Perspectives on the Navy’s 2023 Shipbuilding Plan

The Navy’s shipbuilding plan for fiscal year 2023 presents three alternatives that call for a much larger fleet of manned ships and an undetermined number of unmanned systems. The CBO examined the plan’s implications for the potential size, composition, cost, and capabilities of the fleet.

In this report, the CBO compares the three alternatives with other recent shipbuilding plans and analyses by the Navy. The CBO’s analysis of the Navy’s shipbuilding plan reveals that each of the three alternatives would significantly increase the number of ships and result in significant changes in size, composition, cost, and capabilities.