USA: US, Malaysian navies begin bilateral maritime exercise

By Lt. Clyde Shavers, Destroyer Squadron 7 Public Affairs

In this file photo, USS Coronado (LCS 4) arrives in Langkawi, Malaysia, earlier this year for the International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition. (U.S. Navy/MC2 Amy M. Ressler) >>

LUMUT, Malaysia - The U.S. and Royal Malaysian Navy kicked off Maritime Training Activity (MTA) Malaysia at Lumut Naval Base, Sept. 18.

Nearly 300 U.S. and Malaysian Sailors aboard the littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4), Kasturi-class corvette KD Lekir (F26) and Lekiu-class frigate KD Lekiu (F30) are participating in the exercise.

“The U.S. and Royal Malaysian Navy maintains a close and unique partnership that continues to grow and evolve with each bilateral and multilateral exercise,” said Capt. Matthew Jerbi, deputy commodore of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7. “MTA Malaysia is just one of many opportunities for both navies to work closely together towards cooperatively ensuring regional maritime security and stability.”

USA: US, Singapore navies enhance maritime partnership with training in Guam

From Lt. Clyde Shavers, CTF 73-DESRON 7 Public Affairs

USS Benfold (DDG 65) and RSS Endurance (LST 207) steam in formation during exercise Pacific Griffin 2017, Aug. 28. (U.S. Navy/MC1 Benjamin A. Lewis) >>

GUAM - The U.S. Navy and Republic of Singapore navies concluded Exercise Pacific Griffin 2017 at U.S. Naval Base Guam, Sept 2.

Pacific Griffin 17 served as this year’s U.S.-Singapore annual maritime exercise and ran from Aug. 19 through Sept. 2 in waters near Guam. The exercise was coordinated months in advance by planners from both navies.

Pacific Griffin highlights the longstanding maritime partnership between the U.S. and the Republic of Singapore navies through 23 years of annual bilateral exercises.

“The U.S. Navy deeply values our close partnership with the Republic of Singapore Navy,” said Capt. Lex Walker, commander of Destroyer Squadron 7. “Pacific Griffin 2017 provided a unique opportunity for both navies to interact and engage in a broader and more complex range of maritime scenarios and operations.”

News Story: Use Allied Investments To Help Rebuild US Military

RAAF Wedgetail AEW/C Aircraft (File Photo)

By ROBBIN LAIRD

The shift from slo mo — counterinsurgency operations — to high intensity combat is a major challenge for the US military and its allies. It is a culture shift, a procurement shift and an investment shift. But mobilization is even more important than modernization.

To get ready for this shift, our weapons inventory needs to become more robust. In visiting US bases, a common theme we hear is the challenge of basic inventory shortfalls.

The Trump Administration came to power promising to correct much of this. But there simply is not enough time and money to do readiness and training plus ups, mobilization and rapid modernization.

As a businessman, Donald Trump might take a look at how the Pentagon actually functions as an effective business in equipping the force. Having highlighted the question of allied spending, he might be pleased to learn of significant allied investments in new combat systems which his own forces can use, saving American taxpayers money and enhancing our military effectiveness at the same time.

One way to augment US forces would be to do something which might seem to be at odds with the Make America Great notion. As one of my Danish friends put it well: “I have no problem with the idea of making America great again. For me, the question is how?”

One way would be to leverage existing allied capabilities which, if adopted by the US forces, would save money but, even more importantly, would ramp up the operational capability of the US forces and their ability to work with allies in the shortest time possible. It would also allow the US to target investments where possible in break through programs which allies are NOT investing in.

Read the full story at Breaking Defense

News Story: LCS Lives - They Still Count In Age Of Frigates

Freedom class LCS

By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR.

Yes, the Navy has cut short its Littoral Combat Ship program and started work on a bigger, tougher, better-armed frigate. But the small ships will still be big part of the future fleet, experts we spoke to agreed, and the frigate will carry on much of the LCS legacy.

It’s true the Navy’s needs have changed, because the world has changed, with rising threats from major powers eclipsing Third World pirates – but the Littoral Combat Ship has changed as well. In particular, an LCS design conceived during the days of the “peace dividend” is being upgunned with both short- and long-range missiles that increase its relevance for major war.

The shift to frigates is not just a rejection of LCS, either. While the frigate concept turns away from some aspects of LCS – its high speed, its small crew, its limited combat power – it embraces others, such as extending the ship’s reach with unmanned craft and fleetwide networks. In other crucial respects, especially the frigate’s offensive and defensive firepower, the Navy’s still making up its mind.

Independence class LCS

After studying the Navy’s Request For Information (RFI) on industry’s frigate designs, “I wouldn’t say the RFI repudiates the LCS approach, because the idea of having a smaller, less-expensive, shallow-draft, fast ship makes sense,” said retired commander Bryan Clark, now with the Center for Strategic & Budgetary Assessments. The new frigate isn’t really replacing the 3,400-ton LCS, he argued, but filling a gap between smaller coastal patrol craft like the 380-ton Cyclone class and larger multi-role warships like 9,700-ton Aegis destroyers.

To that end, Clark wants the future frigate to have both the weapons and radar to conduct wide-area air defense of nearby ships in a task force or convoy –a mini-Aegis like Spain’s Navantia frigates – rather than only defend itself – like the current LCS.

Read the full story at Breaking Defense

Think Tank: Sea, air, land and space updates (18-Jul-2017)

Jack Viola, Eliza Chapman, Jacqueline Westermann and Harley Comrie

Sea state

The US Navy released a request for information (RFI) last week seeking proposals for a new guided missile frigate. Its previous plans for a new frigate were based on modifying the current littoral combat ships. But the RFI for the new replacement program, designated FFG(X), calls for a bigger crew and more guns, which the current hulls may not be able to deliver. That could mean a whole new design and a new ship in the seas.

The Chinese Navy has conducted a live-fire drill in the Mediterranean Sea. The Chinese flotilla was on its way to join in exercises with the Russian Navy in the Baltic. According to the China Daily, the flotilla ‘fired several rounds’ during a drill that ‘was aimed at honing crew members’ skills in attacking small targets’. The second phase of the exercises, planned for September in the Sea of Japan, will include ‘an amphibious assault component’.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you try to kill a submarine with a nuclear depth charge, War is Boring and Operation Wigwam have some answers.

News Story: US Kicks Off Navy Drills With Vietnam After China Slams 'Serious Provocation'

Just days after the US sent a guided-missile destroyer near a disputed South China Sea island claimed by three nations, Washington’s Navy initiated naval drills with Vietnam.

The USNS Salvor and the USS Coronado on Wednesday sailed into Vietnam’s Cam Ranh International Port, where they will engage in annual “Naval Engagement Activity” (NEA), a joint collaboration set to take place over five days. 

According to a Navy statement these exercises will include practicing the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), ship handling and medical evaluations along with skill exchanges for law, shipboard damage control and shipboard medicine.

"The United States values our comprehensive partnership with Vietnam and we look forward to deepening our relationship and people-to-people ties through engagements like NEA," Task Force 73 Commander Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson said in a statement. 

"By working and interacting together regularly we foster meaningful relationships and trust between our nations that contribute to the peace and prosperity of the region." 

News Story: Duterte, US envoy discuss counterterrorism

By Alexis Romero and Pia Lee Brago

MANILA, Philippines - The United States yesterday renewed its commitment to help the Philippines in its fight against terrorism as the fighting in Marawi City entered its seventh week.

US Ambassador Sung Kim relayed his country’s commitment to President Duterte during their meeting at Malacañang yesterday afternoon, where they discussed combating terrorism and the rehabilitation of battle-ravaged Marawi City.

“Great discussion with President Duterte: Shared concerns regarding terrorist threat; reaffirmed our support for C/T (counterterrorism) and rehabilitation efforts in Marawi,” Kim said in a tweet.

Malacañang has yet to issue a statement about the meeting.

The US embassy has confirmed that American soldiers are providing technical assistance to government troops in Marawi.

Philippine officials clarified though that no American serviceman was directly involved in combat operations, as prohibited by the 1987 Constitution.

Read the full story at PhilStar

News Report: Philippine, US Navies Patrol Together Despite Duterte’s Hostility to Washington

As violent extremist militias in the southern areas of the Philippines step up attacks, joint patrols by US and Philippine navies have been initiated, in spite of anti-America posturing by the country’s President Rodrigo Duterte.

According to a US Navy spokesperson, the USS Coronado and a Philippine Navy frigate, BRP Ramon Alcaraz, on Saturday completed a four-day joint patrol in the southwestern Filipino waters of the Sulu Sea, following a request by Manila.

Recently there has been an uptick in acts of maritime violence in the region by Abu Sayyaf extremists, particularly as Malaysian, Indonesian and Vietnamese tugboat and cargo ship crew members are kidnapped and held for ransom.

The US Navy spokesperson described the coordinated patrols as "safe and routine," according to Stripes.com.

It is not known where in the Manila government the request for US maritime assistance originated, as Duterte has recently placed a large order for Chinese weapons and publicly castigated Washington, including calling former US President Barack Obama a "son of a whore."

USA: U.S. and Philippine navies complete coordinated patrol in Southern Sulu Sea

From CTF 73 Public Affairs

Sailors assigned to USS Coronado (LCS 4) drive an 11-meter rigid-hull inflatable boat to Philippine Navy ship Ramon Alcaraz (FF 16) for personnel transfer, June 27. (U.S. Navy/MC3 Deven Leigh Ellis) >>

Sulu Sea - The U.S. and Philippine navies completed a coordinated patrol in the Sulu Sea at the invitation of the Government of the Philippines on July 1.

During the operation, crews from the Littoral Combat Ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) and the Del Pilar Class Frigate BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF 16) worked closely together to detect and deter threats to maritime security.

“These patrols enhance regional peace and stability,” said Rear Adm Don Gabrielson, Commander, Task Force 73. “Our at-sea operations with the Philippine Navy demonstrate our commitment to the alliance and deter piracy and illegal activities.”

As part of the operation, a group of Philippine Navy sailors embarked on USS Coronado to coordinate communications and movements between the two ships. The Philippine sailors also exchanged best practices with their U.S. counterparts in visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) techniques and information sharing.

News Story: HASC Adds 5 Ships To Trump Request, But Where’s The $$?

Image: Flickr User - Greg Bishop

By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR.

WASHINGTON: Is 13 the Navy’s lucky number? That’s how many ships the House Armed Service Committee wants to buy in 2018, five more than President Trump requested, the seapower subcommittee announced this afternoon. The problem: no one knows where the money’s coming from.

The increase is part of a bipartisan push towards the 355-ship fleet the Navy says it needs to counter China, Russia, and other threats, a fleet the Navy itself says it can’t begin to build under Trump’s current budget plans.

HASC wants to add a destroyer, an amphibious ship, an Expeditionary Support Base vessel, and two Littoral Combat Ships to the Trump budget’s request for eight.

“It takes the necessary first big step down the road of getting to 355,” said House seapower chairman Rob Wittman this morning. “We can’t get there overnight,” he added, noting a Congressional Budget Office estimate it will tale 20-to-25 years.

This year, though, the great unanswered question is how to pay for those extra ships — or whether they can be bought at all. The ranking Democrat on the seapower subcommittee, Rep. Joe Courtney, told me frankly yesterday he’s never seen so much uncertainty about what the final budget will be.

“Not having a Budget Committee report out, even a suggestion” — he laughed — “is unprecedented in my time,” said Courtney, who’s been in Congress since 2007. “The (GOP-led) Budget Committee has not given us a number to mark towards.”

Read the full story at Breaking Defense

News Story: Philippines, US navies hold joint maritime training in Cebu

MANILA, Philippines — The naval forces of the Philippines and the United States on Monday kicked off its joint maritime training activity in the vicinity of Cebu.

The Maritime Training Activity Sama Sama from June 19 to 25 seeks to enhance the complexity and diversity of training opportunities while strengthening the Philippines-US alliance.

The activity will focus on mutual security concerns such as piracy and sea smuggling, maritime domain awareness and patrol and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness.

"We thank the Philippine Navy and the people of the Philippines for being gracious hosts and we look forward to enhancing our professional ties in meaningful ways that benefit both nations," Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, commander of Task Force 73, said.

Gabrielson added that the joint training would be an opportunity to deepen the US Navy's long-time maritime partnership with the Philippine Navy.

Commodore Loumer Bernabe, commander of the Naval Forces Central of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said that the training will strengthen relationships and partnerships in maritime cooperation.

"We are honored to work with the U.S. Navy during this Maritime Training Activity Sama Sama," Bernabe said.

"Sama-sama," a Filipino word which means "together" is the central theme of the training both at sea and ashore.

Read the full story at PhilStar

USA: USS Coronado technical visit advances expeditionary maintenance ability to Vietnam

From Task Force 73 Public Affairs

In this file photo, USS Coronado (LCS 4) sails in formation with ships of the Royal Thai Navy and Republic of Singapore Navy during a multilateral Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise in May. (U.S. Navy/MC3 Deven Leigh Ellis) >>

CAM RAHN, Vietnam - USS Coronado (LCS 4) is conducting an Expeditionary Preventive Maintenance Availability in Cam Ranh, Vietnam, June 11-15 as part of a technical visit to the international port.

The technical port visit marks the first demonstration of expeditionary maintenance capabilities for the rotationally deployed littoral combat ship Independence-class variant.

"This technical visit advances our expeditionary maintenance capabilities and further strengthens our partnership with Vietnam," said Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73. "Technical visits benefit both nations and increase our geographic flexibility in repairing and maintaining a high state of readiness in our ships. We appreciate the opportunity to partner with Vietnam and look forward to working together to enhance stability and create mutually beneficial relationships."

News Report: Plans For 2 Littoral Combat Ships in Singapore, 1 in Bahrain in 2018 Shaped By Lessons Learned

Austal USA-built Independence class LCS

By: Megan Eckstein

WASHINGTON NAVY YARD – The Navy is laying the groundwork now for more complex Littoral Combat Ship operations in Asia and the Middle East, preparing to deploy two simultaneously to Singapore and one to Bahrain in 2018, the program executive officer for LCS told USNI News.

The service has deployed three LCSs overseas so far, all one at a time to Singapore: the Lockheed Martin-built USS Freedom (LCS-1) and USS Fort Worth(LCS-3), and the Austal USA-built USS Coronado (LCS-4). Rear Adm. John Neagley said the PEO and operators have been collecting as many lessons learned as they can during these deployments in the hopes of feeding that information back into maintenance models and logistics assumptions the manning and training pipelines and plans to backfit the ships with upgrades.

In his first formal interview since assuming command last summer, Neagley told USNI News that these lessons learned will all come into play next year when the Navy ups the difficulty of its LCS operations – with two Independence-variant ships operating concurrently out of Singapore, and one Freedom-variant ship operating out of Bahrain for the first time in the program’s history.

USA: CARAT Thailand concludes bilateral training, operations at sea

From Destroyer Squadron 7 Public Affairs

Littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) sails in formation with ships from the Royal Thai Navy as part of a division tactics exercise during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Thailand, June 3. (U.S. Navy/MC3 Deven Leigh Ellis) >>

SATTAHIP, Thailand - After eight days of bilateral training events ashore and at sea, the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and Royal Thai Navy (RTN) concluded the 23rd-annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise, at Sattahip Naval Base in Thailand, June 6.

As the premier naval engagement in South and Southeast Asia, CARAT provides a regional venue to address shared maritime security priorities, enhance interoperability among participating forces, and develop sustained naval partnerships with nations across South and Southeast Asia. The Royal Thai Navy has been a participant in the CARAT series since the exercises began in 1995.

"Over the past eight days our Sailors and Marines worked side-by-side with their Thai counterparts in conducting a variety of training events ashore and operations at sea," said Capt. Alexis Walker, deputy commodore, Destroyer Squadron 7. "Through 23 years of operating together, CARAT exercises allow us to incorporate new training topics and sea-based operations each year, furthering our interoperability and joint capabilities."

USA: U.S. Asia-Pacific Presence ‘Healthy, Robust, Valuable,’ Dunford Says

By Jim Garamone

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

SYDNEY, June 4, 2017 — The U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific region is "healthy, robust and valuable," the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today after attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford told reporters traveling here with him for a U.S.-Australian ministerial conference that Asian nations' fears of a U.S. retreat from the region are unfounded.

Today, 60 percent of all U.S. Navy ships, 55 percent of U.S. Army forces and about two-thirds of Fleet Marine Forces are assigned to the U.S. Pacific Command area of operations. Soon, 60 percent of U.S. tactical aviation assets will be based in the Asia-Pacific region.

What’s more, the United States is sending its newest and most capable platforms to the region. F-22 Raptors – a fifth generation aircraft – are based in Alaska and Hawaii and have deployed to Japan. F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighters are due to deploy to the area. The P-8 Poseidon aircraft is based in Singapore. Littoral combat ships operate in Pacific waters, and the list goes on.

USA: Mattis, Singapore Prime Minister Reaffirm Defense Relationship

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2017 — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met today with Singaporean Prime Minister‎ Lee Hsien Loong on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, a major annual forum for key leaders in the Asia-Pacific region, to discuss mutual security challenges including cooperation on maritime security.

Long-Standing Relationship

Navy Cmdr. Gary Ross, a spokesman for Mattis, said in a statement that the secretary and the prime minister reaffirmed the "excellent and long-standing" bilateral defense relationship between the United States and Singapore, as underscored by the 1990 memorandum of understanding, the 2005 strategic framework agreement and the 2015 enhanced defense cooperation agreement.

Gratitude for Support

"Secretary Mattis thanked Singapore for its support, which has helped to enable the United States presence in the Asia-Pacific region," Ross said. "Both leaders commended the successful rotational deployments of littoral combat ships and P-8 Poseidon aircraft in Singapore and the good progress being made exploring training opportunities in Guam for the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

US DoD

USA: CARAT 2017 series begins, strengthening maritime partnerships, cooperation

From Task Force 73 Public Affairs

In this file photo, USS Stethem (DDG 63) and ships from the Royal Thai Navy break formation following a maneuvering exercise during CARAT Thailand 2016. (U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Carl King Jr.) >>

SATTAHIP, Thailand - The 23rd annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series commenced in Sattahip, Thailand, May 29, between the Royal Thai Navy and the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

As the premier naval engagement in South and Southeast Asia, CARAT provides a regional venue to address shared maritime security priorities, enhance interoperability among participating forces, and develop sustained naval partnerships with nations across South and Southeast Asia. The Royal Thai Navy has been a participant in the CARAT series since the exercises began in 1995.

"Our engagement through CARAT provides the U.S. and Thailand an opportunity to strengthen our alliance and maritime partnership in very meaningful ways," said Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, commander, Task Force 73. "The complexity of the training and the diverse cadre of Sailors and Marines allow us to deepen relationships at all levels and create bonds of trust that span generations within our forces."

News Story: OMB ‘Supports’ Extra LCS, But Where’s The Money?

By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR.

UPDATE: Source Says WH Will Fund LCS Add; CRS Naval Expert Comments 

CAPITOL HILL: In a startling turnabout, the Trump Administration now “supports” adding a $541 million Littoral Combat Ship to yesterday’s 2018 budget request, Navy officials told Congress this afternoon. What, exactly, does that mean? The Navy doesn’t know.

Minutes before Navy witnesses were to testify before the House seapower subcommittee, they were given new language from the White House Office of Management & Budget: “The Administration recognizes the criticality of our industrial base and supports funding a second LCS in FY18.” OMB gave them no information, however, about whether “supports” is a promise of new money or just a vague sentiment that Congress should feel free to increase the Navy budget.

UPDATE BEGINS: The money will come, promised a source familiar with the administration’s discussions. “The administration’s going to support two (Littoral Combat) ships in the budget in FY18, and we’re figuring out the mechanism to do that,” the source assured me. “There will be a document of some sort, some sort of statement indicating that the administration is going to include in its budget request two LCS in ’18.” The administration will also probably urge the Hill to add a third LCS, leaving it up to Congress to find the funding for that ship.

Where’s the money coming from for the second LCS, the one the administration isfunding? “That is a question for which I do not have an answer,” the source admitted. “OMB and DoD are going to have to sort that out. All I can say is, it will be there.”

Land of Confusion

This was a pretty confusing way to get something in the budget, I said.

“Yeah. I don’t disagree,” said the source, chagrinned. “I wish that it had been done differently the whole way, (but) LCS is a controversial ship, and there are plenty of people who have concerns about it. (At DoD), I think they viewed LCS as a bill payer for other priorities.”

Ultimately, “the senior people in the administration said, we’re going to make the industrial base for our navy…a priority,” the source said, but by that point, “it was too late to put it in the physical budget document that were printed…The decision to include came rather late in the process and communicating that to the Navy and DoD writ large was a little delayed.” UPDATE ENDS

Read the full story at Breaking Defense

News Story: SASC Will ‘Help’ Trump On Navy’s 355-Ship Fleet - Sen. Wicker

Image: Flickr User - Greg Bishop

By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR.

CAPITOL HILL: Presidents propose; Congress disposes. President Trump’s shipbuilding budget for 2018 is a placeholder that legislators can increase, the chairman of the Senate seapower subcommittee told me this morning.

After Sen. Roger Wicker chaired a hearing with shipbuilding executives, following a classified hearing with Navy leaders, I asked him about Trump’s budget. Despite Trump’s campaign pledge for a 350-ship fleet, his budget adds no ships to the Obama plan for FY18 and actually cuts the shipbuilding account. Is this a disappointment, a placeholder, or — given that it takes time for the shipyards to ramp up — a reasonable delay?

“Option B,” Wicker told me with a slight smile. “It’s a placeholder.

“We’re going to work with the administration,” Wicker said. “We’re going to try to help the president get to his goal of more than 350 ships.”

“We take the leadership of the Navy’s recommendations seriously, as a matter of national security,” Wicker continued. The Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. John Richardson, released a new Force Structure Assessment last fall calling for a 355-ship fleet.

“The president has endorsed that concept in broad terms,” Wicker said, “and we aim to work with him to make the budget” — a thoughtful pause — “consistent.”

In other (less politic) words, if Trump won’t put his money where his mouth is, Congress can do it for him.

“I’m going to take it one year at a time,” Wicker told me. “I think what we heard today is an eminently doable lift for this year, this next fiscal year (2018).”

So what did Wicker hear?

Read the full story at Breaking Defense

News Story: Trump Budget Reduces Funds for Naval Shipbuilding

Image: Flickr User - Greg Bishop

On Tuesday, the Trump administration released its proposed budget for FY2018, including $639 billion in defense spending. The Navy would receive $171.5 billion of this amount, $6.5 billion more than in 2017. 

As expected, the budget would fully fund all planned ship depot maintenance, long under-resourced due to sequestration. This would would help clear a severe backlog of deferred maintenance on the attack submarine fleet, and would give the Navy ten more vessel maintenance availabilities than in the prior year. It also funds the continuation of a controversial refit for the Navy's aging Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers, the so-called "2/4/6" plan. In addition, the budget would fund aviation maintenance depots to their maximum current capacity. In a statement, the Navy said that these investments reflect the "importance of restoring wholeness in order to build capacity and improve lethality in the future."

Navy leaders have warned for years that underinvestment in maintenance is reducing readiness. In January, vice chief of naval operations Adm. Bill Moran cautioned that extended deployments and cost-cutting were a risky combination. “This long war we’re in and emerging or re-emerging threats have raised the stakes and kept us on the field longer than our bullpen is able to stay healthy . . . Deferred maintenance is insidiously taking its toll on the long-term readiness of our fleet.” 

However, the proposed budget would not provide as much for naval shipbuilding as some had hoped. A shipbuilding procurement budget of $20 billion would go towards one Ford-class carrier, two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, two Virginia-class subs and only one Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). This list mirrors the Obama administration's plan, and it reduces funding for shipbuilding by about $1 billion compared with the enacted budget for FY2017.

Read the full story at MarEx