{"id":50360,"date":"2024-09-19T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2024\/09\/19\/how-the-navys-top-officer-will-prep-the-service-for-war-with-china\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:09:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:09:15","slug":"how-the-navys-top-officer-will-prep-the-service-for-war-with-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2024\/09\/19\/how-the-navys-top-officer-will-prep-the-service-for-war-with-china\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Navy\u2019s top officer will prep the service for war with China"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The Navy is taking lessons from its combat in the Red Sea over the past year and what Ukraine has done to hold off the Russians in the Black Sea to help U.S. military leaders prepare the service for a potential future conflict with China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From drones and unmanned surface vessels to the more advanced operation of ship-board guns, the Navy is expanding its combat skills and broadening training. It is also working to overcome recruiting struggles so it can have the sailors it needs to fight the next war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti is laying out a series of goals, including several that will be highly challenging to meet, in a new navigation plan, or NAVPLAN<\/a>, she described in an interview with The Associated Press. The objective is to be ready to face what the Pentagon calls its key national security challenge \u2014 China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m very focused on 2027. It\u2019s the year that that President Xi (Jinping) told his forces to be ready to invade Taiwan,\u201d Franchetti said. \u201cWe need to be more ready.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new plan includes what she considers seven priority goals, ranging from removing delays in ship depot maintenance to improving Navy infrastructure, recruiting and the use of drones and autonomous systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One significant challenge is to have 80% of the force be ready enough at any given time to deploy for combat if needed \u2014 something she acknowledged is a \u201cstretch goal.\u201d The key, she said, is to get to a level of combat readiness where \u201cif the nation calls us, we can push the \u2018go\u2019 button and we can surge our forces to be able to meet the call.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t