"USN ordering only 4 warships in 2022" Topic

Despite a planned build up of the fleets to 355 ships, the USN's request for 2022 is a mere 4 new warships:

1 x Arleigh Burke destroyer
1 x Constellation frigate
2 x Virginia attack subs

link

More funding is being pumped into ships already ordered – 2 Ford class carriers and first Columbia class ballistic missile sub.

Requested warship retirements for 2022 are:

- 7 x Ticonderoga class cruisers (2 more than expected) – upgrade cost has ballooned between 90%-200%.

- 2 more LCS bringing number up to 6 (yet at least 12 more are being delivered). Two of the ships requested for retirement are only 5 and 6 years old respectively!

Also requested is retirement of all 12 Mk VI riverine patrol boats the oldest of which is 5 years old!

Ah yes, the Pentagon anti-logic IS astounding – buy more of a failed class of vessels with virtually NO combat value, at huge expense, while simulataneously retiring others.

I suppose this IS what one gets when you permit defense personnel to move into the private sector upon retirement, and accept huge salaries in exchange for previous decisisons made while employed by the DOD (Dept. of Defense).

Follow the money…………………..

Maybe they have a contract to buy LCSs & breaking the contract would be expensive?

The Ticos are pretty old, & I'm thinking the hulls are beat. The argument that we should be looking or commissioning ships of equal capabilities is valid. But that doesn't change whether retiring Ticos is a sound decision or not.

Damon.

Garand,

The Ticos are from what I read slogged out with lots of "casualties" ie failures of components.

The issue is indeed they need to be replaced by an equivalent warship.

"Pentagon anti-logic IS astounding"

"Hey, let's sell them to the Chinese! We can make a lot of our money back!"

Don't think some of them haven't thought about it… :-o

"Pentagon anti-logic IS astounding"

Nah. Biden's* SecDef Lloyd Austin was a top Raytheon lobbyist, so if you consider US MilProgram spending in light of giving out contracts to buddies, it makes more sense. The SecDef also sat on the board of Nucor Steel, which provides steel to US Navy contractors like Austral and Marinette Marine, who continue to produce LCS ships. Marinette Marine also has a new contract for a guided missile frigate.

Ka-Ching!!

So, are you saying, "follow the money"?

Yep, as always…

IMO they Pentagon is wasting money that could be better used for combat readiness, etc. That seems to be what the PRC/CCP is doing.

However, on a good note, pay will increase by 2.7% for the US Military, IIRC. Hopefully it will come about.

Something, and this even occurred when I was on active duty, decades ago. Many lower ranking enlisted troops had to go on Food Stamps or some other program to feed their families. It still amazes me this occurred then and even now. But, as I said, overall money is not not being used properly from the top down.

I read that the congress years ago had 1,000 accountants look at the pentagon spending. After a year they came back and said they couldn't make head or tails of it. May not be true but the mess certainly is. President Eisenhower warned over 60 years ago about the Military Industrial Complex.
The Chinese have problems as bad or worse but noone dares say anything.