Keeping the Pace: The US Navy FFG(X) Programme

摘要

The US Congress, through the 2018 Defence Authorisation Act, is working to grow the US Navy fleet from its existing 276 ships to an ultimate goal of 355 ships. Fleet numbers are often used for political jockeying, however the reasons to grow the fleet are many and form a small piece in the 'Great Power Competition' where nations spar for supremacy. The FFG(X) programme, detailed here, is no exception. Growing the US Navy (USN) fleet is meant to maintain the naval advantage that the US currently enjoys, and is meant to counter the blistering speed at which peer or near-peer nations are growing their own fleets - this is particularly the case for China. Speaking to this point was Rear Admiral Bob Auchterlonie, Commander of Maritime Forces Pacific (Royal Canadian Navy), who explained that China launched 25 ships in 2018, which are corvette size or larger. Those numbers quickly become staggering if that pace is extrapolated over a number of years. Most are aware that the Chinese staked territorial claims to great swaths of the South China Sea, and in doing so have militarised a number of atolls in that region - this presence includes greater numbers of Chinese navy ships in the region. These misplaced territorial claims, coupled with belligerent behaviour, go against the rules of international law, which is why the USN and others routinely exercise Freedom of Navigation operations in the region. Such operations usually consist of surface combatants like destroyers or cruisers, so one can fairly expect more ships will be needed as operations like these also increase.