroyers, 1 Zumwalt Class Destroyer, 5 Virginia Class Submarines, 2 San Antonio Class Landing Platform Decks, 3 Tincoderoga class cruisers, 1 America Class Amphibious Assault Ship, 1 Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Ship, 1 Freedom Class Littoral and 1 Independent Class Littoral.   The cost on building 6 such carrier strike groups may be high, at an estimated $270.97 billion at current per unit costs, but are a bargain for the capability they offer. 

        This Naval investment, in combination with the nearly completed F-35 fifth generation fighter, along with longer range bombers, next generation helicopters and improving surface to air missile capabilities ensure that America will continue to be the world’s only super-power, capable of successfully waging war in multiple theaters around the world and against any hostile nation around the world, should National Security require it.  Many of these costs, are already written into the current defense budget.  Of course, it is ultimately the Navy Admirals, experienced in Naval matters, with their hearts, minds and souls dedicated to the day to day intelligence of the high seas to whom we should yield in the budgetary and purchasing process.  Ultimately, it is the task of the House and Senatorial committees on Armed Services and the respective House and Senatorial committees on the budget to iron out the specifics in coordination with their Naval liaisons.  The purpose of this essay, is to point a direction for planning and future Naval acquisitions. 

        There is much cause for optimism in Donald Trump’s determination to directly negotiate with Boeing on the Air Force One project, and efforts to confront out of line Union bosses, that the incoming Administration will competently and capably engage in effective negotiations to manage costs, ensure timely delivery, all while addressing structural and procedural inefficiencies, from component supply to manufacturing. I must stress, an increased need to ensure maximized domestic capacity on each component of our fighting force and the formulation, adoption, and adherence to the highest standards of National Security prerogative, not only in terms of force readiness, but also in terms of domestic military related economic capacity.

      Bringing the US Navy’s number of Carrier Groups up from 11 to 17 will allow the US to project power and defend National Security Interests in every corner of the world simultaneously, including facilitating  increased presence and defense around the arctic and north of Europe (mainly to deter Russian challenges), in the Pacific (to deter Chinese challenges and defend freedom of navigation), in the Mediterranean, Red and Arabian Sea (to address terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, ISIL and Al-Shabaab as well as continued threats posed by the Iranian Republic), in and around South America (Cuba, Venezuela as primary agitators), and also throughout the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.  Our relations with treaty allies, amplify The United States of America’s strength, so continued joint naval exercises and operations will continue to be the cornerstone of US Naval strategy.  It’s our hope, that if US Naval Leadership exemplifies a more resolute commitment to the security of the seas our Allies will also regain their fighting spirits, confidence, and commitment to continue to help the US in its mission to retain open waters, to preserve freedom of navigation and defend the restoration and expansion of Pax-Americana from which the Free Countries of the world have so comfortably benefited. 

About the Author: Theodore William Johnson earned a Master of Science in Homeland Security from San Diego State University after attaining a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California Santa Barbara.  His Blog, "Citizen's Empire" has had over 40,000 readers and he is actively looking for employment opportunities in National Security while he continues his work in Real Estate with Irvine Company.  He can be reached by email at Johnson.theo@gmail.com or followed at https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KingTheo or https://twitter.com/KingTheoTime

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