The following are the Department of the Navy Fiscal Year 2024 budget summary materials released this week.
From the report
America is a maritime nation. American naval primacy is essential to meeting the challenges we face today. The seas are the lifeblood of our economy, our national security, and our way of life. With 90 percent of global commerce traveling by sea, the Department of the Navy safeguards the world’s economy from hostile nations and organizations that threaten international waters. Our everyday lives also depend on access to the internet, which rides upon the security of undersea fiber optic cables. Our prosperity as a nation and our security are dependent upon unfettered access to the seas. The Department of the Navy harnesses our ships, submarines, aircraft, unmanned platforms, and highly trained Sailors and Marines, to protect and support the American way of life.
In both times of peace and war, the Department can be found in and on the sea, the air, space, ground, and in the cyber realm so that our citizens can remain prosperous and secure. The Department’s track record of keeping America safe is so sound that most Americans cannot recall a time in their lives when they feared attack from another nation’s naval force. We keep threats away from our shores by operating abroad.
Today and every day you can find nearly 100 ships and submarines underway around the globe. There is no substitute for presence. If fact, section 8062(a) of title 10, United States Code, was amended for the Navy to prepare for “peacetime promotion of the national security interests and prosperity of the United States.” When we consistently deploy our combat ready forces alongside our allies and partners in faraway waters, our adversaries are forced to face a persistent reality – a fight with American naval forces would be unwinnable and costly. Our mere presence and routine operations bolster our leverage, giving us diplomatic options that will always be more favorable than war.
In times of international crises, we can quickly maneuver thousands of miles with the world’s more capable warships and dwell in areas of interest without relying on land bases in foreign countries. When called upon, the U.S. Navy ships are ready to deploy the world’s most sophisticated weapons systems operated by highly skilled personnel to fight and win our nation’s wars. The disregard for international rules from the People’s Republic of China continues to grow while Russia expands its aggression in Europe. America’s naval forces are unique as America’s most timely, flexible, and forward-deployed force across the full spectrum of challenges — from naval diplomacy to strategic deterrence, to resource competition, to crisis, and conflict.
Maintaining a world-class and worldwide deployable Navy and Marine Corps as a first line of defense for the United States is not something that can be created overnight when conflict arises. Investing in the Navy and Marine Corps today is a down payment on America’s security tomorrow. Our Navy and Marine Corps integrate resources across disparate domains and elements of national power to deter adversaries and campaign forward.
The Department’s budget request supports the nation’s priorities, driven by a hierarchy of strategic doctrines: National Security Strategy, National Military Strategy, National Defense Strategy (NDS), Secretary of the Navy’s Strategic Priorities, Chief of Naval Operations’ Navigation Plan, and Commandant of the Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030.
The FY 2024 President’s Budget (PB24) prioritizes readiness, capability, and capacity, especially investment and readiness efforts, to make sure our ships and aircraft are always prepared to deploy. This approach will deliver the integrated deterrence at sea required by the NDS. The budget reflects consistent priorities of: Columbia Nuclear strategic deterrence, readiness, modernization/capabilities, capable capacity in order to implement the NDS, and builds on Force Design initiatives.
Download the document here.