Congress Delivers a 'Ship-Shape' Allocation for Navy.

• Author: Sax, Chris

On Dec. 23, Congress sent the National Defense Authorization Act to the president's desk for signature. This sizable package, subsequently signed into law by President Joe Biden, totaled $858 billion.

Among all the provisions that were placed within the NDAA, one stands out as vital for U.S. national defense: the increase in ships allocated to the Navy in the coming years.

For years, voices across the political spectrum have criticized past armed service budgets that have not adequately corresponded to plans to grow the size of the naval fleet. However, the act is poised to meet the newly authorized requirement for ships.

This year, Congress remedied the ship shortfall by delivering appropriations that will facilitate fleet growth. For example, Congress allocated $32.6 billion for the purchase of new ships. This request hands the Navy a third, albeit unrequested, Arleigh Burkeclass destroyer, a legally required floor of 31 amphibious vessels and prohibitions on retiring many of the ships that are currently in service.

The White House has not always approved of such inclusions. On July 12, the White House released a policy statement in which it explicitly stated that "the administration opposes establishing in statute a minimum number of Navy amphibious ships, or other numeric force structure provisions, as they unduly constrain evolutions in joint war-fighting approaches and associated capability prioritization. Further, the administration strongly opposes incrementally funding a third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in FT 2023."

Despite this disagreement, which often reflects political differences concerning the structure of the nation's armed forces, the increase in certain ship classes should be viewed as encouraging. This is especially true when viewed through a geopolitical lens focused on the nation's No. 1 pacing challenge: China.

According to the Defense Department's annual report on Chinese military power, Beijing is building increasingly modern surface combatants and expanding the size of its aircraft fleet so that it can expand its naval influence. Specifically, the Pentagon estimates that by the year 2025, China's navy is expected to grow to 400 hulls.

The report further states that, "As of 2021, the People's Liberation Army and Navy is largely composed of modern multi-role platforms featuring advanced anti-ship, anti-air, and antisubmarine weapons and sensors."

The significance of this development is rooted in China's aspiration...