US Navy revises ship numbers downwards

In its latest 30-year shipbuilding plan, the US Navy (USN) has distanced itself from its ambitious 2005 plan of fielding a 313-ship fleet by the middle of the coming decade.

Instead the service has told Congress that it wants a 301-ship fleet by 2040, a force level that will require a consistent funding level of USD15.9 billion on average per year.

The new plan envisages a fleet consistent with the irregular warfare and ballistic missile defence (BMD) focus of the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR).

Emphasising "reasonable levels of funding", the procurement of larger surface combatants has been curtailed in favour of smaller, cheaper ships such as the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) multirole frigate and the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV), a shallow-draught intra-theatre connector.

The future large surface combatant programmes – the Zumwalt-class (DDG 1000) destroyer and the nascent CG(X) cruiser replacement – have been replaced by the purchase of more Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyers, which will eventually incorporate the navy's Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) development efforts.

By 2016 the navy expects the new DDG 51 hulls will be purpose-built for the BMD role. Additionally, the navy plans to extend the service life of the Flight IIA Arleigh Burkes (pennant numbers DDG 79 and higher) to 40 years.