Because of the global reliance on naval forces, naval troops must be outfitted with the latest weapons and technology and be ready to move at a moment’s notice. While research into advanced weapons systems is important, modernization of the current fleets is even more critical, given that 60% to 70% of existing ships are expected to still be in service one decade from now. But plans for a rapid-response global naval force (see the figure) will depend on the U.S. shipbuilding industry and for the U.S. Navy to provide balanced demand over the next 10 years to keep the industry occupied.
Speaking recently as a virtual presenter at the State of Defense conference sponsored by Defense One, Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Gilday, pointed to the need for strong interaction between the U.S. Navy and the shipbuilding industry: “We’re not going to have a navy larger than we can sustain. We’re trying to turn the corner here in terms of giving the shipbuilding industry steady and predictable demand, certainly in terms of ship numbers.” He added: “We need to sustain the steady demand signal.”
Gilday explained that the current proposed shipbuilding budget is $27 billion, which would be the U.S. Navy’s largest ever budget for new ships and for maintaining existing vessels. Predictable, steady funding will be needed along with strong Congressional support of the budget. In addition to traditional manned ships, the Navy is pushing to grow its unmanned fleet, making use of evolving technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for the command and control of these unmanned water vehicles (UWVs).
Allies and partners are essential to the evolution of the U.S. Navy as well as the development of other navies, such as for Australia and the United Kingdom (UK). By working as part of the trilateral security pact of Australia, the U.S., and the UK, the AUKUS agreement, the U.S. and UK will help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines among other advanced warfighting assets. As part of a long-term effort, Australia will eventually be able to produce its own nuclear-powered submarines.