{"id":84351,"date":"2017-12-14T01:59:44","date_gmt":"2017-12-14T01:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/12\/14\/trump-just-made-355-ships-national-policy\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:17:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:17:43","slug":"trump-just-made-355-ships-national-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2017\/12\/14\/trump-just-made-355-ships-national-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump just made a 355-ship Navy national policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Achieving a 355-ship Navy is now national policy, but the goal is still a long way off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When U.S. President Donald Trump signed the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act on Tuesday, it included a provision sponsored by Senate Seapower Subcommittee Chairman Roger Wicker and his House counterpart, Rep. Rob Wittman, that calls for the country to build up to 355 ships \u201cas soon as practicable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The provision is contingent on the requisite appropriations, which means it\u2019s anything but a sure bet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith his signature, President Trump has confirmed the United States\u2019 resolve to meet the growing needs of our U.S. Navy,\u201d Wicker said in a statement. \u201cBuilding up our nation\u2019s fleet is essential to protecting our national security and projecting American power around the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are asking too few ships to do too many things, and today the President took a major step toward rectifying that problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The so-called SHIPS Act doesn\u2019t lock in any money or set any specific timeline, but is more a signaling of Congress\u2019 intent to work toward that goal. The provision will give proponents of a naval buildup something to hang their hats on as they push for the larger Navy Trump promised during the campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a helpful move, if largely symbolic,\u201d said Bryan McGrath, a retired destroyer captain and consultant with The Ferrybridge Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move by Wicker, R-Miss., and Wittman, R-Va., is a way of holding Trump accountable for his promises, McGrath continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s interesting to see two stalwart Republican sea power advocates who feel the need to put this into legislation,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a sign not only of uneven support from others on the Hill, but also a sign of growing impatience with the Trump administration\u2019s vigor in following through on campaign promises.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 355-ship Navy has become an increasingly remote possibility, as hope has begun to fade that Congress will ever find a solution to its self-imposed budget caps under the Budget Control Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\t