The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) transits the waters of the South China Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Barker)
WASHINGTON — The Department of the Navy is recommending a modification to the force generation model it uses for amphibious ships, following a report from the new Amphibious Force Readiness Board (AFRB) that aims to improve the ships’ readiness.
The Navy currently utilizes a 36-month Optimized Fleet Response Plan (OFRP) for maintenance, training, and seven-month long deployments for amphibious vessels, but today Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said that he’s on board with a new 56-month model.
“The course of action that we would like to pursue would be able to extend the OFRP to 56-months, allowing us to have two workup cycles, two integrated training cycles, as well as two deployments for every ship,” Cao told lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee today.
Cao said that he sent the recommendation to the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and that the proposal also includes increasing the number of amphibious ships to 40 — up from the congressionally mandated 31 ships.
