Pentagon officials say the Navy is aiming to increase the number of deployed ships in the Middle East and Asia by 20 percent.
The new maritime strategy will increase the number of ships in the Middle East from 30 to 40, boost overall deployments from 97 to 120, and send a range of new assets to Asia, which would include the Littoral Combat Ship and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Defense One reported Friday.
Currently the Navy has 275 battle-worth ships that can deploy, although that number is expected to reach 300 by 2020.
“It’s about … being able to project military force into contested areas,” Rear Adm. William McQuilkin, director of the U.S. Navy’s strategy and policy division, said earlier in the week, Defense One reported. “Violet extremist organizations like [Islamic State militants] have grown; we have a continued threat from North Korea and Iran. … We’ve seen the recent Russian aggression and of course we have the question of the rise of China.”
Pentagon officials told the defense website that if budget restraints continue, then “increased levels of risk for some missions” would accompany a more complicated strategy.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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