Wicker: 355 Navy goal signed into law

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss.

DECEMBER 13, 2017 — U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said yesterday that his bicameral, bipartisan “Securing the Homeland by Increasing our Power on the Seas (SHIPS) Act” was signed into law by President Donald J. Trump as part of the FY2018 “National Defense Authorization Act” (NDAA).

Wicker’s proposal makes it the official policy of the United States to achieve the Navy’s minimum requirement for a 355-ship fleet. Currently, only 279 ships are in the battle fleet.

Wicker is Chairman of the Senate Seapower Subcommittee.

“With his signature, President Trump has confirmed the United States’ resolve to meet the growing needs of our U.S. Navy,” Wicker said. “Building up our nation’s fleet is essential to protecting our national security and projecting American power around the globe. We are asking too few ships to do too many things, and today the President took a major step toward rectifying that problem. In the coming weeks, I look forward to working with my colleagues to put together a budget that fully supports our American military personnel and keeps us focused on our goal to achieve a full 355-ship fleet.”

It’s that “putting together a budget” part that’s the tricky bit. Though National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorizes a nearly $5 billion increase for shipbuilding above President Trump’s budget request, that can’t happen without passage of a spending bill to make it a reality.