DoD 30-Year Ship Plan Needs $16B a Year; Aviation Plan Puts Off New Bomber
The U.S. Navy's new 30-year fleet plan demotes the previous goal of a 313-ship fleet to a mere "point of
departure" for developing a new fleet. The service estimates it can buy the ships in the plan for an
average of "no more than $15.9 billion per year" in 2010 dollars.
And for the first time, the Pentagon submitted to Congress a 30-year aviation plan for the Air Force and
Navy.
The Navy is required by Congress to annually prepare a 30-year shipbuilding plan. Last year's plan was
held in abeyance at the direction of Defense Secretary Bob Gates - a move that angered some
lawmakers. The new plan was sent to the Hill on Feb. 1 to accompany the president's fiscal 2011 budget.
In the updated plan's near-term period, the Navy plans to "significantly ramp up" production of ships
such as the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) to "support persistent
presence, maritime security, irregular warfare, joint sealift, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and
partnership building missions." A total of 66 LCS ships is now forecast to be bought over the 30-year
period, including 17 replacements for ships reaching the end of their service life.
Highlights of the plan include:
¦ Increasing the number of Navy-operated Joint High Speed Vessel ships to 23 and expanding their
mission range.
¦ Canceling plans to build two new joint command ships and instead extend the two 1970s-era ships
through 2029.
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¦ Standardizing the combat logistics force to two basic auxiliary ship types: T-AKE dry cargo ammunition
ships and new T-AO(X) double-hulled fleet oilers.
¦ Replacing the Maritime Prepositioning Force (Future) (MPFF) squadron to support high-end, forcibleentry
operations with three enhanced Maritime Prepositioning Squadrons, each consisting of a T-AKE, a
new Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) and a Large Medium-Speed Roll-on/Roll-off (LMSR) ship transferred
from the Army.
The plan, as expected, holds the number of aircraft carriers to 11 ships until dropping to 10 after 2040;
reaffirms the 2008 decision to end the DDG 1000 destroyer program at three ships and last fall's choice
to select a single design for the Littoral Combat Ship program; confirms the plan to continue
development of a new Advanced Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) to install on DDG 51-class destroyers
(scheduled with the ships to be ordered in 2016); and maintain an amphibious landing force of
"approximately 33 ships."
The plan is divided into thirds: a near-term from 2011 to 2020 "based on a very good understanding of
requirements, costs and capabilities"; a mid-term from 2021 to 2030 featuring ships "yet to be informed
by either concrete threat analyses of formal analysts of alternatives"; and a far-term from 2031 to 2040
based on decisions and assumptions "certain to change over the next two decades."
The new plan does not plan for a replacement for the four SSGN cruise-missile and special-mission
submarines converted from the ballistic missile mission. A 12-ship replacement program for the Ohioclass
ballistic missile submarines is to be funded from 2019 through 2033, but the requirement for the
new sub is expected in the forthcoming Nuclear Posture Review expected to be sent to Congress in early
March.
The Navy acknowledges that the 33-ship amphibious fleet "represents the limit of acceptable risk" in
meeting the requirement to deliver two Marine Expeditionary Brigades in a forcible entry operation,
despite the Corps' desire for 38 ships.
And while the total number of LCS ships to be bought jumps to 66, the rate of construction significantly
drops. Gone are previous years where six or five ships were to be purchased; instead, the new plan buys
four per year from 2013 to 2015, three a year from 2016 to 2019, and two or one per year thereafter
through 2040.
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