{"id":15601,"date":"2020-01-15T20:46:23","date_gmt":"2020-01-15T20:46:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/01\/15\/the-us-navys-top-officer-says-hell-trade-growing-the-fleet-for-readiness\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:32:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:32:01","slug":"the-us-navys-top-officer-says-hell-trade-growing-the-fleet-for-readiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2020\/01\/15\/the-us-navys-top-officer-says-hell-trade-growing-the-fleet-for-readiness\/","title":{"rendered":"The US Navy\u2019s top officer says he\u2019ll trade growing the fleet for readiness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Navy\u2019s top officer <\/a>said he\u2019ll do what he must to make sure the fleet of today is manned, maintained, trained and equipped, even if that means slowing down how fast the fleet grows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to a question about proposed cuts to Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers<\/a> over the next five years, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday<\/a> said shipbuilding cuts are a trade he\u2019s willing to make to maintain readiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m focused on closing capability gaps, closing readiness gaps and increasing lethality,\u201d Gilday said during comments at the annual Surface Navy Association symposium. \u201cAnd so for me the focus is on sustaining the Navy that we have, [which] comes at a high price. Some of that price is, perhaps, a reduction in growth. Not to say that growth stops, but growth perhaps slows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t