YES: The Navy Needs a Strategic Industrial Plan to Realize the Golden Fleet.

The details of Golden Fleet have become more visible recently with the release of the Navy’s shipbuilding plan and associated fiscal year 2027 budget. Realizing the fleet as envisioned will take more than the $65.8 billion (a 39% increase over the FY26 budget) that’s been earmarked. It will take a long-term industrial plan that builds and delivers warships on a meaningful timeline to deal with today’s chief threats – most notably, China.

Hung Cao, the acting Navy Secretary, understands this. In recent testimony to Congress, he detailed how he has challenged his department to “change how we do business” and “revitalize our industrial base.” The Golden Fleet provides a target in ship orders, and Congress appears on track to provide the resources.

But institutional discipline to stay the course for many years on the shipbuilding plan is less assured. Winning early successes can build momentum and set the direction for critical infrastructure investments, thereby sustaining congressional support… for a time. Focusing early actions that lead to an enduring naval buildup requires a roadmap.

The Navy’s problem — aside from decades-long, criminally bipartisan Congressional neglect of our shipyards — is that it couldn’t even build somebody else’s well-respected frigate without screwing things up so badly that the whole project got scrapped. It’s replacement? The still-under-development FF(X) frigate whose existence is also in doubt.

It seems almost insane to conclude this, but we need a Navy that’s serious about ships.