Obama’s Asia strategy gives Navy key role, fewer ships

The Navy had long planned to increase the size of its 285-ship fleet to 313 vessels by 2020, but under Obama’s budget it will fall far short. Under the new plan, the fleet will remain at 285 ships over the next five years. The Navy is hoping to expand to a 300-ship fleet by 2019, but that’s only if the service doesn’t get hit with additional spending cuts, an optimistic scenario.The changes have prompted criticism from Congress, where some lawmakers have pressed Defense Secretary Leon E.

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