The Admirals commanding the U.S. Navy have outlined their plans to further strengthen the capabilities and firepower of their surface fleet, already the world's most powerful.
In total, the Navy today consists of some 480 ships in the active service and reserve fleets. Some 70 more ships (such as two of the new Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear supercarriers) are either in the planning and ordering stages or under construction.
The surface fleet -- which will do battle against any foe for control of the world's sea lanes -- consists of 16 different classes of vessels. This total includes aircraft carriers, conventional cruisers, guided missile destroyers, amphibious assault ships, command ships, littoral combat ships (LCS) and mine sweepers, among others.
There are 174 commissioned warships of the surface fleet currently in active service. The Navy also has 71 operational submarines in three classes (ballistic nuclear missile; attack and guided missile).
At a training and simulation conference in Florida last month, Rear Adm. Ron Boxall, Surface Warfare Director OPNAV N96, revealed the Navy's plans for its surface fleet in the face of challenges wrought by the Russian Navy and the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
Adm. Boxall said the focus of OPNAV N96 (the Surface Warfare Directorate) will be to pack more sensors and long-range weapons into Navy warships. The aim is to install distributed and networked command systems so a smaller number of larger warships can act as command and control for smaller units such as destroyers or LCSs.
By nodes he means "nodal structures" aboard warships that will allow command and control over both manned and unmanned (or drone) surface warships. He said that in a "nodal structure, we are looking at them (robot warships) becoming large sensors or large shooters, but we are still working out the requirement."
This year will be the crucial year for the Navy's next generation guided-missile frigate or FFG(X). The Navy is expected to finalize its long-delayed requirements for the FFG(X) in the next few months and to put the first hull out to bid for a 2020 detailed design and construction award.
The Navy intends to acquire 20 of the new frigates. But Adm. Boxall said the planned 20 frigates might be a low figure, and he's looking to increase that number. There are no operational frigates in the Navy today.
He said FFG (X) will be a very capable ship able to both senses and shoot and do command and control at a smaller level. The Navy can have more of them since they will be a much less expensive platform.
FFG(X) is envisioned as a class of multi-mission guided-missile frigates that will follow-on the LCS. The Navy wants FFG(X) to keep-up with its aircraft carriers and has sensors networked in with the rest of the surface fleet to expand a battle group's combat effectiveness.
The three stealthy Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyers will also be re-configured for surface warfare in place of the surface bombardment role it was designed for.
Vice Adm. William Merz, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Systems (N9), said the lead ship of this class, the USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000), is wrapping-up its combat systems installation in San Diego, California.
The Navy will then begin the process of integrating the three Zumwalt-class destroyers into the fleet. Adm. Merz confirmed that surface strike is now the new mission for the Zumwalts, which were originally designed to accurately destroy land targets more than 100 km with a new kind of gun and ammunition.
Work on the Future Surface Combatant (FSC), a sensor-packed warship that will combine the capabilities of a cruiser, a guided missile destroyer, and an LCS, should begin to move forward faster this year.
Adm. Boxall said the Navy will begin its buy of this cruiser and destroyer replacement in 2023 or 2024. The Navy wants FSC to have commonality with other nodes (or warships) in its battle network.
FSC is envisioned as a large warship that will support the Arleigh Burke Flight III combat system and will combine elements from the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) and Zumwalt-class. It will have more room to grow for decades to come, said Adm. Boxall.
