"US Navy's Cruiser Problem " Topic

"The US Navy and Congress are in a sort of faceoff over the fleet's cruiser force. To extend their service lives, the Navy is asking to take half its cruisers — CGs in Navy-speak — out of service now and gradually bring them back starting in 2019. Congress, fearful that Pentagon budget-cutters will instead decide to cut costs and reduce the force, is insisting the ships be modernized now and kept running.

A level of discomfort — if not outright distrust — has been created as the service changed its original 2012 request to decommission seven cruisers under a spending reduction strategy to one where the Navy wants to keep them, but temporarily inactivate 11 its 22 Ticonderoga-class CGs under a modernization plan. Many on the Hill suspect that behind the rhetoric, there lurks a desire to save money by killing the ships…"
Full article here
link

Amicalement
Armand

Interesting article. I served with RADM Rowden on USS TEXAS (CGN 39) back in the mid-80s. Pretty good guy.

Really makes one think "What's the right answer?" I was peripherally involved with the development of the LCS UUV assests and came away from that experience with the firm belief that the USN was wasting money on the whole LCS project. Cool idea, but not practical. I thought then, and still do today, that we'd have been better served spending the money on a replacement for the FFG 7 class; something in the 5000 ton range with a helo and 5" gun. Something small and cheap enough that we could lose some without bankrupting the country, unlike the DDGs and CGs.

The DDGs are sweet ships, but they lack Flag spaces – space to house a Squadron Staff. That's the traditional role of the cruisers in the battle group. I'm not too sure about converting the DDGs to O-6 (CAPT) commands as the DDGs (and FFGs when we had them) are the "training" platforms for our O-5s (CDRs). Successful O-5 commands put those officers in line for later O-6 commands. Taking those O-5 commands away would seem to be counterintuitive to the future health of the Surface fleet.

There are days I'm really glad I retired when I did….

Regards,

Scott Chisholm

Glad you enjoyed the article my friend.
Good thread.

Amicalement
Armand

And sorry about the F35.