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Bryan McGrath rejoins the Net Assessment team to discuss the U.S. Navy’s Battle Force 2045 proposal. Bryan, Melanie, Chris, and Zack agree that the proposed 500 ship force is a fantasy that will not be fully funded. But they express optimism that these plans will provide useful starting points for deeper thinking about the Navy’s future force. Chris launches an email etiquette crusade, Zack complains about sexism in defense reporting, Bryan commends the name of the Navy’s first guided missile frigate, and Melanie urges everyone to vote.

Links

• “Secretary of Defense Remarks at CSBA on the NDS and Future Defense Modernization Priorities,” Department of Defense, October 6, 2020
• Megan Eckstein, “SECDEF Esper Calls for 500-Ship Fleet by 2045, With 3 SSNs a Year and Light Carriers Supplementing CVNS,” USNI News, October 6, 2020
• Bryan McGrath, “Deterring War, Conducting War, Ending War: What Seapower Does,” CDR Salamander Blog, August 26, 2020
• Bryan McGrath, Twitter, October 16, 20
• Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt, “A Trump Victory May Push His Defense Secretary Out an Open Door,” New York Times, October 23, 2020
• David B. Larter, “US State Department to Allow Sale of Hundreds of Anti-Ship Missiles to Taiwan Amid Diplomatic Row,” Defense News, October 26, 2020
• Brandon Valeriano, Twitter, October 18, 2020
• Harlan Ullman, “Battle Force 2045 Raises Important Questions,” US Naval Institute Proceedings, October 2020
• Ronald O’Rourke, “Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress,” Congressional Research Service, October 7, 2020
• Ronald O’Rourke and Michael Moodie, “US Role in the World: Background and Issues for Congress,” Congressional Research Service, Updated August 26, 2020
• Mark Montgomery, “Is Esper’s New Plan for the Navy Enough for the Indo-Pacific?“, War on the Rocks, October 21, 2020
• Emily Oster, “Schools Aren’t Super-Spreaders,” Atlantic, October 9, 2020
• Jay Nordlinger, “Trump and Dictators,” National Review, October 20, 2020