Another article published in the Port of Pittsburgh Navy League Newsletter:

2024 Navy Budget Request – Outlining the Priorities

Bob MacPherson, Past President

The following information was gathered from the Secretary of the Navy’s 2024 Budget submission. The original intent for the Navy League was to make sure that the US Navy had the correct amount of support to sustain its primary mission. The Navy League was founded with the support of President Teddy Roosevelt because he had the vision to understand that without a powerful Navy, the country could not sustain its maritime freedom. That freedom was supplemented by the need to protect our nation’s interests during two World Wars and a number of conflicts during the past century.

The mission of the Navy League to support the Navy continues to this day. We support the men and women in uniform but we must also be aware of the overall costs of freedom in an increasingly dangerous world. Most importantly, we must also face the fact that we are competing for more and more precious dollars in a time where the national debt is greater than in any time in our history. The pressure on the government to curtail spending will increase in the coming years and the public may not have the heart to pay for the things needed to ensure we can protect the country.

The first responsible step is to know what we are paying for.

One only has to look at the news these days and see that the presence of a powerful Navy is critical in nearly every crisis around the world. But that presence will challenge the estimates of the Navy’s budget requests. Unplanned and extended deployments will crush any estimates. Maintenance and repair will continue to get more expensive.

As of December 2023, the following is the overview from the Secretary’s briefing:

The Department of the Navy’s (DON) FY 2024 President’s Budget (PB24) request is $255.8B, an increase of $11.0B from the FY 2023 enacted budget (with supplementals). The budget request reflects the Nation’s priorities, guided by a hierarchy of strategic doctrines. The Navy and Marine Corps team integrate resources across disparate domains and elements of national power to deter adversaries and campaign forward. This approach will deliver the integrated deterrence at sea required by the National Defense Strategy (NDS). The budget reflects the consistent priorities of Columbia Nuclear strategic deterrence, readiness, modernization/capabilities, and capable capacity in order to implement the NDS and builds upon force design initiatives. The budget invests in quality-of-life initiatives for Sailors, Marines, and Civilians, and upgrades facilities for new capabilities. Secretary Del Toro has a clear strategic vision centered on three priorities: strengthen maritime dominance, build a culture of warfighting excellence, and enhance strategic partnerships. The CNO’s NAVPLAN plots a sustainable course for the U.S. Navy’s operations and investments to accelerate America’s advantage at sea. The CMC’s Force Design is a modernization effort meeting the demands of the NDS, with the Marine Corps remaining the Nation’s expeditionary crisis response force

Provides for a deployable battle force of 293 ships in FY 2024 (118 surface combatants, 68 submarines, 36 support ships, 31 combat logistics, 29 amphibious, and 11 aircraft carriers).
Procures 9 battle force ships in FY 2024 (1 SSBN 826, 2 SSN 774, 2 DDG 51, 2 FFG 62, 1 T-AO 205, and 1 AS(X)) and 55 over the FYDP. Funds 5 other construction efforts (2 LCU 1700, 1 LCAC SLEP, and 2 used Sealift).
Procures 88 fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned aircraft in FY 2024 (16 F-35B, 19 F-35C, 26 METS, 2 KC-130J, 15 CH53K, 2 MQ-4C, 3 MQ-25, and 5 MQ-9A) and 410 over the FYDP.
Accelerates key priorities of the USMC Force Design for equipment modernization, talent management reform, and training and education reform to meet global threats and be “most ready when the Nation is least ready.”
R&D provides continued investments to deliver promising technologies including Next Generation Air Dominance, SSN(X), DDG(X), unmanned vehicles, JSF, and cyber security.
Taking Care of People funds a 5.2% pay increase for military and civilians matching the employment cost index, expands commitment to Sailors & Marines mental health resources, and increases efforts to prevent sexual assault and harassment.
Investing over $1B annually to create a continuum of learning that develops leaders at every level.
Military Construction funds 35 projects (19 Active Navy/14 Active MC/2 Reserve MC) for new platforms, Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan, recapitalization of aging infrastructure, safety/environmental compliance, and child development centers.
Family Housing funds 2 construction projects, maintains 8,530 government owned units/1,659 leased units, and planning and design for projects in Guam, Japan, and Washington D.C.
Sustains current readiness in key accounts: ship maintenance ($13.9B)/100% of requirement; ship operations ($7.0B)/97% of requirement/58 days deployed qtr/24 days non-deployed qtr; flying hours ($10.7B)/90% of requirement; air depot maintenance ($1.9B)/91% of requirement; Marine Corps depot maintenance ($0.2B)/100% of requirement; and facilities sustainment, restoration, and modernization ($4.5B)/87% (Navy) & ($1.2B)/54% (USMC) of sustainment requirement.
Divestments reflect a reduction of 12 ships, including the decommissioning of 4 ships at or beyond their end–of service life as we commit to more lethal, more modern platforms.

Key Messages

We are strengthening our maritime dominance so that we can deter potential adversaries, and if called upon, fight and win our Nation’s wars.
We are building a culture of warfighting excellence, founded on strong leadership, which is rooted in treating each other with dignity and respect.
We are enhancing our strategic partnerships, across the Joint Force, with industry, academia, and our Allies and partners around the globe.
Investing in the Navy and Marine Corps today is a down payment on America’s security tomorrow

Facts and Figures

$255.8B FY 2024 (+$11.0B/+4.5% from FY 2023)
$60.6B Military Personnel (+$2.5B/+4.3%)
$84.6B Operation & Maintenance (+$3.1B/+3.8%)
$76.9B Procurement (+$4.3B/+6.0%)
$26.9B Research and Development (+$0.9B/+3.4%)
$6.8B MILCON/Family Housing (+$0.3B/+4.4%)
347,000 Active Navy end-strength (+5,264 ES)
172,300 Active Marine Corps end-strength (+153 ES)
57,200 Reserve Navy end-strength (+983 ES)
33,600 Reserve Marine Corps end-strength (+530 ES)
226,955 Civilian full-time equivalents (+701 FTE)

The Navy League can play an important role in advising and encouraging the Sea Services but it must make sure we have a clear understanding of where the needs are and how the financial situation is laid out by leadership. This is surely what President Roosevelt envisioned when he encouraged our founding.

The full budget report can be found here:

https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/Press-Releases/display-pressreleases/Article/3345410/fiscal-year-2024-department-of-the-navy-budget-materials/