The Taxpayer Navy

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Tax dollars wasted on over-priced ships. Good ships decommissioned for no reason. Brand-new shore infrastructure shuttered or ill-maintained. 

U.S. naval history from 1950 to the present is rife with mismanagement, the consequences of which fall largely on the taxpayers’ shoulders. And when most of the people making decisions in the Pentagon have never served on the deck of a ship, is it any wonder? With little to no oversight, the Navy has spent and wasted millions of dollars over the past seventy years.

From decommissioning ships early to constructing classes of ships that are less capable than advertised to Congress, the Navy has heavily invested in systems that looked fine on paper but were failures in actual application. This detailed history of the state of commissioned ships includes recommendations for the allocation of funds into improvements that should be made to ensure sustainable and affordable ships for the U.S. Navy of the future. For readers interested in the detailed minutiae related to the development, cost, and lifetime of naval ships or of any military expenditures, for that matter—this book is a must-read manual. 

A brief description of the book contents:
   Chapter 1 outlines how the Navy has arrived at its current force level.  A chart is provided to present an overall picture of the fleet from 1950 to 2020.
     Chapters 2-13 detail, by type and class, when ships were constructed and commissioned and the life span of each ship.  These types of ships include, Aircraft Carriers, Battleships, Cruisers, Destroyers (DD) and Guided Missile Destroyers (DDG), Destroyer Escorts (DE), Frigates (FF), Guided Missile Frigates (FFG), Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), Submarines, Patrol Vessels, Amphibious Ships, Landing Craft, Mine Warfare Ships, Auxiliaries and Yard and Service Craft.  
    Chapter 14 summarizes by year, type and class how ships were disposed of.  This chapter also discusses the closure of numerous viable Naval facilities that supported the Fleet in earlier years.
This book answers the following questions:
       What did the U.S. Naval Fleet look like at the end of World War II compared to today's fleet?
       How have the types and numbers of ships varied over those years?
       Did each ship complete its expected life span or was it decommissioned early?
       What were some of the reasons why a ship or class of ship was decommissioned early?
      What is the current status of support facilities needed to maintain our fleet readiness as compared to previous years?
       Are we a safer nation now than we were in previous years based on our current Naval forces levels?
        Were my taxpayer dollars spent wisely over the span of the last seventy years?
 This book provides a great opportunity for you, a family member or friend to learn more about our U.S. Naval Fleet that your taxpayer dollars support daily.  It will also provide an opportunity for those who have served in the Navy or Marine Corps to share their experiences with others while providing specific details about the type of vessel they may have served on.