The 1980s have ushered in a new era for the U.S. Navy. Despite projections that the number of ships it had at the start of the decade would decline, the total is increasing, and the Navy is predicting that it will reach its long-sought goal of a 600-ship Navy by 1990. The numbers have risen, but debate over the type of ships that should be constructed has not been resolved. Meanwhile, recent developments in Soviet shipbuilding have raised, for the first time, concerns about the possibility that the U.S. qualitative lead in naval technology may finally be slipping. At the same time, the international geostrategic situation and especially permanent U.S. deployments in the Indian Ocean and in the Caribbean have led to increasing naval commitments. These international developments have broad implications for the Navy, and the contributors to this volume provide a thorough reassessment at the midpoint of the decade.

The 1980s have ushered in a new era for the U.S. Navy. Despite projections that the number of ships it had at the start of the decade would decline, the total is increasing, and the Navy is predicting that it will reach its long-sought goal of a 600-ship Navy by 1990. The numbers have risen, but debate over the type of ships that should be constructed has not been resolved. Meanwhile, recent developments in Soviet shipbuilding have raised, for the first time, concerns about the possibility that the U.S. qualitative lead in naval technology may finally be slipping. At the same time, the international geostrategic situation and especially permanent U.S. deployments in the Indian Ocean and in the Caribbean have led to increasing naval commitments. These international developments have broad implications for the Navy, and the contributors to this volume provide a thorough reassessment at the midpoint of the decade.