The US Navy is reportedly trying to hide its problems from the public eye and attention from shipping delays and setbacks that threaten a number of crucial capabilities.
The US Navy canceled deliver presentations at its biggest US industry show earlier this month in Washington, according to Politico, breaking with history.
A devastating inside report revealed the inability of the support and its business partners to achieve the expected improvement on two sub-programmes, an aircraft carrier, and a novel class of frigates.
The best captain and civilian director of the US Navy, according to Polititico, have not responded to inquiries about the document, which highlights 11 years of delays across the damaged programs.
The report claims that the difficulties in so many programs that are crucial to how the US projects strength across the globe are virtually unheard and are the result of decades of underinvestment in ships while relying on a declining range of shipbuilders to create the US ship.
In specific, the US Navy faces difficulties in its Constellation-class fleet system based on the FREMM layout used by several German navies. According to the Politico report, the US Navy wants to keep 85 % of the submarine as-is and steer clear of introducing to numerous new technologies to lower costs and risks.
The US Navy is still making changes, according to the report, which was produced at a Wisconsin port and stock just 15 % of its unique design with the factory. The US Navy is reportedly working to finish plans this month, but the constant changes have caused delays and costs to rise.
According to Politico, the Pentagon is investing billions to modernize factories and make sure that reliable supply chains are maintained. It points out, however, that politicians are expected to discuss the problem with US Navy copper when they visit Capitol Hill to protect their budget plan and that politicians have criticized the US Navy’s plans to grow the ships as they have been doing so.
Multiple naval capabilities, ranging from power forecast to nuclear deterrence and area warfare, may be affected by the manufacturing woes.
The US’s marine battle ship fleet is facing a significant capacity space, according to Asia Times ‘ report from this month. America’s forward presence and military warfare capabilities have been hampered by aging ships, long-range disagreement weapons, and inaction regarding fleet modernization.
Officials from the US Marine Corps ( USMC) have made comments in the press about how many in-service amphibious ships are not operationally ready as a result of maintenance and repair work.
In that relationship, the US Navy has proposed to cancel three Whidbey-class marine port getting ships in its 2024 budget, citing their impoverished condition despite never reaching the end of their planned 40-year lifespan.
However, the US Navy is legally required to maintain a fleet of 31 amphibious warfare ships and cannot decommission older ships without replacing them. As a result, the navy has been unable to satisfactorily respond to requests from regional combat commanders to maintain a forward presence or deal with emergencies.
Delays in the US carrier program, meanwhile, could further strain the overstretched US carrier fleet, opening gaps in US power projection capabilities.
The US naval shipbuilding base may experience further damage as a result of the next Gerard R Ford supercarrier’s delays until September 2029, according to Asia Times, which will cause labor shortages.
Due to their complementary technologies, including nuclear propulsion, this delay may also have an impact on the US nuclear submarine industry.
Moreover, long carrier production gaps will shrink the US Navy’s 11 already-overstretched carriers. The US Navy can only keep two out of an ideal three carriers forward-deployed indefinitely due to the definite lifespan of their nuclear cores.
Due to delays in the US carrier program, the US’s sea-based nuclear deterrent may also suffer. The loss of nuclear-propulsion know-how, combined with other factors, may result in fewer nuclear ballistic missile submarines ( SSBN ) for strategic deterrence.
This month, Asia Times noted that the US might operate even fewer SSBNs due to a long-term disarmament policy, rising costs and improvements in anti-submarine sensor technology.
Each new generation of SSBNs has 40 % fewer ships than the previous one, according to US nuclear disarmament policy, and the high cost of deploying a few warheads on a pricey system could result in the US operating only seven SSBNs by 2060.
It seems unlikely that a surge in production of these general-purpose warships will match China’s fleet numbers, despite the US Navy’s efforts to increase fleet numbers by reintroducing frigates into its force mix.
The US plans to increase production of Constellation-class frigates from two ships at one shipyard annually to two shipyards, according to Asia Times ‘ report from May 2023. The US Navy initially set out to acquire 20 ships, but it now feels like adding a second shipyard will result in 40 more ships in the next ten years, with around 50 being the ideal number.
However, that may be a tall order given the numerical disparity between the US Navy and China ’s People’s Liberation Army-Navy ( PLA-N), the world’s largest in ship numbers.
With 370 ships as of October 2023, the PLA-N fleet is expected to grow to 400 by 2025 and 440 by 2030, making the US plan for 280 ships by 2027 and 363 ships by 2045 small in comparison.
China’s naval shipbuilding prowess are a result of its civil-military fusion strategy, which incorporates its position as the largest shipbuilder in the world into the production of warships.
Sadly, the majority of naval victories have been won by more sophisticated fleets than by technological advancement.
While the US has considered outsourcing the construction of naval ships to allies and partners, the strategy faces legal and strategic challenges.
The US Navy is considering using Japan’s shipyards for maintenance, repair, and overhaul ( MRO ) tasks in a July 2023 Real Clear Defense article, according to Patrick Dennan, in order to reduce service backlogs in the US. He mentions that the concept could be applied to South Korea, Singapore and the Philippines.
In line with those rumors, the Korea Herald reported in February 2024 that US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro visited the shipyards of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries ( HD HHI ) and Hanwha Ocean to check their naval shipbuilding capabilities in order to support the US Navy’s fleet in Asia. Additionally, the Korea Herald mentions that HD HHI applied for a Master Ship Repair Agreement in 2023 to be eligible for MRO jobs on US Navy ships.
However, the protectionist 1920 Jones Act mandates that American crews and American staff work together and perform all US warship and merchant ship maintenance in the US.
In a March 2024 Defense News article, Matthew Paxton contends that outsourcing US naval shipbuilding would further weaken and ultimately devalue US sovereignty.
According to Paxton, many of the resources required to boost US naval shipbuilding are already present in the US. He claims that adopting a naval shipbuilding strategy that makes use of US best commercial shipbuilding practices and economies of scale would be the best course of action.