Lawmakers were in an uproar this month over the Navy’s decision to not turn in a congressionally mandated report that outlines the service’s 30-year ship acquisition forecast. “Americans would be shocked to know that the Department of Defense cannot or will not produce a key plan for the future of our naval fleet,” grumbles Rep. J. Randy Forbes, R-Va.
Speculation is that the Navy is withholding the plan from Congress because it is trying to figure out how to fund it. The goal is to expand the fleet from 283 to 313 ships. That would require an annual budget increase of at least $25 billion, analysts say. An even bigger bone of contention is how to satisfy the Marine Corps’ demands for additional amphibious and cargo ships. The Navy says the Corps’ wish list is unaffordable. The clash is to be settled during the Quadrennial Defense Review. The Navy faces “big choices,” says Eric Labs, naval analyst at the Congressional Research Service. “They appear vulnerable in the QDR.”