US Navy can’t hide its flagging fleet

The US Navy faces shipbuilding delays and setbacks threatening multiple critical capabilities, challenges the service is apparently trying to hide from public view and scrutiny.

The US Navy broke with tradition by canceling ship briefings at its largest US trade show, the Sea-Air-Space Exposition held earlier this month in Washington DC, Politico reported.

The cancellation followed a damning internal report outlining the failure of the service and its industrial partners to make expected progress on two submarine programs, an aircraft carrier and a new class of frigates.

Politico states that the US Navy’s top admiral and civilian secretary have not responded to questions about the report, which highlights 11 years of delays across the affected programs.

The report asserts that the delays in so many programs critical to how the US projects power across the globe are virtually unprecedented and result from decades of underinvestment in shipyards while relying on a shrinking number of shipbuilders to build the US fleet.

In particular, the US Navy faces delays in its Constellation-class frigate program based on the FREMM design used by several European navies. The Politico report mentions that the US Navy aims to keep 85% of the frigate as-is and avoid including too many new technologies to reduce costs and risks.

However, it says the version built at a Wisconsin shipyard shares only 15% commonality with the original design, and that the US Navy is still modifying it. The report adds that the US Navy is working to finalize plans this year but the constant changes have led to increased costs and delays.

Politico mentions that the Pentagon is investing billions in modernizing shipyards and ensuring well-funded supply chains.