Will The U.S. Navy Expand Under A Romney Administration?

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney introduces U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan as his vice-presidential running mate during a campaign event at the retired battleship USS Wisconsin in Norfolk, Virginia August 11, 2012. Shannon Stapleton / REUTERS

If Romney Wins, Does The U.S. Navy Expand? -- James R. Holmes, The Diplomat

Defense News is running an interview between reporter Chris Cavas and former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman that’s well worth your time. Now a senior advisor to the Mitt Romney campaign, Lehman presided over the expansion of the U.S. Navy to almost 600 ships during the 1980s. The chief takeaway from the interview is a number: 350. That’s the number of ships that Romney & Co. believe should comprise the future fleet. The campaign has apparently embraced the vision put forward by a blue-ribbon panel that evaluated the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review, the Pentagon’s official view of the strategic environment and the best methods for coping with it. The QDR panel recommended fielding a 346-ship fleet. The navy’s goal stood at 313 ships from 2006 until earlier this year, when naval officials dialed the total back to “about 300.”

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My Comment: I know that the Navy will not expand under President Obama .... but will a President Romney follow the same naval policies as President Obama's? I guess it all come down to money, budget compromises, and more importantly .... developing a policy that examines and defines the US Navy's role in attaining the President's strategic goals and objectives .... and then raising the money to fulfill them. In short .... I know that President Romney wants a 350 ship navy .... but I still need him to better define why we need 350 ships .... especially when budgets are tight and getting tighter.