I question your assertion that the U.S navy is in material decline amidst increasing global maritime security threats. While it is true that the U.S. navy is smaller than it was in World War Two, it is also true that the U.S. navy faces much less threats today. At the beginning of World War Two the U.S. navy had fewer air craft carries than the Japanese, of course this changed by the wars end. Today, no other nation comes close to the amount of aircraft carriers the U.S. navy possesses. China and Russia’s combined carrier fleet is not even half of ours. The U.S. navy is also still the largest in terms of fleet tonnage by a large margin.
With the collapse of the Soviet navy, there is no legitimate counterweight to the U.S. navy. You may think China, but our navy is still twice the size in battle tonnage. It comes as no surprise that that the Defense Department wants to increase the navy, because every government agency has an incentive to increase its budget, if they do not they lose relevancy. That being said, if you want to write about reforming the U.S. navy, there is plenty of area to cover. As you mentioned China’s new Deong 2 missile could undermine the entire carrier battle plan, the U.S. navy also has too many surface ships that can be wiped out by these missiles. Focusing on technology in response to these types of weapons and cyber warfare options appears to be future; I think this would be a good topic.
Thanks for your feedback! My topic is a crucial part of a wider strategy to maintain a preponderance of force against all potential US adversaries. The navy has been steadily shrinking and will continue to do so, unless action is taken. Simultaneously the size of adversary navies is consistently increasing. The Imperial Japanese Navy, as you pointed out, was in deed larger than that of the US in 1941. Failure to estimate US tactical advances and industrial capability led, however, to the IJN’s eventual defeat and subsequent loss of the war. We should learn from their mistakes by staying ahead of our enemies, and maintaining our naval edge by reversing the current trend of decline. It not simply a question of budgetary prerogative, but rather a fact that the navy will not be able to fulfill all of its duties if it continues to shrink as it has the past 10 years.
I think you made a very good case for the issues facing the U.S. Navy. It seems very clear from your arguments that the government needs to give more funding and must prioritize building up the navy’s size and capabilities. I do think, however, the memo, as Jake mentioned, could use a bit more clarification on the threats facing the navy. I would like to hear a bit more about he Chinese and Russian navies. What are their capabilities? Do they pose a global threat to the American navy, or only in their immediate regions?in an age where most of Americas battles are fought asymmetrically against non-state actors, what use are more aircraft carries and other large ships?
I question your assertion that the U.S navy is in material decline amidst increasing global maritime security threats. While it is true that the U.S. navy is smaller than it was in World War Two, it is also true that the U.S. navy faces much less threats today. At the beginning of World War Two the U.S. navy had fewer air craft carries than the Japanese, of course this changed by the wars end. Today, no other nation comes close to the amount of aircraft carriers the U.S. navy possesses. China and Russia’s combined carrier fleet is not even half of ours. The U.S. navy is also still the largest in terms of fleet tonnage by a large margin.
With the collapse of the Soviet navy, there is no legitimate counterweight to the U.S. navy. You may think China, but our navy is still twice the size in battle tonnage. It comes as no surprise that that the Defense Department wants to increase the navy, because every government agency has an incentive to increase its budget, if they do not they lose relevancy. That being said, if you want to write about reforming the U.S. navy, there is plenty of area to cover. As you mentioned China’s new Deong 2 missile could undermine the entire carrier battle plan, the U.S. navy also has too many surface ships that can be wiped out by these missiles. Focusing on technology in response to these types of weapons and cyber warfare options appears to be future; I think this would be a good topic.
Thanks for your feedback! My topic is a crucial part of a wider strategy to maintain a preponderance of force against all potential US adversaries. The navy has been steadily shrinking and will continue to do so, unless action is taken. Simultaneously the size of adversary navies is consistently increasing. The Imperial Japanese Navy, as you pointed out, was in deed larger than that of the US in 1941. Failure to estimate US tactical advances and industrial capability led, however, to the IJN’s eventual defeat and subsequent loss of the war. We should learn from their mistakes by staying ahead of our enemies, and maintaining our naval edge by reversing the current trend of decline. It not simply a question of budgetary prerogative, but rather a fact that the navy will not be able to fulfill all of its duties if it continues to shrink as it has the past 10 years.
I think you made a very good case for the issues facing the U.S. Navy. It seems very clear from your arguments that the government needs to give more funding and must prioritize building up the navy’s size and capabilities. I do think, however, the memo, as Jake mentioned, could use a bit more clarification on the threats facing the navy. I would like to hear a bit more about he Chinese and Russian navies. What are their capabilities? Do they pose a global threat to the American navy, or only in their immediate regions?in an age where most of Americas battles are fought asymmetrically against non-state actors, what use are more aircraft carries and other large ships?