2016 will be challenging for the Navy. At sea the fleet will continue to face demands that exceed its supply of forces, while at home the fiscal 2017 budget is likely to make difficult choices that prioritize high quality over adequate quantity. Most significantly for sailors, the supply-demand mismatch will get worse next year. While the fleet will grow by 10 ships in FY2016 (about 3.5 percent), implementation of a new process to better prepare carriers and surface ships for deployment will reduce the amount of presence the fleet can generate by about 10 percent.
Analysis