
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Thursday characterized the Battle Force 2045 future fleet plans as more aspirations than clearly planned objectives but nevertheless are needed for great power competition and maintaining military superiority to China. In October, former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper outlined the new Navy future fleet plan, called Battle Force 2045, calling for 500 ships by 2045 including many unmanned vessels and 355 traditional ships by 2035 (Defense Daily, Oct. 6). “Now a…