The news website of the United States Naval Association recently published an article summarizing the equipment procurement situation of the US Navy in 2024. After a detailed analysis of various types of equipment in the US Navy, the article points out that labor shortages in US shipyards and related industries have led to delays or stagnation in almost all major shipbuilding projects of the US Navy in 2024, including the Columbia class strategic nuclear submarine procurement project that the US Department of Defense attaches great importance to. The US Navy proposed in its budget application submitted in February 2024 to purchase two Arleigh Burke class destroyers. The US Navy and Huntington Ingalls Industries signed a multi-year procurement agreement in 2023. According to the agreement, Huntington Ingalls Industries will build 10 Arleigh Burke class destroyers for the US Navy within 5 years, followed by an additional 5. The US Navy Constellation class frigate project is still at a standstill in 2024. The project was launched in August 2022, but due to continuous design revisions by the US Navy, the design drawings for this type of frigate have not yet been fully formed. In a May 2024 accountability report, the US Government Accountability Office stated that the US Navy made multiple modifications to the Constellation class frigate design while it was still largely finalized, resulting in a delay of three years in project progress compared to the original plan, and the total construction cost is expected to exceed $4 billion. The US Navy started building the second and third Constellation class frigates without fully mastering all the indicators, which will further delay the entire project. However, US Navy procurement executive Nicholas Gatling recently stated that the design plan will be finalized by May 2025, at which time Italy's Fincantieri company will significantly increase its construction speed. In August 2024, the US Navy announced a $11.5 billion contract to purchase three San Antonio class amphibious transport ships and one US class amphibious assault ship. According to the contract, the US Navy will receive one San Antonio class amphibious dock transport ship in fiscal years 2025, 2027, and 2029, respectively. At the same time, receive one US class amphibious assault ship in fiscal year 2027. The procurement plan for the US Marine Corps' medium-sized landing craft has been put on hold. Nicholas Gatling recently stated, "We have presented a preliminary design plan for a medium-sized landing craft, but the bid received at the bidding meeting was too high, and we had to shelve the plan." It is reported that the cost of this type of landing craft is expected to be up to $150 million, while several shipyards have offered quotes ranging from $340 million to $430 million. The article states that the medium-sized landing craft is designed to support the US Marine Corps' expeditionary advance base combat concept, enhancing its rapid deployment and coastal control capabilities in the Western Pacific region. The cancellation of the medium-sized landing craft procurement plan this time will affect the strategic layout of the US Marine Corps. The submarine article mentioned that the US Navy's submarine construction plans for the next 10 years will be affected by inflation and labor shortages. In recent years, the US Navy has signed 17 submarine procurement agreements with shipyards, including 5 Columbia class nuclear submarines, 10 6th generation Virginia class nuclear submarines, and 2 5th generation Virginia class nuclear submarines. Due to the continuous increase in prices of these submarines, the progress of the procurement project for this series of submarines has been frequently hindered. To this end, the US Navy has introduced a shipyard accountability and job support proposal, which can help shipyards increase worker wages by withdrawing funds from some unsigned projects in advance. However, Congress recently accused the US Navy of using the proposal to conceal submarine related costs and funding planning information. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 states that the US Navy implemented the proposal without notifying Congress or the Office of Management and Budget. The aircraft carrier Newport News Shipbuilding in the United States is building the second ship of the Ford class aircraft carrier, the Kennedy, which is expected to be delivered in 2025. The "Enterprise" and "Miller" ships of the same level have also started construction. Meanwhile, Newport News Shipbuilding is still conducting mid-term fuel replenishment and major repairs on the USS Stennis aircraft carrier. The repair work began in 2021 and was originally scheduled to be delivered to the US Navy in August 2025. However, due to shortages of related materials and increased engineering volume, the delivery time is expected to be postponed to October 2026. The US Navy signed a $1.1 billion contract with Boeing in March 2024 to purchase 17 F/A-18E/F fighter jets. The US Navy stated that the batch of fighter jets will be delivered starting from the end of 2026 and completed in the spring of 2027. The US Navy continues to advance the next-generation air superiority program. The plan aims to operate a manned platform in conjunction with a range of unmanned systems, with the goal of replacing the F/A-18E/F fighter jet by the 2030s. However, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned in October 2024 that if the defense budget for fiscal year 2025 allocates funds for the second Virginia class nuclear submarine, $400 million must be cut from fighter jet program funding, which will prevent the smooth implementation of the US Navy's next-generation air superiority program. The US Navy has tested commercial unmanned aerial vehicles in the Pacific Ocean under the US Department of Defense's Clone Program, and several of its internally planned artificial intelligence unmanned surface vessel projects have not yet been announced to the public. However, the US Navy recently announced that it has conducted 720 hours of continuous operation testing on the engine of an unmanned surface vessel that is about to enter service. The development and operation of this engine are crucial for enhancing unmanned combat capabilities and achieving manned/unmanned hybrid fleet operations. In addition, the US Navy will establish the third squadron of unmanned surface vessels in California in May 2024. Through testing and deploying small global autonomous reconnaissance boats, the concept, plan, and operational applications of future unmanned vessels will be determined. Similar small unmanned surface vessels will be integrated with the US Navy fleet to enhance the overall combat capability of the US Navy. The US Navy is still accelerating the development of the MQ-25A unmanned aerial refueling aircraft. The MQ-25A unmanned aerial refueling aircraft is the first large-scale unmanned system planned to be deployed on a US aircraft carrier and will become one of the important configurations of the US Navy's aircraft carrier fleet in the future. Due to production delays, the tanker is expected to have initial operational capability by the 2026 fiscal year. (New Society)