600-ship Navy

The idea behind the 600-ship Navy can be traced back to the Vietnam War. During the war, the armed services rapidly expanded to meet the demands placed on them.

The Soviet Union, which had been supporting North Vietnam, began staging their naval vessels from former U.S. ports in South Vietnam. Building on this gain, Soviet vessels began to sail in all seven seas with increased vigor and even ventured into the Gulf of Mexico.{{cite news |title=AROUND THE NATION; Soviet Naval Vessels Found in Gulf of Mexico |newspaper=The New York Times |date=5 October 1981 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/05/us/around-the-nation-soviet-naval-vessels-found-in-gulf-of-mexico.html |page=A16 |agency=Associated Press |issn=0362-4331 |oclc=1645522 |access-date=4 February 2017 |archive-date=25 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225182018/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/05/us/around-the-nation-soviet-naval-vessels-found-in-gulf-of-mexico.html |url-status=live }} Soviet forces also stepped up infantry, armor, and air force deployments in Eastern Europe.

It was against this backdrop in 1980 that the United States began an election year. President Reagan continued this in 1984, releasing a campaign commercial "Bear," which played on the use of the bear as a national symbol of Russia in order to promote higher vigilance and defense expenditures against the Soviet Union.

The overseas strategic retaliation arm was strengthened and the development of new weaponry like the B-1B bomber, the Bradley fighting vehicle, and the Abrams tank was completed and they were put into production.

Lehman attempted to "front-load" the program, by committing the Navy to the building program, but in the end the funds were not available and it fell short.

The Navy saw the largest benefit of the rebuilding.{{cite report |via=Defense Technical Information Center |title=Manning the 600-ship Navy |first=Alan J. |last=Marcus |publisher=Office of Naval Research (Department of the Navy) |department=Naval Planning, Manpower and Logistics Division (Center for Naval Analyses) |date=1 December 1985 |type=Research memorandum |publication-place=Alexandria, Virginia, United States |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA182743.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211225306/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA182743.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=February 11, 2022 |id=CRM 85-111.10 }}{{cite report |title=Manning the 600-Ship Navy: Analysis of Force Structure and Compensation Options for Navy Program Planning |type=Research memorandum |publication-place=Alexandria, Virginia, United States |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA172635.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211225305/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA172635.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=February 11, 2022 |first=Bruce N. |last=Angier |date=1 December 1984 |via=Defense Technical Information Center |publisher=Office of Naval Research (Department of the Navy) |department=Naval Planning, Manpower and Logistics Division (Center for Naval Analyses) |id=CRM 85-23 }} Under the Reagan administration, the first of the {{sclass|Ohio|submarine|0}} ballistic missile submarines were completed. This class was the largest submarine ever built in the U.S. The ship carried 24 Trident I nuclear-capable missiles, each one with a {{convert|4000|mi|adj=on}} range. Construction of the Nimitz class of supercarriers and {{sclass|Los Angeles|submarine|0}} attack submarines were dramatically stepped up. The revolutionary new Aegis Combat System was installed on the upcoming {{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser|0}} ships, production of which was also stepped up. Several aircraft carriers were put through Service Life Extension Programs (SLEPs) aimed at keeping them in service longer. The Iowa-class battleships, built in the 1940s, were all recommissioned and refitted with RGM-84 Harpoon, BGM-109 Tomahawk, and Phalanx CIWS system capabilities, plus their armor plating would be more resilient against anti-ship missiles. The first Harpoons, Tomahawks, and AGM-88 HARM missiles all debuted on the navy's ships. Naval aviation was stepped up with the introduction of the F/A-18 Hornet, along with improved versions of the EA-6 Prowler electronic countermeasure aircraft, the A-6 Intruder, and the F-14 Tomcat. In addition, the nation's strategic retaliatory arm was strengthened with advanced B-1B bombers and deploying Pershing II theater missiles to Europe. The initiative also included deployment of Abrams main battle tanks and Bradley armored fighting vehicles. U.S. Navy unclassified miscellaneous ships, auxiliary ships, and yard ships are not included in the ship count.

Aircraft carriers

Battleships

Cruisers

Destroyers

Frigates

Amphibious assault ship

Dock landing ship

Amphibious transport dock

Amphibious cargo ship

Tank landing ship

Command Ship

Hospital ship

Minesweeper

Patrol ships

Replenishment oiler

Tanker

Ammunition ship

Combat stores ship

Fast combat support ships

Roll-on/roll-off

Destroyer tender

Submarine tender

Crane ship

Heavy-lift ship

Cable ship

Rescue and salvage ship

Tracking ship

Ocean surveillance ship

Oceanographic research ship

Attack submarines

Ballistic missile submarines

Eventually political pressure to reduce the national budget deficit resulted in Congress reversing itself and passing a series of declining defense budgets beginning in 1986.{{cite report |title=Building a 600-ship Navy: Costs, Timing, and Alternative Approaches |date=1 March 1982 |via=Google Books |first=Peter T. |last=Tarpgaard |department=Congressional Budget Office |publisher=United States Congress |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9JQZAAAAIAAJ |publication-place=Washington, D.C. |type=Congressional study |access-date=15 February 2022 |archive-date=27 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240427232921/https://books.google.com/books?id=9JQZAAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}{{cite report |department=Congressional Budget Office |publisher=United States Congress |date=1 September 1985 |title=Future Budget Requirements for the 600-Ship Navy |publication-place=Washington, D.C. |first1=Peter T. |last1=Tarpgaard |first2=Robert E. |last2=Mechanic |id=OMB No. 0704-0188 |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA530783.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211225308/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA530783.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=February 11, 2022 |via=Defense Technical Information Center |type=Congressional study }}{{cite journal |title=The Navy After Lehman: Rough Sailing Ahead?: Navy Secretary John Lehman presided over a major buildup of the fleet but critics charge that there may not be enough money to equip and operate all those new ships; dissent did not flourish in Lehman's Navy |first=Daniel |last=Charles |date=3 April 1987 |volume=236 |issue=4797 |pages=22–25 |doi=10.1126/science.236.4797.22 |journal=Science |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.236.4797.22 |issn=0036-8075 |lccn=17024346 |jstor=00368075 |oclc=1644869 |publisher=American Association for the Advancement of Science |pmid=17759195 |publication-place=Washington, D.C. |editor-first=Daniel E. |editor-last=Kohsland Jr. |editor-link=Daniel E. Koshland, Jr. |access-date=11 February 2022 |archive-date=11 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211225305/https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.236.4797.22 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }} Weinberger clashed with Congress over the cuts, resigning in late 1987, and was succeeded by Frank Carlucci.{{cite magazine |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,967709,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227150947/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,967709,00.html |archive-date=27 December 2007

|title=Bringing The Pentagon to Heel |issn=0040-781X |oclc=1311479 |publication-place=New York City, New York, United States |first=George J. |last=Church |magazine=Time |date=20 June 1988 |editor-first=Henry |url-status=live |editor-last=Muller }} Furthermore, concerns were raised about how the expansion of the Navy would reduce attention and resources needed in other scenarios where the Soviets also had to be confronted such as Europe.{{cite journal |issn=1531-4804 |pages=3–57 |title=A Strategic Misstep: The Maritime Strategy and Deterrence in Europe |first=John J. |last=Mearsheimer |volume=11 |issue=2 |journal=International Security |date=22 September 1986 |oclc=44911437 |jstor=2538957 |publisher=Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs/MIT Press |publication-place=Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States |doi=10.2307/2538957 |s2cid=153456004 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2538957 |access-date=11 February 2022 |archive-date=11 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211225305/https://www.jstor.org/stable/2538957 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}

Lehman's successor as Navy Secretary, Jim Webb, remained a fierce proponent of the expanded fleet, and disagreed with Carlucci over how to cut the Navy budget in line with other services. Webb resigned rather than endorse Carlucci's cut of 16 frigates.{{cite magazine |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,966909,00.html |editor-first=Henry |editor-last=Muller |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227150942/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,966909,00.html |issn=0040-781X |oclc=1311479 |publication-place=New York City, New York, United States |archive-date=27 December 2007 |title=The Navy: The Secretary Jumps Ship |magazine=Time |date=7 March 1988 }} As revealed in The Reagan Diaries, Reagan reflected about Webb's resignation on 22 February 1988: "Present Sec. Webb resigned over budget cuts. I don't think Navy was sorry to see him go."{{cite book |title=The Reagan Diaries |first=Ronald |last=Reagan |editor-first=Douglas |editor-last=Brinkley |editor-link=Douglas Brinkley |chapter=Chapter Eight: 1988—1989 |year=2009 |isbn=9780061751943 |via=Google Books |oclc=85850929 |publisher=HarperCollins |publication-place=New York City, New York, United States |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MhR5a-2nrhoC&pg=PA564 |access-date=2022-02-11 |archive-date=2024-04-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240427232919/https://books.google.com/books?id=MhR5a-2nrhoC&pg=PA564#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=The outsider who could beat Hillary |first=W. James |last=Antle III |volume=22 |issue=46 |newspaper=The Asian Age |publication-place=New Delhi, India |date=3 April 2015 |department=Oped |page=7 |url=https://www.pressreader.com/india/the-asian-age/20150403/281956016294210 |via=PressReader |editor-first=T. Venkattram |editor-last=Reddy |editor-link=T. Venkattram Reddy |publisher=Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited |access-date=11 February 2022 |archive-date=11 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211225305/https://www.pressreader.com/india/the-asian-age/20150403/281956016294210 |url-status=live }}

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and the lack of a perceived threat against the United States, several of the Reagan Administration's policies and plans, such as the "600-ship Navy", were scaled back or abandoned.{{cite journal |title=Beyond the 600-Ship Navy: Introduction |volume=31 |issue=261 |first=Donald C.F. |last=Daniel |pages=3–4 |doi=10.1080/05679329108457607 |journal=The Adelphi Papers |publisher=International Institute for Strategic Studies/Taylor & Francis |publication-place=London, United Kingdom |issn=1944-5571 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/05679329108457607 |date=1 January 1991 |editor-first=Benjamin |editor-last=Rhode |access-date=11 February 2022 |archive-date=11 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211225305/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/05679329108457607 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }} U.S. bases across Europe and North America were slowly decommissioned and closed, others were mothballed through the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.{{cite magazine |title=Business as Usual Inside Obama's Pentagon |first=Chuck |last=Spinney |series=Battleland: Military intelligence for the rest of us (Military Spending) |date=6 December 2012 |url=https://nation.time.com/2012/12/06/business-as-usual-inside-obamas-pentagon |issn=0040-781X |oclc=1311479 |publication-place=New York City, New York, United States |editor-first=Richard |editor-last=Stengel |editor-link=Richard Stengel |magazine=Time |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061529/https://nation.time.com/2012/12/06/business-as-usual-inside-obamas-pentagon }} In the Navy, this resulted in the retirement of several older carriers, the decommissioning of all four of the Iowa-class battleships and the cancellation of the remaining {{sclass|Seawolf|submarine|2}}s.

• Cold War (1979–1985)
• Cold War (1985–1991)
• List of ships of the United States Navy
• National Defense Reserve Fleet
• United States Navy ships

• {{cite book |first=W. J. |last=Holland |title=The Navy |publisher=Naval Historical Foundation |year=2000 |isbn=0-7607-6218-X}}

• [https://fas.org/irp/offdocs/nsdd/nsdd-032.htm NSC-NSDD-32: U.S. National Security Strategy] – The White House, May 20, 1982. [http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/textual/topics/nsdd.htm archive listings]
• Congressional Budget Office:
• [http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/53xx/doc5336/doc13b-Entire.pdf Building a 600-Ship Navy: Costs, Timing, and Alternative Approaches]. March 1982
• [http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/50xx/doc5070/doc21a.pdf Manpower for a 600-Ship Navy: Costs and Policy Alternatives]. August 1983
• GlobalSecurity.org
• [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/scn-1981-reagan.htm Ship Building 1981–89. Reagan, Ronald]
• Naval Historical Center:
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20030417113719/http://www.history.navy.mil/wars/coldwar-1.htm The U.S. Navy in the Cold War Era, 1945–1991]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060820180524/http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/nwp1.htm NWP 1 – Strategic Concepts of the Navy]. February 1987
• Naval War College:
• John B. Hattendorf. "The Evolution of the U.S. Navy's Maritime Strategy, 1977–1986" Naval War College Newport Paper 19 (2004), {{ISBN|1-884733-32-8}}. Available in PDF format [https://web.archive.org/web/20090327083014/http://stinet.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA422147&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf here] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20081030021043/http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/newportpapers/documents/19.pdf here]
• United States Naval Institute:
• Lieutenant General Bernard E. Trainor, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired). [http://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/archive/story.asp?STORY_ID=1352 "Triumph in Strategic Thinking"]. United States Naval Institute Proceedings Vol. 134, No. 2 (February 2008) pp. 40–42
• Norman Friedman. "The Navy, the Cold War – and Now" United States Naval Institute Proceedings Vol. 133, No. 10 (October 2007) pp. 58–62

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20121215042844/http://repository.library.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/552708 U.S. Naval Strategy During the Cold War] from the [http://www.library.georgetown.edu/digital/krogh Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives]
• [http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=5336&zzz=24271 Building a 600 Ship Navy: The Congressional Budget Office Report]

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Category:United States Navy in the 20th century