WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy fleet would drop from 293 deployable ships today to 286 ships next year, under the branch's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2025.
The department's budget request seeks only six new battle-force ships while at the same time, decommissioning 13 vessels, including 10 before the end of their expected service life.
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday made their displeasure clear.
"The truth is that our Naval fleet is too small and too old to meet the demands of our combatant commanders and defense strategy," said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi).
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) compared the size of the American fleet to China's.
"By 2030, they will have 435 ships, 141 more ships than we have. Our fleet, as we've discussed, is shrinking," he said.
The Navy's top leaders said they've done the best they could within the constraints set by Congress.
"Given the discretionary spending caps prescribed on the Fiscal Responsibility Act and a top-line increase of 0.7%, the Navy had to make tough choices," said Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations.
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro added: "While the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 required us to make extremely hard choices, this budget directly supports our department's three enduring priorities: maritime dominance, creating a culture of warfighting excellence and enhancing our strategic partnerships around the globe."
Lawmakers also criticized the Navy for focusing too much on climate change, for not holding anyone accountable for ship repair delays and recruiting shortfalls, and for not being advocates for personnel who got kicked out for refusing orders to take the COVID-19 vaccine.