{"id":53411,"date":"2020-02-10T18:30:02","date_gmt":"2020-02-10T18:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/02\/10\/355-as-secdef-backs-a-bigger-fleet-dod-moves-to-cut-shipbuilding-by-20-percent\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:58:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:58:10","slug":"355-as-secdef-backs-a-bigger-fleet-dod-moves-to-cut-shipbuilding-by-20-percent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2020\/02\/10\/355-as-secdef-backs-a-bigger-fleet-dod-moves-to-cut-shipbuilding-by-20-percent\/","title":{"rendered":"Esper backs a bigger Navy fleet, but moves to cut shipbuilding by 20 percent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Defense Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/breaking-news\/2020\/02\/09\/defense-secretary-mark-esper-on-how-the-navy-can-get-to-355-ships\/\" target=\"_blank\">Mark Esper is calling for a 355-ship fleet<\/a> by 2030, but for fiscal 2021, shipbuilding took a big hit in the Defense Department\u2019s budget request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy\u2019s FY21 budget request asked for $19.9 billion for shipbuilding; that\u2019s $4.1 billion less than enacted levels for 2020. The ask also seeks in total four fewer ships than the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2019\/03\/12\/the-us-navy-will-hit-a-milestone-ship-count-in-2020-pours-money-into-sailors-subs-and-unmanned-tech\/\" target=_blank> service requested in its 2020 budget<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The hefty slice out of shipbuilding comes in the first year the Navy requested full funding for the first Columbia-class submarine, which Navy leaders have warned for years would take up an enormous portion of the shipbuilding account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Department of the Navy\u2019s total budget request (including both base funding and overseas contingency operations funding) is $207.1 billion, approximately split $161 billion for the Navy and $46 billion for the Marine Corps.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2019\/12\/27\/proposal-for-sweeping-cuts-to-us-navy-shipbuilding-force-structure-could-herald-a-new-strategy-experts-say\/\" 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=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ptr.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\">Proposal for sweeping cuts to US Navy shipbuilding, force structure could herald a new strategy, experts say<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A dramatic series of cuts could force the Navy in a new direction, one that relies on unmanned ships and fewer sailors.<\/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\">News of the cuts come a day after Defense News held an exclusive interview with Esper during which he backed a larger, 355-ship fleet, but said the Navy must refocus around smaller, lighter ships to fit within budget constraints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In total, the Navy requested two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, one Columbia-class submarine, one Virginia-class submarine, one FFG(X) future frigate, one LPD-17 amphibious transport dock, and two towing and salvage ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The budget reflected a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2019\/12\/25\/pentagon-proposal-cuts-an-ffgx-and-an-attack-submarine-out-of-the-budget\/\" target=_blank>cut to the Virginia-class sub and FFG(X) programs<\/a>, each of which were supposed to be two ships in 2021, according to last year\u2019s 30-year shipbuilding plan. Both cuts were forecast in a memo from the White House\u2019s Office of Management and Budget obtained by Defense News in December. The memo also called for cutting an Arleigh Burke destroyer, but it appears to have been restored in trade-offs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another controversial move in the budget is the decommissioning of the first four littoral combat ships, likewise a move forecast in the OMB memo, as well as the early decommissioning of a dock landing ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The budget also requests a $2.5 billion cut to aircraft procurement over 2020\u2019s enacted levels, requesting $17.2 billion. The budget calls for 24 F\/A-18E\/F Super Hornets fighter jets, 21 F-35C jets (between the Navy and Marine Corps), and four E-2D Hawkeye aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The budget also funds $160 million in shipyard upgrades, as well as research into the Common Hull Auxiliary Multi-Mission Platform to the tune of $17 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is also $208 million in research and development for the DDG-1000 class, as well as $216 million for the Ford class. It also funds the procurement of two new large unmanned surface vessels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1905\" height=\"1080\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6030071.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27222\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6030071.jpg.jpg 1905w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6030071.jpg.jpg?resize=300,170 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6030071.jpg.jpg?resize=768,435 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6030071.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,581 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6030071.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,871 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1905px) 100vw, 1905px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 17, 2020) A T-45 Goshawk, assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23, lands aboard USS Gerald R. Ford&#8217;s (CVN 78) flight deck. Ford is currently conducting Aircraft Compatibility Testing to further test its Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch Systems (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ruben Reed)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Columbia cuts?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For years the Navy has warned that once the service starts buying the Columbia class, it\u2019s going to have a significant impact on everything else the Navy wants to buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a 2013 hearing before the House Armed Service Committee\u2019s sea power subpanel, then-Navy Director of Undersea Warfare Rear Adm. Richard Breckenridge testified that failure to realign the Department of Defense\u2019s budget by even 1 percent would have a devastating impact on the Navy\u2019s shipbuilding program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The Navy recognizes that without a supplement this is going to have a devastating impact on our other general-purpose ships and is working with the [Office of the Secretary of Defense] and with Congress to identify the funds necessary, which I mentioned earlier represent less than 1 percent of the DoD budget for a 15-year period, to provide relief and fund this separately above and beyond our traditional norms for our shipbuilding budget,\u201d Breckenridge said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But with the rubber meeting the road, the Navy\u2019s budget instead went down by almost 20 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with Defense News, Esper rejected the idea of moving Columbia out of the Navy\u2019s shipbuilding account, even as he called for a much larger fleet in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2019\/12\/10\/nuclear-deterrent-still-the-us-navys-top-priority-no-matter-the-consequences-top-officer-says\/\" 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=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Pennsylvania-sub.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\">Nuclear deterrent still the US Navy\u2019s top priority, no matter the consequences, top officer says<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The US Navy is staring at an enormous bill to replace the aging Ohio class, yet the service has no choice but to press forward, its top officer says.<\/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\">The Navy must tighten its belt to reduce the impact on the budget, Esper said, adding that the Air Force is in a similar financial bind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cClearly the Columbia is a big bill, but it\u2019s a big bill we have to pay,\u201d Esper said. \u201cThat\u2019s the Navy\u2019s bill. The Air Force has a bill called bombers and ground-based strategic deterrent, so that\u2019s a bill they have to pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe all recognize that. Acting Secretary [of the Navy Thomas] Modly and I have spoken about this. He believes, and I think he\u2019s absolutely correct, that there are more and more efficiencies to be found within the department, the Navy and the Marine Corps, that they can free up money to invest into ships, into platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is unclear, however, where the Navy will be able to find that money. Despite years of record defense budgets under the Trump administration, the Navy \u2014 at its current size of 294 ships \u2014 is struggling to field sufficient manpower. It has also struggled with the capacity of its private shipyards and is scouring the country for new places to fix its ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Furthermore, there are questions about whether the Navy is adequately funding its surge forces, given that the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group was stranded on a Middle East deployment for more than 10 months because the carrier relieving it had a casualty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy declined to use its surge forces and instead extended Abraham Lincoln\u2019s deployment, according to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Esper said the Navy must look to smaller ships to grow, even though the current budget also defunds a second FFG(X) planned for this year. The FFG(X) was developed to field significant capabilities for about half the price of an Arleigh Burke so they could be bought in greater number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe need to move away from large platforms,\u201d Esper said. \u201cWe need to move to smaller and more ships. We need to move to optionally manned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The idea of moving to a more lightly manned fleet with an unmanned option is currently en vogue with the Navy, and it\u2019s partly driven by the fact that 35-40 percent of the shipbuilding budget is eaten up by the Columbia class for the foreseeable future. That\u2019s something that all parties are coming around to, Esper said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c[Acting Secretary Modly] agrees, so there\u2019s no doubt he\u2019s on board,&#8221; Epser said. \u201cI know the chairman and I have had the same conversations. I\u2019ve heard from members of Congress. If you go look at the think tank literature that\u2019s out there, they will tell you generally the same thing. We need to move forward in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Optionally manned vs. optionally unmanned<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Experts disagree over the degree to which the Navy should pursue a more lightly manned construct, and the difference appears to be philosophical: The Navy is developing an \u201coptionally manned\u201d ship; a recent Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments study led by analyst Bryan Clark is proposing an \u201coptionally unmanned\u201d ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It may seem like a small difference, but building a ship designed from the ground up to support humans is a major difference from a boat that can accommodate a few humans if the operators want to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy is currently pursuing a large unmanned surface vessel, or LUSV, which is based on a commercial offshore support vessel, as part of an effort that started in the aegis of the Office of the Secretary of Defense\u2019s Special Capabilities Office and is now run by the Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The service describes its planned<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2019\/03\/14\/a-classified-pentagon-maritime-drone-program-is-about-to-get-its-moment-in-the-sun\/\"> LUSV<\/a> as an external missile magazine that can significantly boost the number of missile tubes fielded for significantly less money than buying Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, which cost nearly $2 billion per hull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy has discussed equipping the LUSV with the ability to house sailors, but the vessel would be largely designed as an unmanned platform, which would save money because there likely won\u2019t be a need for structure that supports human habitation. Sailors supporting an LUSV might use a port-a-potty and eat MREs rather than building an at-sea septic system and galley, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But therein lies the problem with the LUSV, according <a href=\"https:\/\/csbaonline.org\/uploads\/documents\/Taking_Back_the_Seas_WEB.pdf\">to the study<\/a> by CSBA: What would the Navy do with those vessels, which it intends to buy in mass, when it\u2019s not trading missiles with China?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"606\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ghost.JPG.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35670\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ghost.JPG.jpg 800w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ghost.JPG.jpg?resize=300,227 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ghost.JPG.jpg?resize=768,582 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">One of the two prototypes purchased by the Office of the Secretary of Defense&#8217;s Strategic Capabilities Office for its Ghost Fleet Overlord program, aimed at fielding an autonomous surface ship capable of launching missiles. (Photo: DoD)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before the Navy gets too far down the road of fielding an optionally manned LUSV, the Navy should pony up for a more expensive but more useful corvette that, in the event of war, could be unmanned and used as the envisioned external missile magazine, the study said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Navy\u2019s planned LUSV would also be an approximately 2,000-ton ship based on an [offshore support vessel] design,\u201d the study read. \u201cIn contrast to the optionally manned LUSV, the DDC [corvette] would be an optionally unmanned vessel that would normally operate with a crew. By having small crews, DDCs could contribute to peacetime training, engagement, maritime security, and deterrence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In other words, for every scenario short of war, there would be a small warship that can execute normal naval missions \u2014 missions that ideally deter conflict from occurring in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study described a vessel that would be crewed with as many as 24 sailors, but would retain the ability to be unmanned in a crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cInstead of procuring an optionally manned LUSV that may be difficult to employ throughout the spectrum of competition and conflict, CSBA\u2019s plan introduces a similarly designed DDC that is designed to be, conversely, optionally unmanned and would normally operate with small crews of around 15\u201324 personnel,\u201d the report read. \u201cDDCs primarily armed with offensive weapons would serve as offboard magazines for force packages.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Navy&#8217;s fiscal 2021 budget request includes a Columbia-class submarine and a cut to shipbuilding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":75666,"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":{"7":{"categories":["your-navy","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","home","middle-column"],"primary_category":"your-navy"}}},"categories":[160,162,114,16,36,19,30],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3361],"class_list":["post-53411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-digital-show-daily","category-federal-budget","category-naval","category-newsletters","category-pentagon","category-smr"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"TBD5VA6OQZB3VBN34G2WYMQSEI","arc_canonical_url":"\/naval\/2020\/02\/10\/355-as-secdef-backs-a-bigger-fleet-dod-moves-to-cut-shipbuilding-by-20-percent\/","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>Esper backs a bigger Navy fleet, but moves to cut shipbuilding by 20 percent - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The U.S. Navy&#039;s fiscal 2021 budget request includes a Columbia-class submarine and a cut to shipbuilding.\" \/>\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=\"Esper backs a bigger Navy fleet, but moves to cut shipbuilding by 20 percent\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The U.S. Navy&#039;s fiscal 2021 budget request includes a Columbia-class submarine and a cut to shipbuilding.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2020\/02\/10\/355-as-secdef-backs-a-bigger-fleet-dod-moves-to-cut-shipbuilding-by-20-percent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-10T18:30:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T23:58:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David B. Larter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David B. 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