A more realistic goal is 280 ships to be kept afloat and effective (training & mission capable) as the current administration has kneecapped this country for the next century with debt.
As the soviets have been supplanted by the chinese as our nemesis (but the russians haven't gone away!) we are faced with the liklyhood that our fina'l mess will not allow us to effectively meet the challenges we will face from china and others in the mid and long-term future.
This administration wasn't the one 'wasting' the resources of the country with defence of the Persian Gulf against the goatherds of Afghanistan and nasty sniping Iraqis in Fallujah.
How many aircraft carrier battle groups were deployed at the same time 3? 4? Against what?
And somebody thought this would go on forever? That no other contingecies would arise? Navies are notorious for developing themselves for themselve for bang-bang, and getting 'development' money as a result. But bad planning, and worse spending, started long, long before Obama.
But no fear, if Obama can get the Chinese to more buy bonds, he just might up-grade the fleet. Geez he's 'wasting' money on everything else.
