Procurement: USN Fails at Ship Building
31st May 2024
The U.S. Navy is unable to build enough new ships to replace the fleet it currently has. The navy has about 470 ships in active service as well as the reserve fleet. The principal vessels are the combat ships, which include 11 aircraft carriers, nine Amphibious Assault Ships for transporting and landing marine battalions, ten LPD Amphibious Dock Landing Ships to supply amphibious operations, fifty SSNs (Nuclear attack submarines), fourteen SSBNs (Ballistic missile carrying nuclear submarines), four SSGM (SSBNs converted to carry over a hundred cruise missiles), one frigate, 13 cruisers, 75 destroyers and about fifty support ships of various types.
The navy has not spent the money required to maintain its ability to build replacement ships or even maintain the ships it has. The navy has recognized the growing importance of USV (Unmanned Surface Vessels) and UUVs (Unmanned Underwater Vessels) but has been slow to order and deploy these unmanned vessels to aid the navy in defending Taiwan from Chinese attack..