What is in that Minimum Essential Investment?
50 new Frigates. The LCS is an OK platform, but any ship without at least 48 VLS tubes is a total waste. Maybe the LCS can be refitted in such a manner, maybe not.
Keep building the Arleigh Burke DDG at current rates and abandon the Zumwalt spaceships.
30 new Virginia class subs and 8-10 of a new, upgraded Seawolf class. It would not hurt us to have 20-30 DE boats for the Baltic, Persian Gulf and South China Sea.
A dozen carriers is enough. Though we could probably use another 1/2 dozen of the Amphibious Assault Carriers.
And all the auxiliaries needed to supply them in combat.
Yes, I’m talking 100-125 new ships. Sustained.
Long term threat is China, among others.
Need hi tech NavAir, F35s, next technology in Unmanned Drone Tech from Carriers, and it’s all about keeping way ahead in Radar, Electronics etc. BVR Beyond Visual Range detection and kills.
1. Carriers: they seem to me to be large vessels with bulls-eyes painted on them. At (what) 3 billion a pop. Do we really need to spend money this way?
2. Subs: I agree on the need for more subs, but what about the subs from Sweden, which are diesel powered, cheap, and stealthy? they made the US Navy look bad on a couple of occasions,
3. F35: these seem to be expensive and not as good as the planes they were meant to replace. Please comment.
Ten more America class are planned.
Speaking as a devoted lubber, that's a nice ship.