POLISCOPE
Back to feed
Part ofnational defense →
FEDERALhearing transcript
High Impact

Senate Hearing: Strategies for Expanding the U.S. Navy to 355 Ships

Original title: OPTIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR ACHIEVING A 355-SHIP NAVY

January 1, 2020

national defensenavyshipbuildingmilitary readinessindustrial base

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

The Frame

What this does

The hearing explores the industrial capacity and strategic requirements needed to grow the Navy from 275 ships to a 355-ship fleet, a goal that impacts federal defense spending and the domestic shipbuilding industry.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Shipbuilding Industry

Shipbuilders are responsible for the construction and maintenance required to increase the fleet size.

U.S. Navy

The Navy is the agency tasked with meeting the 355-ship force structure objective.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2020.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

This document contains the transcript of a 2017 Senate subcommittee hearing regarding the feasibility and industrial requirements of increasing the U.S. Navy fleet size to 355 ships. Industry leaders and naval analysts provided testimony on the capacity of the to meet this goal.

Key Facts

  • The U.S. Navy fleet size as of 2017 was 275 ships.
  • The official force structure objective established in December 2016 is 355 ships.
  • Under the 2017 30-year shipbuilding plan, the fleet was projected to peak at 313 ships by 2025.
  • The subcommittee held hearings on May 24, 2017, and July 25, 2017, to discuss the 355-ship goal.
  • Huntington Ingalls Industries employs approximately 37,000 people.
  • General Dynamics Marine Group employs approximately 25,000 people.
  • The Shipbuilders Council of America represents members in 34 states.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the Navy trying to reach 355 ships?
The goal is intended to address security challenges, deter adversaries, and defend national interests in regions like Asia, Russia, and the Middle East.
How many ships did the Navy have in 2017?
The Navy had 275 ships at the time of the hearing.

Why It Matters

The hearing explores the industrial capacity and strategic requirements needed to grow the Navy from 275 ships to a 355-ship fleet, a goal that impacts federal defense spending and the domestic shipbuilding industry.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Fleet Expansion Gap

The hearing highlights a significant gap between the existing 275-ship fleet and the 355-ship goal, noting that previous plans only reached 313 ships.

U.S. Navy

Connected Entities

personJohn P. Casey“Executive Vice President of General Dynamics Marine Systems”Map →
personBrian J. Cuccias“Executive Vice President of Huntington Ingalls Industries”Map →
organizationCongressional Budget Office“Provided expert analysis”Map →
personMatthew P. Paxton“President of the Shipbuilders Council of America”Map →
personRoger Wicker“Chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower”Map →
organizationU.S. Navy“Subject of the fleet expansion goal”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance85
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy20
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz15
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record