The US Navy has outlined a seven-target plan to boost its readiness for war by 2027, with its eye on China as Beijing ramps up its own military strength and the possibility of a Taiwan invasion looms.
Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations, released the plan on Wednesday, saying she had spent a year taking stock of the Navy’s direction and what it must prioritize in the near future.
Her seven goals include streamlining maintenance for warships and submarines to eliminate delays, a bigger push to develop and field drones and unmanned vessels, and focusing on recruitment and ways to retain personnel.
In a speech at the Naval War College in Rhode Island, Franchetti said the heart of her strategy was “prioritizing raising our level of readiness for potential conflict with the People’s Republic of China by 2027.”
Fears of war by 2027
The 2027 deadline has been a focal point for US officials and defense chiefs, who say it was set by Chinese leader Xi Jinping as the year that China should be ready to seize Taiwan militarily.
Franchetti referenced that assessment again in her speech, saying that it’s “what Chairman Xi told his forces, that they should be ready for war by 2027.”
Xi has denied such claims, or even that he’s set the bar at 2035, according to a senior US official who told reporters in November about the leader’s conversation with President Joe Biden.
But China has increasingly stepped up aggression against Taiwan in recent years, especially after the self-governed island re-elected the Democratic Progressive Party in January. Fears of a US-China war have further been stoked by Beijing turning more hostile in its territorial disputes with Japan and US allies in the South China Sea.
In her speech, Franchetti acknowledged that the US has other competitors to tackle, such as Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah.
But she added that the US Navy’s focus would primarily be on Beijing.
“By 2027, the Navy will be more ready for sustained combat,” she said. “Prioritizing the People’s Republic of China as the pacing challenge and focusing on expanding the Navy’s contribution to the Joint warfighting ecosystem.”
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.
The US Navy’s new ‘North Star’
Accomplishing Franchetti’s goals will be no easy feat. The admiral aims to have 80% of US naval forces ready to deploy and fight anytime.
She also hopes the Navy can undertake an across-the-board repair effort for critical infrastructure like piers and runways. Another goal is to assess every fleet’s command center for war readiness, starting with the Pacific Fleet, and have them up to standard by 2027.
The admiral herself acknowledged that these were stretch goals, or BHAG — big, hairy, audacious goals, as she called them in her speech.
“But I also know that moving out with purpose and urgency on these targets will deter the PRC and any other potential adversary and make us even more ready to fight and win decisively should that deterrence fail,” she added.
Franchetti pointed to one of the US Navy’s more unique advantages: real and recent combat experience.
It’s been watching Ukraine’s fight against Russia in the Black Sea, with Franchetti noting that Kyiv has used a “combination of missiles, robotic surface vessels, and agile digital capabilities.”
The fighting there has drawn particular attention to how Ukraine, considered to have no real navy in its own right, held back the Russian navy and sank some of its warships.
“We have learned a great deal about the future of war at sea,” Franchetti said. “Including the role of robotic platforms, cheaper munitions, and disaggregated forces in gaining and exploiting sea control.”
The Navy has also been gleaning lessons from combat against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have for nearly a year been attacking merchant vessels in the Red Sea with drones and ballistic missiles.
Franchetti told The Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday: “I think probably no one is learning more than the Navy, because really, this is the first time we’ve been in a weapons engagement zone for this sustained period.”
Franchetti assumed her duties as naval chief of operations in November. She previously commanded two carrier strike groups and held command of the 6th Fleet, and is the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
