By Tony Capaccio

(Bloomberg) — Defense Secretary Ash Carter has ordered U.S. Navy leaders to purchase fewer ships so the service can spend extra on jets such because the F-35 in addition to munitions and upgraded methods for digital warfare.

“For the last several years, the Department of the Navy has overemphasized resources used to incrementally increase total ship numbers at the expense of critically needed investments in areas where our adversaries are not standing still, such as strike, ship survivability, electronic warfare and other capabilities,” Carter wrote in a memo obtained by Bloomberg News that’s uncommon in its blunt rejection of a army service’s strategy.

Carter stated the Navy is properly on its strategy to reaching a 308- ship purpose that “should be met but not irresponsibly exceeded.” The dimension of the naval fleet has lengthy been a political flashpoint. In the 2012 presidential race, Republican Mitt Romney criticized President Barack Obama for letting the variety of ships shrink to “levels not seen since 1916.”

In this week’s debate of Republican presidential candidates, Jeb Bush stated “the Navy has been gutted and decimated” and Marco Rubio known as for reversing cuts to the service.

Navy spokesman Commander William Marks stated service officers have been conscious of Carter’s memo however “budget discussion are pre-decisional and it would inappropriate to discuss anything further until the FY 17 budget is finalized. ”

“Shipbuilding has always been a priority for the Navy,” Marks stated in an e-mail. “We will continue to balance capability with capacity in our shipbuilding programs as we have always done.”

Lockheed, Austal

In the memo to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, Carter stated the Navy’s upcoming five-year plan for fiscal 2017 to 2021 ought to scale back the mixed purchases of Littoral Combat Ships and a brand new frigate to 40 from 52. The littoral ship, made in separate variations by Lockheed Martin Corp.and Austal Ltd., has been dogged by questions on its mission, efficiency and skill to outlive in fight.

At the identical time, Carter directed the Navy to extend purchases over the 5 years of Lockheed’s F-35 and the F/A-18E/F made by Boeing Co. Thirty-one of the Navy’s model of the F-35 can be added over the Navy’s request.

He additionally known as for extra Raytheon Co. SM-6 missiles, a brand new light-weight torpedo, upgraded digital warfare methods on floor ships and elevated compartment area to hold extra Tomahawk cruise missiles on Virginia-class submarines. Carter praised the system, generally known as the “Virginia Payload Module.”

Carter additionally stated the Navy ought to reverse deliberate cuts in purchases of surveillance plane. The service had deliberate to pare three Northrop Grumman Corp. E-2Ds and {one of the} contractor’s MQ-4C Triton reconnaissance drones.

“The Navy’s strategic future requires more on focusing on posture, not only on presence, and more on new capabilities, not only on new ship numbers,” Carter stated.

Outlasting Carter

With the Obama administration ending in little greater than a yr and Carter’s tenure on the Pentagon more likely to finish then as properly, the Navy and its supporters in Congress could merely outlast his directive.

Questions in regards to the Littoral Combat Ship’s survivability and mission led former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel a yr in the past to truncate the variety of ships deliberate at 32, to be adopted after 2019 by growth and buy of 20 better-armed frigates But the Littoral’s political survivability is buoyed by robust help on Capitol Hill.

Carter’s memo directed the Navy to chop the variety of Littoral Combat Ships in its plan for fiscal 2017 to 2021 to 6 from 14. He additionally directed the Navy to decide on between Lockheed and Austal by fiscal 2019 to construct future ships, slightly than persevering with to end up two variations.

©2015 Bloomberg News