Navy: Shorter plans for future ships

The Navy and Marines are in the middle of a new force-structure review, which may change the number and types of ships they'll need for future conflicts, but instead of trying to project 30 years in advance, Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly indicated they’ll be taking a look at shorter timelines. "I don't know what the threat's going to be 30 years from now,” he told attendees at a National Defense Industrial Association event Jan. 24, “but if we're building a force structure for 30 years from now, I would suggest we're probably not building the right one." DoN completed its last force-structure assessment in 2016. Modly hinted that the next-force structure assessment that CNO Adm. Michael Gilday has indicated could be completed in weeks, could go higher than the 355-ship number, not counting the still-to-be-developed unmanned surface and underwater vessels that can operate without crews. A 10-year view of future threats is more realistic, he said. The new assessment will affect far more than ship numbers. "That sort of suggests the type of people you need, it suggests where they should be based, how you need to ramp up the industrial base, and what type of weapons should they carry?" He also said the Navy’s going to need more small-ships for distributed operations. Large ships could leave Marines and sailors vulnerable. (Source: Military.com 01/24/20) https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/01/24/navy-making-big-changes-way-it-plans-future-ships.html