The U.S. Navy Now Wants 534 Ships In Its Fleet

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Defense News: The Pentagon is eyeing a 500-ship Navy, documents reveal

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s upcoming recommendation for a future Navy is expected to call for a significant increase in the number of ships, with officials discussing a fleet as large as 530 hulls, according to documents obtained by Defense News.

Supporting documents to the forthcoming Future Navy Force Study reviewed by Defense News show the Navy moving towards a lighter force with many more ships but fewer aircraft carriers and large surface combatants. Instead, the fleet would include more small surface combatants, unmanned ships and submarines and an expanded logistics force.

Two groups commissioned by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to design what a future Navy should look like suggested fleets of anywhere from 480 to 534 ships, when manned and unmanned platforms are accounted for — at least a 35 percent increase in fleet size from the current target of 355 manned ships by 2030.

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Update #1: Future U.S. Navy fleet could include more than 500 ships (UPI)
Update #2: Already Challenged by Fleet Size Goals, Pentagon Expected to Ask for 530-Ship Navy (Sputnik)

WNU Editor: The US wants to match the China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy goal of having a 425 ship fleet .... ‘A Formidable Force’: China’s Rapidly Modernizing PLAN Has More Ships Than US Navy (Sputnik).