U.S. Navy Operations, Structure and Programs

In February 2008, as part of its proposed FY2009 budget, the Navy submitted to Congress the FY2009 version of the annual 30-year shipbuilding plan, intended to support the Navy's goal of achieving and maintaining a 313-ship fleet. In 2008, the Navy had increased its estimate of the average annual cost to fund the 30-year plan by about 44% in real (inflation-adjusted) terms. The increase in the Navy's estimated cost for implementing the plan is so large that the Navy no longer seems to have a clearly identifiable, announced strategy for generating the funds needed to implement the plan. This book discusses concerns about the Navy's prospective ability to afford the 30-year shipbuilding plan, the status of Navy shipbuilding and the potential future size and capabilities of the fleet. This book also examines the new kind of destroyer called the DDG-1000, which raises several potential oversight issues for Congress, including the accuracy of Navy cost estimates for the program and program affordability. The background and issues for Congress on Homeland Security are explored in this book as well. This book consists of public documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.