after I had read Jeff's post:
https://www.sinodefenceforum.com/us-military-news-reports-data-etc.t1547/page-442#post-358505
this thought occurred to me: with all OHP-class Frigates retired (soon) and most of LCSs not in service (yet), how the US Navy will be affected in the near future? (please don't consider this question to be an attack against the USN; it's not)
Well, the removal of Perry FFGs has been going on a long time. After the Reagan buildup, once the Iron Curtain fell, the US started a long, drawn out reduction in force.
I do nt expect at this pint, when the Perrys are gong that there will be much impact at all. The impact has aleady occurred.
If you look back when the Perrys were in their heyday, and the US had the full number of Spruance and Ticos, the US Navy had:
Perry FFG - 51
Spruance DD - 31
Ticonderoga CG - 27
Virginia & California Nuclear cruisers - 6
That was a total of 115 front line major surface combatants. There were actually more combatants because there were various other DDGs (probably close to 20 of them) hanging around making the real number more like 135-140 vessels.
The US Navy realized some time ago it was facing a shortage in overall numbers of surface combatants. The LCS (particularly now that they are addressing its short comings to some extent) was meant to address that.
What will the US Navy have soon after the Perrys are all gone?
LCS - 4
Burke DDGs - 63
Ticondderoga CG - 22
Zumwalt - 1
Next year there will be eight LCS...the year after that, 12, and so forth. Ultimately the FFs will be added to the mix.
But for now, that will be 90 front line major surface combatants.
Most of the difference between where the US navy was after Reagan, and where it is now can be attributed to the reduction after the cold war ended But the US Navy is driving forward and once again growing its overall numbers of major surface combatants. Here is where it is going to be in 10-15 years, particularly once the Ticos are gone and the oldest Burkes start retiring::
LCS/FF - 54
Burke - 65
Burke III - 20
Zumwalt - 3
That will be 142 front line major surface combatants, and something like that number will probably be maintained for some time to come, starting in the late 2020s or thereabouts.
Anyhow, those are my thoughts.