In its latest 30-year shipbuilding plan, the US Navy has distanced itself from its 2005 plan of fielding a 313-ship fleet by the middle of the coming decade.rnInstead, the service has told Congress that it wants a 301-ship fleet by 2040, which will require a consistent funding level of USD15.9 billion on average per year.rnThe new plan envisages a fleet consistent with the irregular warfare and ballistic missile defence focus of the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review.rnEmphasising "reasonable levels of funding", the procurement of larger surface combatants has been curtailed in favour of smaller shipsrnsuch as the Littoral Combat Ship multirole frigate and the Joint High Speed Vessel, a shallow draft intra-theatre connector.
展开▼
