600-ship Navy

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The recommissioning ceremony for USS New Jersey; President Ronald Reagan attended and gave the ship's orders.

The 600-ship Navy was a strategic plan of the United States Navy during the 1980s to rebuild its fleet after cutbacks that followed the end of the Vietnam War.[1] The plan, which originated with Republican leaders, was an important campaign plank of Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election, who advocated a larger military and strategic confrontation with the Soviet Union.[2][3]

The number of ships peaked at 594 in 1987, before declining sharply after the end of the Cold War in 1989–1991.[4]

The program included:

The idea was supported by John F. Lehman, who became Reagan's Secretary of the Navy, and Caspar Weinberger, Reagan's Secretary of Defense.

Background[edit]

The idea behind the 600-ship Navy can be traced back to the Vietnam War. During the war, the armed services rapidly expanded to meet the demands placed on them.

The Soviet Union, which had been supporting North Vietnam, began staging their naval vessels from former U.S. ports in South Vietnam. Building on this gain, Soviet vessels began to sail in all seven seas with increased vigor and even ventured into the Gulf of Mexico.[5] Soviet forces also stepped up infantry, armor, and air force deployments in Eastern Europe.

Reagan plan[edit]

It was against this backdrop in 1980 that the United States began an election year. President Reagan continued this in 1984, releasing a campaign commercial "Bear," which played on the use of the bear as a national symbol of Russia in order to promote higher vigilance and defense expenditures against the Soviet Union.

The overseas strategic retaliation arm was strengthened and the development of new weaponry like the B-1B bomber, the Bradley fighting vehicle, and the Abrams tank was completed and they were put into production.

Lehman attempted to "front-load" the program, by committing the Navy to the building program, but in the end the funds were not available and it fell short.[6][7]

Ships and weapons systems deployed during the plan[edit]

The Navy saw the largest benefit of the rebuilding.[8][9] Under the Reagan administration, the first of the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines were completed. This class was the largest submarine ever built in the U.S. The ship carried 24 Trident I nuclear-capable missiles, each one with a 4,000-mile (6,400 km) range. Construction of the Nimitz class of supercarriers and Los Angeles-class attack submarines were dramatically stepped up. The revolutionary new Aegis Combat System was installed on the upcoming Ticonderoga-class ships, production of which was also stepped up. Several aircraft carriers were put through Service Life Extension Programs (SLEPs) aimed at keeping them in service longer. The Iowa-class battleships, built in the 1940s, were all recommissioned and refitted with RGM-84 Harpoon, BGM-109 Tomahawk, and Phalanx CIWS system capabilities, plus their armor plating would be more resilient against anti-ship missiles. The first Harpoons, Tomahawks, and AGM-88 HARM missiles all debuted on the navy's ships. Naval aviation was stepped up with the introduction of the F/A-18 Hornet, along with improved versions of the EA-6 Prowler electronic countermeasure aircraft, the A-6 Intruder, and the F-14 Tomcat. In addition, the nation's strategic retaliatory arm was strengthened with advanced B-1B bombers and deploying Pershing II theater missiles to Europe. The initiative also included deployment of Abrams main battle tanks and Bradley armored fighting vehicles. U.S. Navy unclassified miscellaneous ships, auxiliary ships, and yard ships are not included in the ship count.

Build-up by year[edit]

Aircraft carriers

Battleships

Cruisers

Destroyers

Frigates

Years 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Total major combatants active 208 213 208 214 224 230 236 242 232 229 218

Amphibious assault ship

Dock landing ship

Amphibious transport dock

Amphibious cargo ship

Tank landing ship

Years 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Total amphibious active 67 67 67 65 63 63 63 66 68 67 67

Command Ship

Hospital ship

Minesweeper

Patrol ships

Replenishment oiler

Tanker

Ammunition ship

Combat stores ship

Fast combat support ships

Roll-on/roll-off

Destroyer tender

Submarine tender

Crane ship

Heavy-lift ship

Cable ship

Rescue and salvage ship

Tracking ship

Ocean surveillance ship

Oceanographic research ship

Years 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Total auxiliary active 88 98 100 109 113 119 128 136 140 149 147
Years 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Total surface active 363 378 375 388 400 412 427 444 440 445 432

Attack submarines

Ballistic missile submarines

Years 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Total submarines active 118 124 128 130 134 137 135 136 135 132 125
Years 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Total active fleet 481 502 503 518 534 549 562 580 575 577 557

End of the plan[edit]

Eventually political pressure to reduce the national budget deficit resulted in Congress reversing itself and passing a series of declining defense budgets beginning in 1986.[10][11][7] Weinberger clashed with Congress over the cuts, resigning in late 1987, and was succeeded by Frank Carlucci.[12] Furthermore, concerns were raised about how the expansion of the Navy would reduce attention and resources needed in other scenarios where the Soviets also had to be confronted such as Europe.[13]

Lehman's successor as Navy Secretary, Jim Webb, remained a fierce proponent of the expanded fleet, and disagreed with Carlucci over how to cut the Navy budget in line with other services. Webb resigned rather than endorse Carlucci's cut of 16 frigates.[14] As revealed in The Reagan Diaries, Reagan reflected about Webb's resignation on 22 February 1988: "Present Sec. Webb resigned over budget cuts. I don't think Navy was sorry to see him go."[15][16]

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and the lack of a perceived threat against the United States, several of the Reagan Administration's policies and plans, such as the "600-ship Navy", were scaled back or abandoned.[2] U.S. bases across Europe and North America were slowly decommissioned and closed, others were mothballed through the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.[6] In the Navy, this resulted in the retirement of several older carriers, the decommissioning of all four of the Iowa-class battleships and the cancellation of the remaining Seawolf-class submarines.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  • Holland, W. J. (2000). The Navy. Naval Historical Foundation. ISBN 0-7607-6218-X.
  1. ^ Hattendorf, John B. Kelleher, Catherine McArdle; Boyer, Pelham G.; Goodrich, Patricia A. (eds.). The Evolution of the U.S. Navy's Maritime Strategy, 1977-1986 (PDF). Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (Center for Naval Warfare Studies) (Essay). Naval War College Newport Papers. Vol. 19. Newport, Rhode Island, United States: Naval War College. ISBN 1-884733-32-8. ISSN 1544-6824. OMB No. 0704-0188. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2009.
  2. ^ a b Daniel, Donald C.F. (1 January 1991). Rhode, Benjamin (ed.). "Beyond the 600‐Ship Navy: Introduction". The Adelphi Papers. 31 (261). London, United Kingdom: International Institute for Strategic Studies/Taylor & Francis: 3–4. doi:10.1080/05679329108457607. ISSN 1944-5571.
  3. ^ Armstrong, C.E.; Bottoms, Albert M. (22 June 1989). Uhlig Jr., Frank (ed.). "Command of the Seas: Building the 600 Ship Navy" (PDF). Naval War College Review. 42 (3). New Port, Rhode Island, United States: Naval War College: 118–122. ISSN 0028-1484. LCCN 75617787. OCLC 01779130.
  4. ^ "US Ship Force Levels 1886-present". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  5. ^ "AROUND THE NATION; Soviet Naval Vessels Found in Gulf of Mexico". The New York Times. Associated Press. 5 October 1981. p. A16. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522.
  6. ^ a b Spinney, Chuck (6 December 2012). Stengel, Richard (ed.). "Business as Usual Inside Obama's Pentagon". Time. Battleland: Military intelligence for the rest of us (Military Spending). New York City, New York, United States. ISSN 0040-781X. OCLC 1311479. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  7. ^ a b Charles, Daniel (3 April 1987). Kohsland Jr., Daniel E. (ed.). "The Navy After Lehman: Rough Sailing Ahead?: Navy Secretary John Lehman presided over a major buildup of the fleet but critics charge that there may not be enough money to equip and operate all those new ships; dissent did not flourish in Lehman's Navy". Science. 236 (4797). Washington, D.C.: American Association for the Advancement of Science: 22–25. doi:10.1126/science.236.4797.22. ISSN 0036-8075. JSTOR 00368075. LCCN 17024346. OCLC 1644869. PMID 17759195.
  8. ^ Marcus, Alan J. (1 December 1985). Manning the 600-ship Navy (PDF). Naval Planning, Manpower and Logistics Division (Center for Naval Analyses) (Research memorandum). Alexandria, Virginia, United States: Office of Naval Research (Department of the Navy). CRM 85-111.10. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 11, 2022 – via Defense Technical Information Center.
  9. ^ Angier, Bruce N. (1 December 1984). Manning the 600-Ship Navy: Analysis of Force Structure and Compensation Options for Navy Program Planning (PDF). Naval Planning, Manpower and Logistics Division (Center for Naval Analyses) (Research memorandum). Alexandria, Virginia, United States: Office of Naval Research (Department of the Navy). CRM 85-23. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 11, 2022 – via Defense Technical Information Center.
  10. ^ Tarpgaard, Peter T. (1 March 1982). Building a 600-ship Navy: Costs, Timing, and Alternative Approaches. Congressional Budget Office (Congressional study). Washington, D.C.: United States Congress – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Tarpgaard, Peter T.; Mechanic, Robert E. (1 September 1985). Future Budget Requirements for the 600-Ship Navy (PDF). Congressional Budget Office (Congressional study). Washington, D.C.: United States Congress. OMB No. 0704-0188. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 11, 2022 – via Defense Technical Information Center.
  12. ^ Church, George J. (20 June 1988). Muller, Henry (ed.). "Bringing The Pentagon to Heel". Time. New York City, New York, United States. ISSN 0040-781X. OCLC 1311479. Archived from the original on 27 December 2007.
  13. ^ Mearsheimer, John J. (22 September 1986). "A Strategic Misstep: The Maritime Strategy and Deterrence in Europe". International Security. 11 (2). Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States: Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs/MIT Press: 3–57. doi:10.2307/2538957. ISSN 1531-4804. JSTOR 2538957. OCLC 44911437. S2CID 153456004.
  14. ^ Muller, Henry, ed. (7 March 1988). "The Navy: The Secretary Jumps Ship". Time. New York City, New York, United States. ISSN 0040-781X. OCLC 1311479. Archived from the original on 27 December 2007.
  15. ^ Reagan, Ronald (2009). "Chapter Eight: 1988—1989". In Brinkley, Douglas (ed.). The Reagan Diaries. New York City, New York, United States: HarperCollins. ISBN 9780061751943. OCLC 85850929 – via Google Books.
  16. ^ Antle III, W. James (3 April 2015). Reddy, T. Venkattram (ed.). "The outsider who could beat Hillary". Oped. The Asian Age. Vol. 22, no. 46. New Delhi, India: Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited. p. 7 – via PressReader.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]