The panel's twelve-carrier US Navy proposal

What would an ideal order of US Navy Burkes, frigates, aircraft carriers, and auxiliaries look like?

The panel proposes matching frigate and Burke numbers, returning to twelve carriers, and expanding the auxiliary fleet; its availability estimates depend on how those ships are maintained and rotated.

The proposal at 3:48:42 pairs comparable numbers of frigates and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and leaves the role of proposed large surface combatants open. It sets twelve aircraft carriers as the preferred target, while noting that some proposals call for fifteen. The availability discussion begins with four under a simple one-in-three rotation, then suggests that a larger pool could make about five operational ships practical, with further availability for a surge. Those are estimates within the proposed fleet, not guaranteed outputs from adding a hull. Twelve would also make geographic basing and normal deployment rotations easier to balance in the panel's view. The proposal includes many more auxiliaries to support those commitments.