Sal using a second hand number that PRC is "moving toward" to continue passive-aggressively beating the drum for making the navy great again....yes, yawn indeed. I was somewhat disappointed to see VCNO testifying this week that we need (in this order) more ships, and then more money to take care of what we've got rotting on the line. If you've paid attention to hull counts over the last decade you know it's a shell game and can manipulated quite easily to match political winds. Are we chasing a number to make ourselves feel better about ourselves, or are we pursuing capabilities that are based on threat assessments and anticipated operational reqs?
My sense is that the Navy is trying to strike while the political iron is hot. There's a new administration that will push for more ship construction for its own sake, budget or strategy or threat assessment be damned. Thus this sudden, simplistic drumbeat of "the Chinese have/will have a bigger Navy than us". I doubt anyone in the building thinks they'll actually get to 355, or whatever the buzz-number is right now; but maybe they can move the chains and get some more long-lead money committed before reality sets in.