WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today commended President Donald J. Trump and Acting Secretary of the Navy Kenneth J. Braithwaite for releasing a long-awaited update to the U.S. Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan.

“Our nation’s ability to counter emerging threats from abroad is increasingly dependent upon a stronger Navy. The 30-year shipbuilding plan the President and his team released today sets a strong benchmark for a growing U.S. fleet. It addresses current challenges and prepares for the future. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to ensure our U.S. Navy remains the unrivaled leader of the seas,” Wicker said.

As the author of the SHIPS Act, which made it the policy of the United States to reach a 355-ship Navy as soon as practicable, Wicker has been a strong supporter of a larger fleet.

The plan sets the Navy’s priorities for shipbuilding, force structure, and modernization efforts to meet future combat and security needs. Congress uses the plan as a guide for setting budgets and authorizing construction of new vessels from year to year.

Among other provisions, the 30-year shipbuilding plan would:

• Provide a battle force of 355 vessels within 10 years and nearly 400 within 20 years, up from 296 ships today;
• Boost ship procurement quantities by 26 ships over the next four fiscal years;
• Increase shipbuilding budgets by $39 billion through FY 2026;
• Significantly increase investment in unmanned vessels to provide additional sensing and firepower capabilities at a lower cost; and
• Support construction of three classes of ships built in Mississippi, including two Arleigh-Burke class destroyers (DDG) per year for the next five years, one San Antonio-class amphibious landing platform dock ship (LPD) every other year, and the third America-class large deck amphibious ship (LHA 9).