The US Navy’s beleaguered shipbuilding program took a major hit on Tuesday as Navy Secretary John Phelan announced he was cancelling plans to buy Constellation-class frigates, once heralded as a key part of US strategy to keep up with China’s rapidly expanding naval fleet.
Phelan said the multibillion-dollar program for the surface combatants wasn’t delivering any bang for the buck.
“I won’t spend a dollar if it doesn’t strengthen readiness or our ability to win,” the Navy secretary said in a post on social media.
“To keep that promise, we’re reshaping how we build and field the Fleet – working with industry to deliver warfighting advantage, beginning with a strategic shift away from the Constellation-class frigate program,” he said.
The US needs to be growing its fleet faster “to meet tomorrow’s threats,” a senior US defense official told reporters, according to USNI News.
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