Navy ship needs tough to pin down

WASHINGTON, April 28 (UPI) -- Some U.S. lawmakers and military analysts say the Navy needs to do a better job of stating the reasons it needs to grow to 313 ships.

The Newport News Daily Press reported Monday that even though the current 279-ship fleet is the smallest in years, the Navy hasn't been able to convince everyone on Capitol Hill it needs 313 ships by 2020.

"The Navy has not done a capable job of explaining why it wants 313

ships or how it intends to get to that goal," said Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute. "There's a lot of disagreement right now about whether the fleet we're buying has any relevance to the future."

The newspaper said that while the United States still requires aircraft carrier battle groups and submarines, developing scenarios in the war on terrorism and missile defense have made it more difficult to calculate just how many ships and what types the Navy will need in the decades to come.