While many navies struggle to maintain fleet numbers, the US Navy is embroiled in a bizarre battle with politicians to reduce theirs. The US Navy wants to decommission 39 warships in 2023 but faces solid resistance from the House Armed Service Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee, which are both opposed to such reductions.
The inactivation ‘wish list’ includes five Ticonderoga class cruisers and nine Freedom class Littoral Combat Ships, the most recent of which was only commissioned in 2020.
The Chief of Naval Operations has stated his aim is of only wanting warships that can fight, are reliable and can be sustained. This does not include Ticonderoga class cruisers, which are near the end of their 35-year service life. As for the LCS, they have proved unreliable and have also failed to achieve their anti-submarine capability.