US Navy head says possible budget cuts imperil readiness gains
Recent funding increases have helped the US Navy begin to improve the readiness of its force, but continued progress will be jeopardised if a proposed defence budget cut becomes a reality, according to Navy Secretary Richard Spencer.
‘We have such great tailwind right now and we’ve laid the foundation and spent this money to get us going in the right direction,’ Spencer said on 6 December at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. ‘The bicycle is up, we are peddling, please don’t knock us over. The waste would be absolutely stunning.’
US defence funding jumped to
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Sweden swayed by speed to capability in French frigate win]()
Sweden swayed by speed to capability in French frigate win
Naval Group has secured a contract to supply four Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention frigates to the Royal Swedish Navy, extending the French naval industry’s reach into Northern Europe and showing why speed to capability has become the defining criterion in today’s defence procurement contests.
-
![Germany’s F126 delays open the door for Rheinmetall’s naval ambitions]()
Germany’s F126 delays open the door for Rheinmetall’s naval ambitions
Germany’s F126 frigate crisis has handed Rheinmetall an opening it had been working towards for years, and the company intends to make the most of it.
-
![SOF Week 2026: MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system]()
SOF Week 2026: MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system
MARSOC is procuring the Shark Marine Dive Tablet 2 to address a longstanding combat diver navigation capability gap, improving underwater positioning, situational awareness and integration with existing diver propulsion vehicles.
