USS George Washington (CVN 73) Carrier Strike Group formation sails in the Atlantic Ocean. Wikimedia
SECNAV: U.S. Navy Can Meet Mission With 300 Ships -- Defense News
The U.S. Navy can meet global defense needs, including the increased emphasis in the Pacific, with a 300-ship fleet, down from the 313 previously planned, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said April 16.
The 313-ship figure, which top Navy leaders have touted for years as the service’s target fleet size, was the result of the 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review analysis of force structure. The smaller figure, which Mabus said he expects the Navy to achieve by 2019, comes from the new defense strategy released in January, which stresses operations in the Middle East and the Pacific.
Read more ....
Update: SECNAV: Navy can meet mission with 300 ships -- Navy Times
My Comment: The Navy Secretary is adamant that there are no problems .... that the Navy will be able to meet it's commitments. But he then confesses that the Navy's shelving of seven warships is the only way that the Navy can meet its budget goals.
This story would die right there .... but then the Chief of Naval Operations (Adm. Jon Greenert) puts a monkey-wrench by bluntly stating that current fleet operations pace unsustainable.
Bottom line .... if the Chief of Naval Operations is to be believed .... a 300 ship fleet is an inadequate number to sustain current operations and mission objectives.