White House Presses Navy to Stick With Trump’s 355-Ship Target
- Navy’s fiscal 2021 plan would be far short of president’s goal
- GAO says Navy is hobbled by ‘substantial maintenance delays’
USS Milwaukee, left, approaches USS Bataan for a fueling-at-sea operation in October.
Source: U.S. Navy
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The White House budget office is pressing the Navy to stick to a campaign pledge by Donald Trump to work toward fielding a fleet of more than 350 ships after its initial proposal for the next fiscal year fell short.
The Navy proposal called for a 287-ship fleet by fiscal year 2025 -- the last year of a potential second Trump administration, according to the budget office. But that level, which includes the decommissioning of 12 warships to save money, would be well below the long-term 308-ship target set by the Obama administration and even further from President Trump’s current goal of 355 ships.