Biden strategy could ensure China’s naval dominance

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Biden strategy could ensure China’s naval dominance​

By DAVE MAKICHUK
MAY 31, 2021

If US President Joe Biden’s fiscal year 2022 budget request gains traction, it would increase the Navy’s topline budget but decrease the service’s shipbuilding funding — paving the way for China to become the world’s dominant navy.

According to documents released May 28, the Department of the Navy, which includes the Marine Corps and Navy, would receive a topline of US$211.7 billion which is a 1.8% increase from the enacted fiscal year 2021 budget of US$207.1 billion, National Defense reported.

However, the Navy’s shipbuilding account would decrease by a whopping US$700 million with the 2022 fiscal blueprint asking for US$22.6 billion. The request would keep the service’s overall ship number at 296.

The budget includes funds for eight ships: two Virginia-class fast-attack submarines, one Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, one guided-missile frigate, one fleet replenishment oiler, one ocean surveillance ship and two towing, salvage and rescue ships.

The Pentagon’s latest shipbuilding plan, released in December in the final weeks of the Trump administration, called for growing the fleet to 316 ships by 2026, 355 by the early 2030s and 400 by the early 2040s.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget Rear Adm. John Gumbleton said if the service continues the trend of purchasing eight ships a year, it will miss its goal of 355 ships by the early 2030s.

The Navy purchasing “eight ships a year is not going to get to 355,” he said during a press briefing with reporters.

“All things being equal, if you have a 300 ship Navy and a 30-year life, you have to recapitalize it 10 per year and so eight is not going to do it — that said we’re consistent with last year’s request of eight — we’re requesting eight this year again.”

Meanwhile, according to US Office of Naval Intelligence estimates, the People’s Liberation Army Navy possesses between 313 and 342 warships, National Interestreported.

But the PLAN accounts for only a fraction of China’s maritime power, according to Andrew Erickson, a professor at the US Naval War College.

“China’s armed forces comprise three major organizations, each with a maritime subcomponent that is already the world’s largest such sea force by number of ships,” Erickson writes in the Indo-Pacific Defense Forum.

Beside the PLAN, Beijing’s maritime organizations include the Chinese Coast Guard and the People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia, or PAFMM.

The coast guard and maritime militia help the Chinese Communist Party to pursue its foreign policy goals, Erickson says.

“Not seeking war but determined to change the status quo coercively, Beijing employs its enormous second and third sea forces in so-called maritime gray zone operations to further its disputed sovereignty claims in the near seas (Yellow, East and South China seas).”

The coast guard and militia have grown alongside the PLAN, Erickson revealed.

“China’s second sea force, the coast guard, is … the world’s largest, with more hulls than those of all its regional neighbors combined: 225 ships over 500 tons capable of operating offshore and another 1,050-plus confined to closer waters, for a total of 1,275.”

New coast guard ships are much more sophisticated than the vessels they’re replacing.

“In terms of qualitative improvement, China has now replaced its older, less-capable large patrol ships,” Erickson wrote.

“It is applying lessons learned from scrutinizing the ‘gold standard’ US and Japanese coast guards, as well as the CCG’s increasing experience operating farther offshore for longer periods.

“The resulting new ship features include helicopters, interceptor boats, deck guns, high-capacity water cannons and improved seakeeping.”

Combined, the PLAN, coast guard and militia possess around 650 large vessels with military capabilities.

In addition to that fleet — which, by the way, is largely focused first and foremost on the contested near seas and their immediate approaches, close to Chinas homeland, missile coverage and supply lines — Chinese naval shipbuilding is progressing at breakneck speed.

China launched eight Type 055 large destroyers as of the end of 2020, after the first ship was launched on June 28, 2017, eastday.com reported.

The remaining six Type 055s are being outfitted or are in sea trials. They are expected to be commissioned in about one to two years, according to the pattern of warship construction, analysts said.

With a displacement of more than 12,000 tons, the Type 055 is a guided missile destroyer about 180 meters long, 22 meters wide and has a whopping 112-128 vertical launch missile cells capable of launching a combination of surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, land-attack missiles and anti-submarine missile.

The US Navy’s Arleigh Burke class by comparison houses just 96 missile cells. And like VLS cells that arm United States Navy ships, the Type 055’s cells could be used in the future to house more advanced hypersonic missiles.

To be certain, numbers alone do not paint a full picture and quantity is not a direct substitute for quality, analysts say.

The Type 055s, however, do appear to be qualitatively different: large, well-armed, and with some radar-mitigating features.

The Biden administration is proposing a total of US$715 billion for the Defense Department in 2022, National Defense reported.

That is US$11.3 billion, or 1.6%, more than was enacted for 2021. The increase is “slightly” less than the anticipated rate of inflation, according to the administration.

The investment plan comes as the US military casts a wary eye toward China and its military advancements, and the Defense Department moves to acquire next-gen capabilities.

“China poses the greatest long-term challenge to the United States,” according to the Pentagon budget proposal. “Accordingly, DoD will prioritize China and its military modernization as our pacing challenge.”

To that end, the Pentagon is “investing in cutting-edge technologies that will deliver new warfighting advantages to our forces,” it added. They include artificial intelligence, hypersonics, cyber and quantum computing, among others.

The department plans to spend over US$66 billion on efforts related to the Indo-Pacific region, including for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, also known as PDI.

That includes US$5.1 billion in targeted investments aimed at developing and procuring capabilities in support of “joint force lethality,” including precision strike and stand-off systems such as advanced munitions.

Biden strategy could ensure China's naval dominance - Asia Times

If US President Joe Biden’s fiscal year 2022 budget request gains traction, it would increase the Navy’s topline budget but decrease the service’s

asiatimes.com

 

[Gary]

HASC Passes NDAA That Boosts Shipbuilding, Authorizes 13 Battleforce Ships​

By: Mallory Shelbourne
September 2, 2021 3:17 PM

USS Tripoli (LHA-7) arrives at its new homeport at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on Sept. 13, 2020. US Navy Photo
The House Armed Services Committee early Thursday approved its annual defense policy bill and boosted the Navy’s shipbuilding account and authorizing 13 battleforce ships.
The Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act passed out of committee in a 57-2 vote early Thursday morning.
The NDAA authorizes a total of three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, two Virginia-class attack boats, one Constellation-class frigate, one America-class amphibious assault ship, two EPFs, two John Lewis-class fleet oilers, one Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue ship, and one T-AGOS(X) ocean surveillance ship.
The bill’s successful passage out of the panel comes after lawmakers on Wednesday adopted an amendment that would increase the Defense Department’s topline by $23.9 billion. That same amendment also authorized funding for four more battlefore ships – one Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, one America-class amphibious assault ship, one Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) ship, and one T-AO-205 John Lewis-class fleet oiler – on top of the eight the HASC seapower and projection forces subcommittee had authorized in its mark.
The total number of ships the committee’s bill authorized is five more than the eight battleforce ships the Navy asked for in its FY 2022 budget request.
An amendment proposed by Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Ala.), who represents Mobile, authorized an additional $270 million for a second Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) ship. Mobile is home to Austal USA, which builds the EPF. The panel adopted the amendment in a voice vote, the HASC majority announced on Twitter.

USNS Burlington (T-EPF-10)
launch on March 1, 2018. Austal USA photo
While the Navy only asked for one destroyer in its budget request despite its commitment to a two-per-year multi-year procurement contract, the HASC seapower mark authorized the second destroyer. The seapower panel had authorized two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, two Virginia-class submarines, one Constellation-class frigate, one Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue ship, one John Lewis-class fleet oiler and one T-AGOS(X) ocean surveillance ship. The mark only authorized one towing, salvage and rescue ship, despite the Navy’s request for two, yielding the same net number of battleforce ships as the Navy’s request.
In an hours-long markup, the HASC went through hundreds of amendments, including one proposed by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) to place additional limitations on retired officers serving as the Pentagon’s top civilian. Gallagher’s amendment would extend the amount of time an officer at the O-6 level or higher must be out of uniform, before he or she could be tapped as the defense secretary, from seven years to 10 years. A person who has not been out of uniform for 10 years would need a waiver that three-fourths of the House and Senate support. The amendment was adopted.
While the HASC’s push to increase the Pentagon topline mirrors a similar move by the Senate Armed Services Committee, which increased the Defense Department topline by $25 billion in its version of the defense policy bill, it’s unclear where appropriators will fall. The House Appropriations Committee approved a defense spending bill in July that had a $706 billion topline – keeping in line with the Biden administration’s request.

HASC Passes NDAA That Boosts Shipbuilding, Authorizes 13 Battleforce Ships - USNI News

This story has been updated to include more information about the amphibious warship the HASC bill authorizes. The House Armed Services Committee early Thursday approved its annual defense policy bill, boosting the Navy’s shipbuilding account and authorizing 13 battleforce ships. The Fiscal Year...

news.usni.org

 

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China accounts for 51% of new global shipbuilding orders in H1

China accounts for 51% of new global shipbuilding orders in H1 - Global Times

www.globaltimes.cn

 

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The US Navy needs to admit it can’t outbuild China | The Strategist

The most often quoted line of the ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu is that ‘supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting’. By that measure, the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation ...

www.aspistrategist.org.au

US Navy can’t match China’s industrial might

China is “winning a bloodless battle” against the US, by leveraging its industrial prowess to ‘outbuild” the US Navy, one analyst observes. According to Marcus Hellyer, senior analyst for

www.defenceconnect.com.au

 

[Gary]

New Defense Bill Saves 2 Cruisers, Approves 13 Battle Force Ships; Adds 12 Super Hornets​

By: Mallory Shelbourne
December 7, 2021 6:25 PM

Congressional authorizers are approving 13 battle force ships and saving two of the seven aging Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers the Navy tried to decommission, according to a draft of the National Defense Authorization Act.

An agreement reached by the House and Senate armed services committees authorizes 13 battle force ships, an increase of five ships from the eight the Navy sought in the Fiscal Year 2022 budget request.

The Fiscal Year 2022 policy bill, released today, authorizes funding for three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, two Virginia-class attack boats, one Constellation-class frigate, two Expeditionary Fast Transport vessels, two John Lewis-class fleet oilers, two Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue ships, and one T-AGOS(X) ocean surveillance ship.

The legislation also seeks to prevent the service from retiring all seven of the cruisers the Navy asked to decommission in its budget request. According to text of the legislation, the Pentagon cannot use any authorized money for FY 2022 “to retire, prepare to retire, inactivate, or place in storage more than 5 guided missile cruisers.”

Neither the text of the legislation nor the explanatory statement specified which cruisers the Navy could decommission. The House previously passed an amendment in its version of the bill that said the Navy could only retire USS Port Royal (CG-73), USS Vella Gulf (CG-72), USS Hué City (CG-66) and USS Anzio (CG-68). USS San Jacinto (CG-56), USS Lake Champlain (CG-57) and USS Monterey (CG-61) were spared in the House version, but it’s unclear if the Navy will be able to choose which five it can decommission under the bill.

Lawmakers also agreed to authorize money for 12 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, despite the Navy’s pleas to end the production line. The addition of the 12 Super Hornets is meant “to mitigate the Navy’s strike-fighter shortfall and bolster tactical fighter aircraft capacity,” according to a summary of the bill.

While the Navy had planned to buy more Super Hornets in a multi-year procurement between FY 2022 and FY 2024, the service’s FY 2021 budget submission called for an end to the production line of the Boeing-built aircraft after that budget year. The Navy at the time said it would instead use that money to invest in its Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program, which includes a sixth-generation fighter.


Two F/A-18E Super Hornets, assigned to the ‘Golden Dragons’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 192, fly over the Bay of Bengal as part of Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) 2021 on Oct. 17, 2021. US Navy Photo
Navy officials have argued the service doesn’t need to buy more Super Hornets and that any fighters it purchases now could not stand up to the threats they might face at the end of their service lives. But the committee has voiced concern about the Navy’s push to end a mature production line to develop new technologies.

The bill also includes language that would keep the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) reports, which assess the health of the service’s ships, going in perpetuity. The reports were set to end as of Oct. 1, 2021 if Congress did not address the matter, USNI News previously reported.

According to the explanatory statement accompanying the bill, authorizers agreed to eliminate the mandate that a classified version of the INSURV report go solely to the congressional defense panels. It also calls for the chief of naval operations to brief authorizers about the new Naval Safety Command the service is reorganizing. The statement cites the fire that destroyed the former amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) as the reason for the Navy’s decision to revamp its safety apparatus.

“We understand that based on the Navy’s investigation into the USS Bonhomme Richard fire the Chief of Naval Operations intends to restructure the Naval Safety Center into the Naval Safety Command with a more senior flag officer in command and a mandate to ensure safety best practices and lessons learned are more fully incorporated across the Navy,” the joint statement reads.
“Accordingly, we direct the Chief of Naval Operations to provide a briefing to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives, not later than March 1, 2022, on the roles and responsibilities of the Naval Safety Command. This briefing shall include an assessment of the appropriateness of such Command, or another command, to conduct minimal or no-notice inspections of battle force ships undergoing depot maintenance for compliance with applicable safety, firefighting, and other procedures.”

The bill also calls for a report on the health of the Virginia-class attack submarine program, requiring the Navy secretary to provide congressional defense panels with the document within 120 days of the National Defense Authorization Act becoming law.


Attack boat New Jersey on Nov. 12, 2021 at Newport News Shipbuilding. USNI News Photo
This version of the NDAA includes a $25 billion increase to the Pentagon’s budget, a move that comes after both House and Senate armed services committees approved similar increases in their marks of the bills. While the House passes its version of the NDAA in September, the policy bill has faced numerous hurdles in the Senate and has yet to receive a vote on the floor.

Authorizers’ release of the bill comes several days after President Joe Biden signed a second continuing resolution, as lawmakers also struggle to reach a deal on the FY 2022 spending bills. The current CR funds the government through Feb. 18, 2022.

But it’s unclear where appropriators will fall in their negotiations. Senate appropriators included a $24.7 top line increase to national defense spending in their draft of the spending bill, but the House Appropriations Committee followed the Biden administration’s budget and allotted $753 billion for national defense spending, with about $715 billion going to the Pentagon.

The House is slated to vote on this version of the NDAA on Tuesday night.

New Defense Bill Saves 2 Cruisers, Approves 13 Battle Force Ships; Adds 12 Super Hornets - USNI News

Congressional authorizers are approving 13 battle force ships and saving two of the seven aging Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers the Navy tried to decommission, according to a draft of the National Defense Authorization Act. An agreement reached by the House and Senate armed services...

news.usni.org