The 1980s have ushered in a new era for the U.S. Navy. Despite projections that the number of ships it had at the start of the decade would decline, the total is increasing, and the Navy is predicting that it will reach its long-sought goal of a 600-ship Navy by 1990. The numbers have risen, but debate over the type of ships that should be constructed has not been resolved. Meanwhile, recent developments in Soviet shipbuilding have raised, for the first time, concerns about the possibility that the U.S. qualitative lead in naval technology may finally be slipping. At the same time, the...
The 1980s have ushered in a new era for the U.S. Navy. Despite projections that the number of ships it had at the start of the decade would decline, t...