Politics

by John Dawson
Post Date:
September 7, 2023 Issue Date:
September 23, 2023

By the Numbers: Early retirement

Name: WORLD
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The Navy’s ongoing fleet reduction leaves a shrinking naval presence in its wake

Illustration by Krieg Barrie

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4 years, 9 months

The approximate lifespan of the USS Sioux City, a $362 million warship commissioned in 2018 and stricken from the fleet Aug. 14. The U.S. Navy is winding down its Littoral Combat Ship program even as the Navy continues to shrink.

25 years

The initial projected lifespan of the fleet’s Littoral Combat Ships, which have been dogged by mechanical failures and a doctrinal shift away from coastal warfare.

11

The number of ships the U.S. Navy plans to retire in fiscal 2024—including eight ahead of schedule—as part of its “divest to invest” plan that reduces military assets and then invests the savings for future allocations.

297

The number of naval warships in the Navy’s inventory after the Aug. 10 decommissioning of the USS Mobile Bay, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, according to the Naval Vessel Register.