Focusing on the Navy
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
TL;DR
In today’s issue, we discuss some recent hot-button issues facing the United States Navy. The Biden administration’s proposed budget is insufficient to meet the growing challenge from the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) while the US Navy itself faces internal confusion on how to respond to PLAN’s aggressive growth. PLAN’s latest aircraft carrier is comparable to the latest US carriers. Unless the US once again prioritizes naval funding and development, we could find ourselves painfully outpaced by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
A Harsh Critique of Navy Strategy
The Biden administration's proposed naval budget would cut funds for the navy’s shipbuilding account by $700 million at a time that PLAN is rapidly modernizing and actively targeting US naval superiority. Cutting back investment into America’s naval shield at a time the PRC is rapidly building its strengths is shortsighted of the Biden administration.
Unfortunately, the issue goes deeper than just lack of funds. A recent piece gives a harsh review of the Navy’s current strategy, arguing that the navy is facing “strategic bankruptcy.” While the navy and the defense community broadly agree on the challenge that the PRC poses, there is confusion on how to respond to the threat. Different analysts disagree on whether there is an immediate threat from the PRC or a threat in the near to long-term.
On the one hand, some analysts argue that more ships would enable the US Navy to match PLAN’s rapid growth and meet the global strategic needs of the US. But on the other hand, the PRC has continued to build its missile capabilities which threaten traditional aircraft carriers and fleets, leading another set of analysts to contend building a larger fleet would just create more targets for PRC missiles and focusing on next-generation autonomous technologies would be a wiser path.
A unified strategy which accounts for these different challenges is critically important but hard to put together. Complicating the situation, many of the Navy’s core craft are aging without clean replacements available. Shipyard infrastructure is creaking and needs modernization, slowing efforts to refresh the navy (source). In contrast, PLAN has partnered with the commercial CSSC to use private sector orders to boost their shipbuilding capabilities to world-leading levels (source). The US should follow a similar strategy to boost the competitiveness of domestic shipbuilders in the global ecosystem (source). A strong industrial base is needed to secure defense needs.
The PRC’s New Supercarrier
PLAN’s new Type-003 aircraft carriers are nearing readiness for active service. As the diagram below illustrates, these new carriers are impressive and comparable with the US Navy’s most advanced Ford-class aircraft carriers. The public/private partnership between PLAN/CSSC enables the PRC to innovate rapidly in military design and is proving its worth as innovative new ships like the Type-003 enter PLAN service.
Discussion
The readers of this newsletter are engineers, scientists, researchers, and investors rather than national security experts. However, the challenge raised by PLAN will affect all of us. Entrepreneurs and investors should recognize that naval innovation will prove an increasingly competitive arena and should consider investing time and resources into building companies that secure US naval security. Investing in defense doesn’t mean warmongering; rather it means soberly recognizing that the PRC poses a global strategic challenge. Refusing to face the situation could lead the US down a dangerous path where our liberties and safety are not guaranteed.
Highlights for the Week
https://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-upholds-arizona-election-rules-11625148976: The supreme court has weakened voter rights by upholding Arizona’s new voter regulation efforts. Voting right reform at the national level is critically important for preserving democratic norms.
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About
Deep Into the Forest is a newsletter by Deep Forest Sciences, Inc. We’re a deep tech R&D company specializing in the use of AI for deep tech development. We do technical consulting and joint development partnerships with deep tech firms. Get in touch with us at partnerships@deepforestsci.com! We’re always welcome to new ideas!
Credits
Author: Bharath Ramsundar, Ph.D.
Editor: Sandya Subramanian
This seems to focus solely on the tech of the ships themselves, rather than the other factors that go in to naval superiority - alliances, culture of the navy, culture of the politicians working with military, etc.
Do you think ships alone will create a superiority? I am unfamiliar with how important they are to "superiority"