
Studies conducted by the U.S. Navy are suggesting that the service should increase the number of ships in its fleet to about the mid-300s, according to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson.The Navy is currently slated to grow its fleet from 272 ships today to 308 by fiscal year 2021. But the 308 goal was set in 2012 and did not account for a resurgent Russia or the rise of the Islamic State, Richardson said Dec. 3 at the…