USN juggles priorities as need for larger fleet crystallises
The USN is likely to need a fleet larger than the 355-ship target set by President Trump in 2017 as it works to counter the rising influence of China in the Asia-Pacific region and the return of Russia as an active, strategic competitor.
Testimony from senior US defence officials at the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and the US House Committee on Appropriations examined the reasoning behind the recent FY2021 Presidential Budget Request.
During testimony on 4 February in Washington, DC, officials pointed to hard fiscal compromises that services had to make in order to balance the US military’s
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