### §8695. Navy battle force ship assessment and requirement reporting

(a) In General.—Not later than 180 days after the date on which a covered event occurs, the Chief of Naval Operations shall submit to the congressional defense committees a battle force ship assessment and requirement.

(b) Assessment.—Each assessment required by subsection (a) shall include the following:

(1) A review of the strategic guidance of the Federal Government, the Department of Defense, and the Navy for identifying priorities, missions, objectives, and principles, in effect as of the date on which the assessment is submitted, that the force structure of the Navy must follow.

(2) An identification of the steady-state demand for maritime security and security force assistance activities.

(3) An identification of the force options that can satisfy the steady-state demands for activities required by theater campaign plans of combatant commanders.

(4) A force optimization analysis that produces a day-to-day global posture required to accomplish peacetime and steady-state tasks assigned by combatant commanders.

(5) A modeling of the ability of the force to fight and win scenarios approved by the Department of Defense.

(6) A calculation of the number and global posture of each force element required to meet steady-state presence demands and warfighting response timelines.

(c) Requirement.—(1) Each requirement required by subsection (a) shall—

(A) be based on the assessment required by subsection (b); and

(B) identify, for each of the fiscal years that are five, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years from the date of the covered event—

(i) the total number of battle force ships required;

(ii) the number of battle force ships required in each of the categories described in paragraph (2);

(iii) the classes of battle force ships included in each of the categories described in paragraph (2); and

(iv) the number of battle force ships required in each class.

(2) The categories described in this paragraph are the following:

(A) Aircraft carriers.

(B) Large surface combatants.

(C) Small surface combatants.

(D) Amphibious warfare ships.

(E) Attack submarines.

(F) Ballistic missile submarines.

(G) Combat logistics force.

(H) Expeditionary fast transport.

(I) Expeditionary support base.

(J) Command and support.

(K) Other.

(d) Definitions.—In this section:

(1) The term "battle force ship" means the following:

(A) A commissioned United States Ship warship capable of contributing to combat operations.

(B) A United States Naval Ship that contributes directly to Navy warfighting or support missions.

(2) The term "covered event" means a significant change to any of the following:

(A) Strategic guidance that results in changes to theater campaign plans or warfighting scenarios.

(B) Strategic laydown of vessels or aircraft that affects sustainable peacetime presence or warfighting response timelines.

(C) Operating concepts, including employment cycles, crewing constructs, or operational tempo limits, that affect peacetime presence or warfighting response timelines.

(D) Assigned missions that affect the type or quantity of force elements.

(e) Responsibilities of Commandant of Marine Corps.—In preparing each assessment and requirement under subsection (a), the Commandant of the Marine Corps shall be specifically responsible for developing the requirements relating to amphibious warfare ships and for naval vessels with the primary mission of transporting Marines.

(Added Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title X, §1017(a), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1896; amended Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title X, §1025, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2764; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title X, §1019, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 384.)

#### **Editorial Notes**

#### Amendments

2023—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 118–31 substituted "Responsibilities of Commandant of Marine Corps" for "Amphibious Warfare Ships" in heading and inserted "and for naval vessels with the primary mission of transporting Marines" before period at end.

2022—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 117–263 added subsec. (e).

#### **Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries**

#### Baseline Assessment and Requirement Required

Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title X, §1017(c), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1897, provided that: "The date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2021] is deemed to be a covered event for the purposes of establishing a baseline battle force ship assessment and requirement under section 8695 of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a) [enacting this section]."