Naval fleet expansion stays the course

At the two-year mark of his presidency, Donald Trump's campaign promise to expand the U.S. Navy fleet to 350 ships remains In the Works.

Since our last update, the number of ships has grown by four, now tallying 287 surface ships and submarines, according to Navy data. But the long-term trajectory we previously outlined still holds.

The Navy has plans to expand its fleet, but it will likely take decades to get to 355.

The Navy's long-range ship acquisition plan submitted to Congress last February stated that it planned "to reach a 355-ship fleet by the early FY2050s, potentially quicker with an aggressive investment of resources."

A Navy official previously told us the goal of a larger Navy could be achieved in the 2030s by executing on a more robust shipbuilding plan and extending the service of other ships.

A forthcoming budget and new ship building plan, due out this spring, could alter the shipbuilding timeline. If it does, we'll consider modifying our rating.

But as of now, according to Todd Harrison, the director of defense budget analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, "The Navy has not adjusted its long-term shipbuilding plan, and the budget projection hasn't changed" since our last update.