Lawmakers Probe Navy’s Plan to Decommission Cruisers, Navy Says Cuts Will Save $5B Across FYDP

U.S. Naval Institute ^ | June 17, 2021 8:03 PM | Mallory Shelbourne

[Retain Mike]

The Navy – both in this current budget cycle and in previous years – has received criticism over its repeated strategy of wanting to divest legacy capabilities to invest in new technology and platforms. Both Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), a former nuclear-qualified surface warfare officer, and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) today expressed skepticism about the Navy’s divest to invest approach in the recent budget request. They argued the Navy has more immediate threats to address in the Indo-Pacific region.

Luria, who during her career in the Navy served as the executive officer of Anzio, has been a vocal opponent of decommissioning the cruisers.

“As I’ve said many times, as many of my colleagues have echoed today, you know we’re looking at this Battleforce 2045 – a plan that’s far off – a 355-ship goal that we’re never going to get to when we decommission more ships every year than we actually build, and it causes a great concern because I think there’s an urgency,” Luria said during Tuesday’s HASC hearing. “I mean, what are we going to do in 2025 to counter this threat?”

[MSF BU]

You make a good point about casualties. The number dead between all of Iraq and Afghanistan combined is still far fewer than the Battle of the Bulge or Iwo Jima. We as a nation probably don’t have the stomach for it. As regards Commander Luria, her biography mentions that she was assigned to combat vessels her entire career...but managed to have three children during her career. That right there gives you an idea of the state of our military. Once upon a time, it was ‘free a man to fight’; it has become ‘the commander is on maternity leave’. I wonder what the policy in China or Russia is?

[shanover]

The very real threat today is China. We need a USN that can handle that threat. A great Navy projects power and is vital to American security and our allies. I know the Pentagon war games. I wonder how we come out in many scenarios? Politically,I think Biden would blink like the dolt that he is. In a naval war with this USN vs the Chicoms,I am worried.

[Jim Noble]

I’m an amateur, not a professional - but I study this stuff a lot.

I don’t believe the carriers would survive an hour in a war over a vital Chinese interest such as Taiwan.

[DAC21]

“I do believe this democrat represents a military district. Otherwise she’d be like the rest of them”

Well shame on the Military district. No difference from Blacks voting for corrupt incompetent Blacks, or Hispanics or White politicians based only on the criteria of skin of color.

Bottom line this lady is Socialists at best, she should never be given the benefit of the doubt. Now she is a life long DC swamper that got there by marketing her time in the Military.

[patriotfury]

More like lets spend $5 billion to bring sodomy indoctrination to the Navy.

Cause America needs an all pro-sodomite military to carry out the mass democide of God loving/liberty loving/children loving Americans, in order to enforce mass slavery to global totalitarianism.

Just like WWII Germany.

[Born to Conserve]

If they’re being “manned” by tranies, what good are they?

[BroJoeK]

Jim Noble: "I don’t believe the carriers would survive an hour in a war over a vital Chinese interest such as Taiwan."

All depends, Sun Tzu said it all:

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."

No warship is invulnerable, but every warship can be effective under the right circumstances.
And there's this:

"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

That is what Ronald Reagan achieved over the old Soviet Union, and what, no doubt, the Chi-coms hope to achieve over us.
We'll see, but their chances look pretty good these days.

[Retain Mike]

I image China could be talked into paying for the upgrades and give the Navy another $10B to lease those seven cruisers.

[Jimmy Valentine]

Cruisers are and have been the lynchpin of the Navy. Long range, operating singly or in a fleet keeping sea lanes open.

[BroJoeK]

"Cruisers are and have been the lynchpin of the Navy. Long range, operating singly or in a fleet keeping sea lanes open."

The old Ticonderoga class cruisers are getting a bit long of tooth, the most recent commissioned in 1994.
They run around 10,000 tons and there are still 22 in commission.
Technology has come a long way since 1994.

The new Arleigh Burke destroyers also run nearly 10,000 tons, are in current production and state of the art.
There are 68 in commission, 10 more in production.

It's not clear in what ways the old Ticonderoga's could be superior to the newer Arleigh Burkes.

[Vaduz]

Biden has a deal for them I wager.