{"id":28928,"date":"2020-11-19T20:56:25","date_gmt":"2020-11-19T20:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/11\/19\/secnav-calls-for-standing-up-new-numbered-fleet-in-the-indo-pacific\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T16:17:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T16:17:03","slug":"secnav-calls-for-standing-up-new-numbered-fleet-in-the-indo-pacific","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2020\/11\/19\/secnav-calls-for-standing-up-new-numbered-fleet-in-the-indo-pacific\/","title":{"rendered":"SECNAV calls for standing up new numbered fleet in the Indo-Pacific"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the Pentagon warily eyes a Chinese military with increasing naval capability, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/congress\/2020\/05\/21\/senate-confirms-navy-secretary-kenneth-braithwaite\/\" target=_blank>U.S. Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite<\/a> called this week for the establishment of a U.S. 1st Fleet, a new numbered command that would sit at the vital crossroads of the Indian and Pacific oceans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But while Braithwaite characterized the effort as well underway, Navy officials said that no decisions have been made per the timing and location of a potential 1st Fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI haven\u2019t had a chance to talk to the new acting secretary of defense about this \u2026 but I\u2019ve crossed all the other T\u2019s and dotted all the other I\u2019s,\u201d Braithwaite said Tuesday at the Naval Submarine League\u2019s annual symposium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Christopher Miller was named the acting SECDEF earlier this month after President Trump fired Mark Esper as the Pentagon\u2019s leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Braithwaite said a 1st Fleet would bolster the Navy\u2019s Indo-Pacific footprint and take some of the burden off the Japan-based <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c7f.navy.mil\/About-Us\/Facts-Sheet\/#:~:text=%EF%82%B7%20Seventh%20Fleet%20is%20the,20%2C000%20Sailors%20in%20Seventh%20Fleet.\" target=_blank>U.S. 7th Fleet<\/a>, which is currently tasked with overseeing more than 77 million square miles, spanning from the international date line to the India-Pakistan border, up to the Kuril Islands off Russia and down to the Antarctic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such a fleet would expand regional partnerships as well, with the aim of countering an ascendant and increasingly assertive Chinese military.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/11\/05\/with-an-eye-on-china-us-navy-joins-india-japan-and-australia-for-malabar-exercise\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/malabar-1.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">With an eye on China, US Navy joins India, Japan and Australia for Malabar exercise<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The India-led exercise comes amid increased tensions between New Dehli and Beijing.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe can\u2019t just rely on the fleet in Japan,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to look to other allies and partners, like Singapore, like India, and put a numbered fleet where it would be extremely relevant if, God forbid, we were to get in any kind of dustup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"800\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/braithwaite-1st-fleet.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-64327\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/braithwaite-1st-fleet.jpg.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/braithwaite-1st-fleet.jpg.jpg?resize=300,240 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/braithwaite-1st-fleet.jpg.jpg?resize=768,614 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite called this week for the establishment of a U.S. 1st Fleet near the intersection of the Indian and Pacific oceans. (Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Braithwaite\u2019s spokesman, Capt. Jereal Dorsey, said in a statement Wednesday that \u201cno decisions have been made on timing or location for the establishment of an additional numbered fleet in the Indo-Pacific.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Navy continues to review our organizational structure and force posture, in coordination with combatant commanders and our allies, to ensure we can most effectively meet the maritime challenges we face around the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Singapore\u2019s government said in a statement Wednesday that, other than an agreement to rotate four U.S. littoral combat ships into Singapore, there had been \u201cno further requests or discussions with the U.S. Department of Defense on additional deployment of U.S. ships in Singapore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Braithwaite framed such needs against the backdrop of an existential threat from China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe United States alone will never be able to stand up against the (People\u2019s Republic of China) without having our allies and partners close to us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Trump has regularly questioned the utility of alliances like NATO, Braithwaite called such sentiments \u201ca bunch of crap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are all stronger standing together,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can visualize a NATO that takes in all democratic nations of the world \u2026 you\u2019re talking Indonesia, Australia, Japan, India \u2026 in addition to the Western European nations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cChina wouldn\u2019t be able to stand against us,\u201d Braithwaite added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New Delhi has increasingly cast a wary eye on the Chinese navy, and the recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/11\/05\/with-an-eye-on-china-us-navy-joins-india-japan-and-australia-for-malabar-exercise\/\" target=_blank>Malabar exercise<\/a> in the Bay of Bengal brought together American, Australian, Japanese and Indian naval forces to learn how to better operate together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Braithwaite said Tuesday that a 1st Fleet headquarters might end up in Singapore or elsewhere and could start out as an expeditionary command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1199\" height=\"629\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Malabar-2020-d.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40089\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Malabar-2020-d.jpg.jpg 1199w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Malabar-2020-d.jpg.jpg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Malabar-2020-d.jpg.jpg?resize=768,403 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Malabar-2020-d.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,537 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1199px) 100vw, 1199px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">201117-N-NC885-1165 NORTH ARABIAN SEA (Nov. 17, 2020) The guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104), the Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Ballarat (left) and the Indian Navy aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya steam in formation in the North Arabian Sea during Malabar 2020. Malabar 2020 is the latest in a continuing series of exercises that has grown in scope and complexity over the years to address the variety of shared threats to maritime security in the Indo-Asia Pacific where the U.S. Navy has patrolled for more than 70 years promoting regional peace and security. Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed to the 7th Fleet area of operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Drace Wilson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMove it across the Pacific until it is where our allies and partners see that it could assist them as well as assist us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Braithwaite said he will travel to India in the coming weeks to discuss the country\u2019s security concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI want to ensure that \u2026 as I look back on the time that I have in this role, that it opened the door to these nations recognizing the challenges that they have and offer them the kind of support that \u2026 we, the United States Navy, can provide, but also seek their partnership and alliance with us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Chinese navy now has more vessels than the United States, he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThankfully, our capabilities are much greater, which can be used to give us the edge, but that\u2019s only a matter of time,\u201d Braithwaite said. \u201cThat is the bubble that I am chasing each and every day sitting in this office.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are several reasons why Braithwaite\u2019s aspirations for a 1st Fleet might not become reality, according to Dr. James Holmes, a professor of naval strategy at the Naval War College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Primarily, Braithwaite may no longer be SECNAV when Biden\u2019s presidency begins in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf he\u2019s a constituency of one for a new fleet and the constituency is gone, the idea will disappear,\u201d Holmes said in an email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Holmes also wondered how much the idea had been bandied about with potential hosts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSingapore and Australia are close friends and allies, but they are also leery of committing in advance to U.S.-led operations,\u201d he said. \u201cThey could be entrapped in something their political leaders choose to remain aloof from. No government wants to foreclose its options.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. military commands in Japan, Korea and other NATO nations were all borne out of major wars, and standing up a 1st Fleet would entail \u201ca strategic competition without a war as the precursor,\u201d Holmes noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe would be asking our allies to admit us before the war rather than already being on the ground and deciding to stay,\u201d he said. \u201cWe helped found NATO at the outset of a major strategic competition known as the Cold War, but we were already in Europe to help clean up the aftermath of WWII.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Any future 1st Fleet will require winning over regional allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey won\u2019t just do it because we think it\u2019s a nifty plan,\u201d Holmes said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some question the feasibility of standing up a U.S. 1st Fleet at the nexus of the Indian and Pacific oceans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":40327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":16,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,16,36],"tags":[8592],"coauthors":[3483],"class_list":["post-28928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-naval","category-newsletters","tag-china"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"5ZT7OKMQZJFQ7E7HF6AY4CRJPU","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/11\/19\/secnav-calls-for-standing-up-new-numbered-fleet-in-the-indo-pacific\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SECNAV calls for standing up new numbered fleet in the Indo-Pacific - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Some question the feasibility of standing up a U.S. 1st Fleet at the nexus of the Indian and Pacific oceans.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SECNAV calls for standing up new numbered fleet in the Indo-Pacific\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Some question the feasibility of standing up a U.S. 1st Fleet at the nexus of the Indian and Pacific oceans.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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