Updated April 21, 2022
Defense Primer: Naval Forces
“Naval Forces” Refers to Both the Navy
The Navy’s aircraft carriers embark multimission carrier air
and Marine Corps
wings (CVWs) consisting of 60+ aircraft—mostly fixed-
Although the term naval forces is often used to refer
wing aircraft, plus a few helicopters. Each CVW typically
specifically to Navy forces, it more properly refers to both
includes 40 or more strike fighters that are capable of air-to-
Navy and Marine Corps forces, because both the Navy and
ground (strike) and air-to-air (fighter) combat operations.
Marine Corps are naval services. For further discussion, see
CRS In Focus IF10484, Defense Primer: Department of the
Size of the Navy
Navy, by Ronald O'Rourke. For a discussion of the Marine
The total number of ships in the Navy is a one-dimensional
Corps that focuses on its organization as a ground-combat
metric that leaves out many other important factors bearing
force, see CRS In Focus IF10571, Defense Primer:
on the Navy’s size and capabilities. Even so, observers
Organization of U.S. Ground Forces, by Barbara Salazar
often cite the total number of ships in the U.S. Navy as a
Torreon and Andrew Feickert.
convenient way of summarizing the Navy’s size and
capabilities.
U.S. Strategy and Naval Forces
U.S. naval forces give the United States the ability to
The quoted number of ships in the Navy reflects the battle
convert the world’s oceans—a global commons that covers
force ships counting method, which is a set of rules for
more than two-thirds of the planet’s surface—into a
which ships count (or do not count) toward the quoted
medium of maneuver and operations for projecting U.S.
number of ships. The battle force ships counting method
power ashore and otherwise defending U.S. interests around
was established in the early 1980s and has been modified
the world. The ability to use the world’s oceans in this
by legislation in recent years. Essentially, it includes ships
manner—and to deny other countries the use of the world’s
that are readily deployable overseas, and which contribute
oceans for taking actions against U.S. interests—constitutes
to the Navy’s overseas combat capability. The Naval
an immense asymmetric advantage for the United States.
History and Heritage Command maintains a database on
numbers of ships in the Navy from 1886 to the present. (It
As discussed elsewhere (see CRS In Focus IF10485,
is available here: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/
Defense Primer: Geography, Strategy, and U.S. Force
histories/ship-histories/us-ship-force-levels.html.) Since this
Design, by Ronald O'Rourke), the size and composition of
database extends back to 1886, it uses a different counting
U.S. naval forces reflect the position of the United States as
method that is more suitable for working with older
a Western Hemisphere power with a goal of preventing the
historical data. This alternate counting method, however,
emergence of regional hegemons in Eurasia. As a result, the
produces, for the 1980s onwards, figures for the total size of
U.S. Navy includes significant numbers of aircraft carriers,
the Navy that are different than the figures produced by the
nuclear-powered attack submarines, large surface
battle force ships counting method. For this reason, using
combatants, large amphibious ships, and underway
figures from the NHHC database to quote the size of the
replenishment ships.
Navy in recent years can cause confusion.
Navy Ship Types
Navy Force-Level Goal
The Navy’s ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) are
The Navy determines its force-level goal—the size and
dedicated to performing a singular mission of strategic
composition of the fleet it would like to reach and maintain
nuclear deterrence. The Navy’s other ships, which are
in coming years—through a Force Structure Analysis
sometimes referred to as the Navy’s general-purpose ships,
(FSA). FSAs are conducted every few years. For each type
are generally multimission ships capable of performing a
of ship, the FSA calculates the number required for
variety of missions other than strategic nuclear deterrence.
warfighting, and the number required for maintaining day-
The principal types of general-purpose ships in the Navy
to-day forward-deployed presence overseas.
include attack submarines (SSNs); aircraft carriers
(CVNs); large surface combatants, meaning cruisers
In December 2016, the Navy released a force-structure goal
(CGs) and destroyers (DDGs); small surface combatants,
that calls for achieving and maintaining a fleet of 355 ships
meaning frigates (FFGs), Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs),
of certain types and numbers. The 355-ship goal was made
mine warfare (MIW) ships, and patrol craft (PCs);
U.S. policy by Section 1025 of the FY2018 National
amphibious ships, whose primary function is to transport
Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2810/P.L. 115-91 of
Marines and their equipment and supplies to distant
December 12, 2017). The 355-ship goal predates the Trump
operating areas and support Marine ship-to-shore
and Biden Administrations’ national defense strategies and
movements and Marine operations ashore; combat logistics
does not reflect the new fleet architecture (i.e., new mix of
force (CLF) ships, which perform underway replenishment
ships) that the Navy wants to shift toward in coming years.
(UNREP) operations, meaning the at-sea resupply of
This new fleet architecture is to feature a smaller proportion
combat ships; and other support ships of various types.
of larger ships, a larger proportion of smaller ships, and a
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Defense Primer: Naval Forces
new third element of large unmanned vehicles (UVs). The
Forward-Deployed Operations
Navy and the Department of Defense (DOD) have been
The U.S. Navy is unique among the world’s navies in that,
working since 2019 to develop a successor for the 355-ship
at any given moment, a sizeable fraction of the Navy is
force-level goal that would reflect current national defense
forward-deployed to distant operating areas, particularly the
strategy and the new fleet architecture. The Navy’s FY2023
Western Pacific, the Indian Ocean/Persian Gulf region, and
30-year (FY2023-FY2052) shipbuilding plan, released on
the waters around Europe. At any given moment, roughly
April 20, 2022, presents the results of three studies on
30% or more of the Navy, including two or three CSGs and
possibilities for the Navy’s successor force-level goal.
two or three ARGs, might be forward-deployed. Having
These studies call for a future Navy with 321 to 404
enough ships to maintain these forward deployments is a
manned ships and 45 to 204 large UVs.
major influence on calculations that determine the Navy’s
force-level goal.
Current Size of the Navy
The size of the Navy in recent years has generally ranged
The forward-deployed presence of Navy ships is intended
between 270 and 300 battle force ships. As of April 18,
to support a number of ongoing or potential missions,
2022, the figure was 298.
including deterrence of potential aggressors; reassurance of
allies and partners; engagement operations with foreign
Nuclear-Powered Ships
naval and other military forces (which can strengthen
The Navy’s submarines and aircraft carriers are all nuclear
political bonds and improve interoperability between the
powered, meaning that they use on-board nuclear reactors
Navy and those other forces); intelligence, surveillance, and
to generate power for propulsion and for running shipboard
reconnaissance (ISR) operations; rapid response in
equipment. Navy submarines each have one reactor; Navy
humanitarian assistance/disaster response (HA/DR)
aircraft carriers each have two. All other Navy ships are
situations; noncombatant evacuation operations (NEOs);
conventionally powered, meaning that they burn petroleum-
counter-terrorist operations, crisis response and
based fuels for propulsion and shipboard power.
containment, and timely initial actions during the early (and
potentially critical) stages of a conflict.
Navy Nuclear Weapons
The Navy maintains a neither-confirm-nor-deny (NCND)
Forward-Homeported Ships
policy regarding the presence or absence of nuclear
Most of the Navy’s ships are homeported in the United
weapons on specific ships. In general, however, it is
States. To help support its ability to maintain its forward-
understood that the only Navy ships that carry nuclear
deployed presence, some Navy ships are homeported in
weapons are SSBNs, which carry nuclear-armed
forward locations. The Navy’s largest forward-homeporting
submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). All of the
location is Japan, where a CSG, an ARG, and some mine
Navy’s other nuclear weapons, which were referred to
warfare ships are homeported. Additional Navy ships are
collectively as nonstrategic naval nuclear weapons, were
forward-homeported elsewhere in the Pacific, in the Persian
withdrawn from the fleet as part of a unilateral initiative
Gulf (at Bahrain), and in or near the Mediterranean (in
announced by President George H.W. Bush at the end of
Spain and Italy).
the Cold War in 1991.
Navy Formations
Relevant Statutes
Naval forces are modular and scalable—Navy ships can be
Title 10, U.S. Code, Subtitle C – Navy and Marine Corps
combined into formations of various types and sizes that are
tailored for their intended missions. The two most

prominent types of naval formations are carrier strike
groups (CSGs) and amphibious ready groups (ARGs).
CRS Products
The composition of a CSG can vary, but typically includes
CRS Report RL32665, Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding
a CVN with its embarked CVW, perhaps three to five
Plans: Background and Issues for Congress, by Ronald O'Rourke
surface combatants (typically one cruiser, plus some
destroyers), a CLF ship, and perhaps an SSN. An ARG

typically includes three amphibious ships—one LHA/LHD
Other Resources
type “big deck” amphibious assault ship (which resembles a
medium-sized aircraft carrier) and two smaller (but still
Congressional Budget Office, The U.S. Military’s Force Structure:
sizeable) amphibious ships known as LPDs and LSDs. An
A Primer, 2021 Update, May 2021, particularly Chapter 3 (pp.
ARG typically embarks a Marine Expeditionary Unit
45-77)
(MEU), which includes more than 2,000 Marines and their
Department of the Navy, Highlights of the Department of the
equipment (including some aircraft) and supplies. A third
Navy FY 2023 Budget, accessed April 21, 2022, at
type of naval formation is a Surface Action Group (SAG),
https://www.secnav.navy.mil/fmc/fmb/Documents/23pres/Highl
which consists of a few or several surface combatants,
ights_Book.pdf
without an aircraft carrier. Navy ships sometimes operate
by themselves—all SSBNs and many SSNs operate this

way, as do some surface combatants and amphibious ships
that are deployed to lower-threat areas (such as South
Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs
America or parts of Africa) for purposes of engaging with
allied or partner forces in those areas.
IF10486
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Defense Primer: Naval Forces


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