The Five Surprises In Pentagon’s 2022 Budget

The Five Surprises In Pentagon’s 2022 Budget
The Five Surprises In Pentagon’s 2022 Budget

Most observers had expected an increase in the Navy’s shipbuilding accounts with this budget, especially after the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, said that, even as an Army general, he would support budget increases for the Navy and Air Force in light of the Chinese threat. But this budget decommissions 12 ships and buys relatively few replacements.

Navy Wary of Growing Costs While It Ramps Up Ops

Navy Wary of Growing Costs While It Ramps Up Ops
Navy Wary of Growing Costs While It Ramps Up Ops

The Navy is adding more ships as quickly as possible, even as it grapples with how it’s going to pay the costs to keep them afloat once it gets them, a top officer said.

Keep 12 Carriers, It’s A National Imperative: Rep. Wittman

Keep 12 Carriers, It’s A National Imperative: Rep. Wittman
Keep 12 Carriers, It’s A National Imperative: Rep. Wittman

What does one of the most influential defense lawmakers on the Hill, Rob Wittman, think about the Trump Administration plan to cut the number of aircraft carriers from 11 to 10?

Hull Watch: 355 Ship Navy Might Take Until 2052, Navy Official Concedes

Hull Watch: 355 Ship Navy Might Take Until 2052, Navy Official Concedes
Hull Watch: 355 Ship Navy Might Take Until 2052, Navy Official Concedes

The Navy is going wobbly on its 355 ship fleet, but Capitol Hill doesn’t want to hear it.

‘Core’ Battle Is US, Allies Vs. Corrupt Dictators: Rep. Smith

‘Core’ Battle Is US, Allies Vs. Corrupt Dictators: Rep. Smith
‘Core’ Battle Is US, Allies Vs. Corrupt Dictators: Rep. Smith

WASHINGTON: This city’s fixation on how much stuff the Pentagon should buy is distracting us from the “core ideological struggle” against corrupt dictatorships, said the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. Numerical targets like a 355-ship Navy — now enshrined in law — or a 500,000 active soldier Army are not only unaffordable…

Collisions Study Shows Navy Needs Better Training, More Ships: CNO

Collisions Study Shows Navy Needs Better Training, More Ships: CNO
Collisions Study Shows Navy Needs Better Training, More Ships: CNO

WASHINGTON: Lookouts were looking in the wrong direction on the USS Fitzgerald. The bridge crew – including the commander – didn’t know how the helm worked on the USS McCain. The collisions that killed 17 sailors this summer were “preventable” lapses in basic seamanship, the Chief of Naval Operations admitted today, as he ordered a…

355-Ship Navy Takes At Least 18 Years: CBO

355-Ship Navy Takes At Least 18 Years: CBO
355-Ship Navy Takes At Least 18 Years: CBO

President Trump and the US Navy want a 355-ship fleet, but even if you double shipbuilding budgets compared to historic levels, it can’t be done until 2032, at least 12 years after the end of Trump’s current term of office. That’s the estimate offered today by the Congressional Budget Office. At a more sustainable but…

Pilots Can’t Fly, Ships Can’t Sail & Trump’s Budget Is DOA, Say McCain & Thornberry

Pilots Can’t Fly, Ships Can’t Sail & Trump’s Budget Is DOA, Say McCain & Thornberry
Pilots Can’t Fly, Ships Can’t Sail & Trump’s Budget Is DOA, Say McCain & Thornberry

WASHINGTON: As Defense Secretary Jim Mattis prepared to appear before the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee to defend President Trump’s first defense budget, GOP stalwarts Sen. John McCain and Rep. Mac Thornberry were telling reporters it was dead on arrival. “We’ve got planes that can’t fly, ships that can’t sail and Army units that can’t train,” McCain,…

The Skinny On Trump’s Skinny Budget: Much Still Unclear

The Skinny On Trump’s Skinny Budget: Much Still Unclear
The Skinny On Trump’s Skinny Budget: Much Still Unclear

The Trump administration’s long awaited “skinny budget”, officially named “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again”, has arrived. It confirms the $54 billion increase in defense, and proposes to add $30 billion to this year’s (fiscal 2017) budget. It provides a description of what the Trump administration hopes to achieve in defense…

355-Ship Fleet Costs $5B Extra Per Year: CRS

355-Ship Fleet Costs $5B Extra Per Year: CRS
355-Ship Fleet Costs $5B Extra Per Year: CRS

WASHINGTON: Building the Navy’s 355-ship fleet will be even harder than we thought, according to a new study from the Congressional Research Service. Veteran Navy expert Ronald O’Rourke estimates that, even if US shipyards work 50 percent faster than today, we wouldn’t have enough aircraft carriers until roughly 2030 — 14 years from now — and enough…

Trump WH Makes It Official: Bigger Navy, Air Force & ‘End’ To Sequestration:

Trump WH Makes It Official: Bigger Navy, Air Force & ‘End’ To Sequestration:
Trump WH Makes It Official: Bigger Navy, Air Force & ‘End’ To Sequestration:

WASHINGTON: Soon after President Donald Trump took the oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution,” the White House posted two documents declaring they would boost the size of the Navy and Air Force, increase our offensive and defensive cyber capabilities and end sequestration. In the first document, Making Our Military Strong Again, the Trump Administration…

Trump Proffers Pentagon Specifics: $60B More To Boost Troops, Ships

Trump Proffers Pentagon Specifics: $60B More To Boost Troops, Ships
Trump Proffers Pentagon Specifics: $60B More To Boost Troops, Ships

When Donald Trump discussed his defense program in Philadelphia on Wednesday, the bluster and lunacy of the primary season were gone and he offered a scripted position paper that reflected (mostly) mainstream Republican ideas. There is still lots one might disagree with, but the discipline of the teleprompter meant that he read a staff-prepared paper that put…

LCS Cut Ripples Through Navy’s New 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan

LCS Cut Ripples Through Navy’s New 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan
LCS Cut Ripples Through Navy’s New 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan

WASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Ashton Carter cut the Littoral Combat Ship program by 12 vessels last fall, but the surface fleet will feel the impact for decades. The long-term ramifications are laid out in detail by the Navy’s forthcoming 30-year shipbuilding plan, excerpts of which were obtained by Breaking Defense. Last year’s 30-year plan projected the…

Cruz Wants $750B For Defense: Boost Services, Not Special Ops

Cruz Wants $750B For Defense: Boost Services, Not Special Ops
Cruz Wants $750B For Defense: Boost Services, Not Special Ops

Ted Cruz now leads Donald Trump in at least some national polls. So when the senator offered a fairly detailed military blueprint for his presidency on Tuesday, CSIS defense budget analyst Mark Cancan jumped on it. He ran Cruz’s assumptions and numbers through CSIS’ Force Cost Calculator. What did he find? Read on. The Editor. In…