U.S. Navy Readiness: The Fleet’s Problems Are Not Fleeting

Posted: January 5th, 2017

By Thomas Mahnken

Dr. Thomas G. Mahnken is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. He is also a Senior Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the Director of the Advanced Strategy Program at the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies. From 2006 to 2009, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning.

By Jesse Sloman

Jesse Sloman is an Analyst at CSBA. He is a former Marine and studies naval warfare, military readiness, and the future of warfare.

With important global roles during times of peace and war, U.S. Navy ships and sailors must be ready to deploy anywhere in the world on short notice. However, the combination of sustained operations, inadequate ship numbers, and a tight budget have created challenges to the Navy’s long term readiness that cannot be solved quickly or easily. The Cipher Brief Spoke with Thomas Mahnken and Jesse Sloman of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) to assess the situation.

The Cipher Brief: What is the state of Navy readiness right now and what are the key challenges, such as bureaucratic, technical, structural, standing in the way of improving readiness?

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