The sprawling shipyard on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi buzzed with activity as over 7,000 workers scrambled to fulfill orders fueled by the Navy’s largest shipbuilding budget in history. The $32 billion spending surge enabled the Huntington Ingalls shipyard to hire thousands more employees and build guided missile destroyers and amphibious transport ships. While the increase in ship production is seen as positive for the shipyard’s efficiency and job creation, some Pentagon insiders worry that the focus on new warships may lead to a fleet that relies on outdated military strategies and becomes unaffordable in the future.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Bahrain, a U.S. Navy outpost was testing a different approach to 21st-century warfighting needs. A collection of small unmanned vessels bobbed in a bay, serving as prototypes for a cheaper, more mobile force that could be crucial in containing Iran and fighting a war in the Pacific. These drone boats, unmanned submersible vessels, and aerial vehicles were capable of monitoring and intercepting threats over hundreds of miles of the Persian Gulf.
Despite the success and potential of these unmanned technologies, Navy personnel and contractors in Bahrain are requesting more funding to further develop them. The contrast between the traditional shipbuilding approach in Mississippi and the innovative approach in Bahrain highlights the challenge the Navy faces in embracing new technologies and weapons systems. The rising threat from China necessitates innovation, as the Navy’s big-ship platforms are increasingly vulnerable to attack, according to Defense Department war games.
However, the Navy’s progress in adopting innovative technologies has been constrained by political and economic forces. The Navy remains tied to jobs-driven procurement policies that result in powerful but unwieldy warships that may not be suitable for the evolving mission. Additionally, resistance to change and risk-taking within the military and Congress hampers progress. Congress has allocated billions of dollars for shipbuilding while cutting spending on fleet repairs, hindering the Navy’s ability to afford maintenance and staffing costs.
While the Navy recognizes the need to embrace new technologies, the current funding and attention allocated to rapid innovation are insufficient. A significant barrier to transformation lies in the Navy’s antiquated procurement system, which takes years to develop specifications and secure funding for new ships. The Navy must also overhaul its fleet organization to better integrate large platform ships with unmanned vessels for improved threat monitoring and rapid attack capabilities.
Despite these challenges, the Navy is committed to modernizing its fleet and maintaining its strategic edge. Steps toward modernization have been taken in recent years, with plans to establish the Disruptive Capabilities Office and adopt a new operational approach called “distributed maritime operations.” However, the Navy acknowledges that revolutionary change is difficult and has chosen a more cautious, deliberate, and evolutionary path.
In conclusion, while traditional warships remain significant, the Navy must adapt to embrace new, more maneuverable, cost-effective, and less vulnerable weapons systems. The procurement system, fleet organization, and resistance to change pose significant barriers, but the Navy is determined to stay at the forefront of technological advances and continually advance warfighting capabilities.
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