Does the US Navy need more ships?

[Guns Guns Guns]

During the Bush administration, when the fleet reached it's lowest point in decades, did any JPP righties demand that Bush build more ships?

Back then, a labor union (the people the Romniacs love to hate) wanted more ships...


The Navy’s fleet is now only 281 ships, less than half its size in 1987. Although there is support within the military for a larger Naval fleet, the Department of Defense (DOD) has shown little interest in building the ships key to our arsenal.


The Navy fleet’s decline has an obvious solution: build more ships. But the cost of building today’s technologically-advanced ships is great; finding that money in a budget already generating record deficits will not be easy.



During hearings to confirm Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter last October, Senator Jim Talent (R-MO) made a compelling economic argument for building more ships. While telling Winter he had an “historic” imperative to rebuild the fleet, Talent observed that the cost of going to war with an inadequate fleet is “a whole lot worse for the budget than spending the amounts now to get what the Navy needs.”



Now if only we can get the Navy, the DOD, Congress, and President Bush to recognize — as Senator Talent does — the true cost of NOT building ships.



http://www.boilermakers.org/resources/commentary/V45N1

 

[von_noobie]

There is a big difference from past experiences and current day situations. In the past the USN has faced large navies that posed a threat, Large navies that are not there today. Yes the PRC Navy is growing at a large rate however there growth of ships is not matched by there ability to deploy those ships beyond there border's. What also is not taken into account is the RAN, JMSDN and ROKN which in any conflicting with China would likely be dragged in and on the side of the US.

Ignoring that and hypothetically saying I agreed with building more ships, What ship's exactly would we want to have built? More carriers? LHA's/LHD's? Destroyers? Submarines? or would it be prudent to look into smaller combat platforms such as frigates and corvettes, AIP submarines etc..

It must also be taken into account that such a program would require 30-40+ slipways building 15 ships per a year when you account for the fact that ships from start to finish take minimum 2 years.