This is CBSI in the world. I'm John Batcher with Tom Modley. His new book is Vectors, Heroes,

Villains, and Heartbreak on the Bridge of the USS Navy. Tom is now acting Secretary of

the Navy and esteem posts with challenges in all directions and all we can do is mention

a few of them. First, what is 355 plus Tom? What does that mean then?

Yes, well, in 2016, the Navy commissions three different studies to look at what the future

force structure should look like. How many aircraft carriers, how many destroyers, how

many frigates, et cetera, what that mix would look like and how many they should have

or set as an north star to try and achieve. At that particular time, we had about 275

shifts that had been a significant decline from the 600 ship Navy under President Reagan

and Secretary Layman. We were looking at a threat environment that was becoming far more

complex and challenging with the Chinese Navy and others threatening. They did these studies

and they focused in on one that suggested that the best force mix was 355 ships. That then

became part of where they were trying to head. It didn't become official policy until President

Trump ran through election and he claimed it and said that he was going to drive towards

this 350 ship Navy. The Congress put it in law that that was the goal for the nation. That's

where the 355 comes from. When I was sworn in as under secretary, I gave a speech at the

Naval Academy and talked about how we need to think about that more in terms of 355 plus.

It was not just those traditional halls, but it was the entire environment that we needed

thinking about investing in. So those traditional 350 or more ships, but unmanned vessels,

the whole cyber connectivity integration with other unmanned systems and aerial systems.

And so I started calling it 355 plus because I really didn't think the number was that important.

Other than to suggest that we're at 275 now and we got a long way to go to where we need to go

...