"Many of the Navy's problems, including retiring more ships than it is building, a slowed and expensive shipbuilding process with only a handful of commercial shipyards, and program mismanagement, trace back to the end of the Cold War. They've gotten worse in the decades since and are reaching a boiling point as the US military attempts to focus on countering China's military rise."
"Among the failed projects: Two types of littoral combat ships, an advanced stealth destroyer the service will only have three of, and the newly canceled Constellation-class frigate. No one entity, incident, or program is solely to blame. Washington's demand signal for building new vessels has been inconsistent, leaving shipbuilders unable to plan long-term projects. And the Navy's requirement process and ship designs have sometimes resulted in vessels not meeting expectations, being delayed by years, and coming in far over budget."
The Navy is retiring more ships than it is building, while shipbuilding has slowed and become costly, concentrated among a handful of commercial shipyards. Program mismanagement, inconsistent Washington demand for new vessels, and a problematic Navy requirements and design process have produced delayed, underperforming, and over-budget ships. Several major programs failed or were canceled, including two littoral combat ship variants, a minimally procured stealth destroyer, and a canceled frigate. These problems trace to the end of the Cold War and have worsened, complicating efforts to grow the fleet as China's navy expands and adopts advanced technologies. DoD leaders, the Navy, and shipyards prioritize fixing these systemic issues.
Read at Business Insider
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