미해군의 4가지 함대 구성안

[위종민]

대릴 코들 미 해군참모총장이 USNI에서 개최한 심포지엄에서 미해군 전투지침에 대해 설명했네요. 해당 심포지엄에서 미해군이 나아갈 방향에 대해서도 활발히 논의가 이뤄졌다는데, 현재 미해군 내부에서 거론되고 있는 함대 구성안은 네 가지라고 합니다. 

유인함정 381척과 일정수의 무인 수상함을 포함한 현행 해군 조선 계획, 마이클 길데이 전 미해군 참모총장이 발표한 하이브리드 함대 (유인 350척, 무인 150척), 전방에 배치된 자율 로봇 시스템과 유인함정을 결합한 헷지 함대, 마지막으로 트럼프가 밀고 있는 황금함대라고 하네요. 코들 미 해군참모총장은 헷시 함대에 대해 가장 많은 시간을 할애해 설명했다고 합니다. 

네 가지 구상안 모두에 USV가 핵심 전력으로 포함돼 있습니다. 

미국에 가장 적합한 해군은 무엇인가? 네 가지 함대 설계안

2026년 5월 28일 | 객원 필자 | 댓글 3개

George Galdorisi

관점

군 지도자들은 종종 군수산업 관련 회의를 통해 새로운 전략을 공개한다. 2025년 12월 새로운 국가안보전략(NSS)과 2026년 1월 국가국방전략(NDS)이 발표된 직후, 미 해군참모총장(CNO) Daryl Caudle 제독은 NSS와 NDS를 지원하기 위해 마련된 해군 전략인 「미 해군 전투 지침(U.S. Navy Fighting Instructions)」을 2026년 2월 공개했다.

이 문서는 미 서부 해안 최대 규모의 군·산업 심포지엄으로 1만 명 이상의 등록 참가자가 참석한 AFCEA(Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association)/미 해군연구소(USNI) 'West' 심포지엄에서 공개됐다. Caudle 제독은 행사 첫날 기조연설자로 나서 「미 해군 전투 지침」에 대해 설명했다.

기조연설과 이어진 각 군 참모총장 패널 토론에서 CNO가 강조한 핵심 사항 가운데 하나는 미 해군이 '차별화 요소(differentiator)'라는 점이었다. 그는 「전투 지침」에서 이를 다음과 같이 설명했다.

"승자는 어려운 과업을 뛰어나게 수행함으로써 자신을 차별화합니다. 그것이 성공적인 기업이나 세계 정상급 운동선수를 경쟁자와 구분하는 요소입니다. 어려운 일을 잘 수행한다는 것은 차별화된 가치를 찾아내고 제공하는 것을 의미합니다. 미 해군에게 있어 해군이 다른 어떤 군종이나 다른 어떤 국가보다 더 잘할 수 있는 일을 우선하는 것은 해군참모총장이 수병, 조선 기반, 함대, 그리고 우리의 필수적인 글로벌 임무를 수행하는 데 필요한 전투 역량에 전략과 자원을 집중하도록 보장하는 핵심입니다. 우리는 국가와 합동군이라는 두 주요 이해관계자에게 차별화된 가치를 제공합니다."

해군을 차별화 요소로 강조한 CNO의 발언은 차세대 해군(Navy-After-Next)이 어떤 모습이어야 하는지를 둘러싼 논의가 매우 활발하게 이루어지고 있는 시점에 나왔다. 해군 내부는 물론 국방부, 행정부, 미 의회, 싱크탱크, 그리고 다양한 이해관계자와 영향력 있는 인사들 사이에서 그 어느 때보다 다양하고 치열한 논의가 이어지고 있으며, 그 상당 부분이 이번 'West' 심포지엄에서도 이루어졌다.

어떤 함대를 선택할 것인가?

현재 미 해군 내부에서는 네 가지 함대 구성안이 유력한 대안으로 거론되고 있다.

첫 번째는 미 의회조사국(CRS)이 소개한 현행 해군 조선 계획이다. 이 계획은 유인 함정 381척과 일정 수의 무인 수상함을 포함한다. 이는 최근 발표된 해군 조선 계획과도 일치하며, 해당 계획은 2056년까지 전투함 전력을 유인 함정 382척 규모로 확대하는 것을 목표로 하고 있다.

두 번째로 주목받는 안은 '하이브리드 함대(Hybrid Fleet)'다. 이 개념은 당시 해군참모총장이었던 Michael Gilday 제독이 처음 제시했으며, 후임 참모총장들도 이를 지지했다. 이 구상은 유인 함정 350척과 무인 수상함 150척으로 구성된 해군을 목표로 한다. 하이브리드 함대 개념은 미 해군이 전 세계 임무를 수행하기 위해 필요한 충분한 수의 유인 함정을 확보하는 데 지속적으로 어려움을 겪고 있다는 점에서 발전하게 됐다.

세 번째는 '헤지 함대(Hedge Fleet)'다. 이는 전방에 배치된 로봇 자율 시스템과 유인 함정을 결합해 어떤 위기 상황에서도 신속하게 투입할 수 있는 전력을 의미한다. 네 가지 안 가운데 CNO는 헤지 함대에 대해 가장 많은 설명을 할애했으며, 그 이유를 다음과 같이 설명했다.

"우리는 '맞춤형 전력(Tailored Forces)'과 항공모함 전단 외에도 다양한 전투 편제를 갖춘 해군이 필요합니다. 맞춤형 전력에는 소모가 가능하고 쉽게 보충할 수 있는 무인 수상함, 무인 수중체계, 기뢰전 능력, 그리고 비용 효율적인 드론 대응 방어 능력 등이 포함됩니다. 헤지 함대는 하나의 목적만을 가진 취약한 전력을 피할 수 있습니다."

마지막은 2025년 말 트럼프 대통령이 발표한 새로운 구상인 '골든 함대(Golden Fleet)'다. 이 계획은 함대를 신속하게 확대하고 현대화하는 것을 목표로 하며, 전함과 프리깃, 그리고 무인 수상함에 큰 비중을 두고 있다. 언론 보도는 주로 대형 함정에 초점을 맞추고 있지만, 전문 관측통들은 장거리 타격 및 미사일 방어 체계를 갖춘 소형 및 중형 무인 수상함이 단기적으로 가장 큰 전략적 영향을 미칠 것으로 보고 있다.

이 네 가지 구상에는 한 가지 공통점이 있다. 모두 미래 함대의 핵심 전력으로 무인 수상함을 포함하고 있다는 점이다. 이러한 큰 변화에는 두 가지 이유가 있다.

첫 번째 이유는 함정의 건조와 운용 비용이 매우 높기 때문이다. Ford급 항공모함의 건조 비용은 130억 달러, Arleigh Burke급 구축함은 22억 달러이며, 신형 Columbia급 탄도미사일 잠수함은 100억 달러에 육박한다. 그러나 이러한 획득 비용은 전체 비용의 일부에 불과하다. 함정을 운용할 승조원을 유지하는 데도 막대한 비용이 들며, 함정의 전 수명주기 운용비(Total Operating Cost)의 약 70%는 승조원 유지 비용이 차지한다.

두 번째 이유는 10년이 넘는 개발 끝에 해군이 무인 수상함이 더 이상 시제품이 아니라 양산 가능한 수준(일부는 상용기성품, COTS)에 도달했으며, 유인 함정과 함께 실전 배치할 준비가 되었다는 확신을 갖게 되었기 때문이다.

이러한 기술적 성숙도의 증거로 CNO는 제5함대/CTF-59, 제4함대, 그리고 NATO 동맹국들과 함께 실시한 다양한 무인 수상함 훈련, 실험 및 시범 운용이 이러한 플랫폼의 발전을 크게 가속했다고 설명했다. 최근 사례 가운데 하나로 미국의 무인 수상함 설계·제조업체 MARTAC은 MANTAS T12, Devil Ray T24, Devil Ray T38 무인 수상함(USV)을 다양한 해군 및 해병대 해상 행사에서 지속적으로 시연해 왔다.

이러한 행사에는 미 태평양함대가 주도하는 Integrated Battle Problem 연습, 미 해군 중부사령부/CTF-59 주관으로 아라비아만에서 실시되는 Integrated Maritime Exercise, NATO의 BALTOPS, REPMUS 및 후속 Dynamic Messenger 훈련, 호주 국방군의 Autonomous Warrior 훈련 등이 포함된다.

해군 조선 계획은 무인 수상함의 기술적 성숙도에 대한 이러한 신뢰가 해군으로 하여금 무인 수상함에 대한 예산을 편성하도록 만들었다고 설명한다. 그 목적은 "기존 즉응 전력을 직접적으로 보완하는 이중용도 전력으로 활용되어 국가의 해양 태세를 강화하기 위한 유연한 '맞춤형 전력'을 제공하는 것"이다.

조선 계획에 따르면 중형 무인 수상함(MUSV)은 상당한 규모로 증가할 예정이다. 2027회계연도 39척에서 2031회계연도에는 83척으로 늘어나며, 이 시점에는 MUSV가 해군 전체 함대의 18%를 차지하게 된다. 계획서는 자율 함대가 장시간 해양영역감시(Maritime Domain Awareness) 임무를 수행함으로써 Arleigh Burke급 구축함과 같은 고가치 전력의 부담을 줄여줄 것이라고 설명한다.

앞으로의 길

향후 차세대 해군이 현재 제시된 여러 개념 가운데 하나를 채택하든, 여러 개념을 혼합한 형태가 되든, 또는 전혀 새로운 설계가 등장하든, 유인 함정과 무인 수상함이 통합된 편제로 구성된 미래의 미 해군은 세대에 한 번 있을 정도의 대전환을 의미할 것이다.

그러나 차세대 해군의 구성을 결정하는 것은 필요한 첫걸음일 뿐이며, 그것만으로는 충분하지 않다. 미 의회는 해군이 무인 수상함 운용개념(CONOPS)을 마련하기 전까지는 수십억 달러 규모의 무인 수상함 투자 계획을 승인하는 데 소극적인 입장을 보여 왔다. 의회의 이러한 지적에는 일리가 있다.

해군은 조선 계획을 통해 특히 중형 무인 수상함을 중심으로 대규모 무인체계를 도입하겠다는 계획을 발표했지만, 가장 기본적인 수준의 운용개념(CONOPS)조차 아직 제시되지 않았다. 이러한 운용개념은 충분한 고민을 거쳐 수립되고, 분석과 이해관계자 검토, 워게임을 통해 검증된 뒤 폭넓게 공유되어야 한다. 이러한 체계적인 과정을 거쳐야만 차세대 해군이 국가가 보유할 수 있는 가장 강력한 해군이 될 수 있다.

퇴역 해군 대령 George Galdorisi는 30년간 복무한 해군 항공 조종사이자 국가안보 전문가이다. 그는 복무 기간 동안 네 차례 지휘관을 역임했으며 항공모함 전단 참모장을 지냈다. 또한 중국 해군과의 군사 교류 협상을 위한 미국 대표단을 이끌었다. 현재는 해군 정보전센터 태평양(Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific)의 전략평가 및 미래기술 부문 명예 책임자를 맡고 있다. 그는 17권의 저서를 집필했으며, 그 가운데 네 권은 연속으로 뉴욕타임스 베스트셀러에 올랐다. 그의 최신 소설 『Fire and Ice』는 러시아의 우크라이나 침공을 예견한 듯한 내용으로 주목받았다.

대표 이미지: 2018년 11월 16일 필리핀해에서 Ronald Reagan 항모강습단과 John C. Stennis 항모강습단 소속 함정들이 이중 항모 작전을 수행하며 항해하고 있다. (미 해군 사진)

Four Fleet Designs: Which Navy is Best for America? | Center for International Maritime Security

Four Fleet Designs: Which Navy is Best for America? | Center for International Maritime Security

Four Fleet Designs: Which Navy is Best for America?

May 28, 2026 Guest Author 3 Comments

By George Galdorisi

Perspective

Military leaders often use military-industry conferences to unveil new strategies. Coming on the heels of a new National Security Strategy (NSS) issued in December 2025 and a National Defense Strategy (NDS) issued in January 2026, the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Daryl Caudle, revealed the Navy’s strategy designed to support the NSS and NDS, the U.S. Navy Fighting Instructions in February 2026.

The venue for unveiling this document was The Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA)/U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) “West” symposium, the largest military/industry symposium on the West Coast with over 10,000 registered attendees. Admiral Caudle was the keynote speaker on day one of this event, and he provided a briefing on the U.S. Navy Fighting Instructions.

One of the key points the CNO made during this keynote, as well as during a subsequent Service Chiefs panel, was that the U.S. Navy is a differentiator. Here is how he described it in the Fighting Instructions:

“Winners set themselves apart by excelling in difficult endeavors. It is what separates successful businesses or world-class athletes from the competition. Doing difficult things well means identifying and delivering differentiated value. For the United States Navy, prioritizing what the Navy does better than anyone else—any other Service, any other Nation—is central to ensuring that the Chief of Naval Operations designs and resources a strategy that ruthlessly prioritizes the Sailors, Foundry, Fleet, and Fight needed to execute our essential global missions. We provide differentiated value to two primary stakeholders: the Nation and the Joint Force.”

The CNO’s emphasis on the U.S. Navy as a differentiator comes at a time when there is intense discussion regarding the different options for what the Navy-After-Next will look like. The discussions within the Navy, the Department of Defense, the Executive Branch, the U.S. Congress, think tanks and a plethora of other stakeholders and influencers and others have never been more varied or intense, and much of that discussion occurred during the “West” symposium.

Which Fleet?

Four options for fleet composition have gained purchase within the U.S. Navy.

The first is the Navy’s current shipbuilding plan as reported by the Congressional Research Service. This includes 381 crewed ships and a number of uncrewed surface vessels. This number comports with the recently released Navy Shipbuilding Plan which envisions a battle force inventory reaching 382 crewed ships in 2056.

The second option that has gained traction is called the “hybrid fleet.” This concept was unveiled by then-Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Gilday, and endorsed by his successors. This envisions a Navy of 350 crewed ships and 150 uncrewed surface vessels. The idea of a hybrid fleet evolved due the U.S. Navy’s ongoing challenge of building enough crewed ships to adequately meet the Navy’s global commitments.

The next option is called the “hedge fleet.” This envisions a forward-deployed force of robotic autonomous systems and crewed ships to be employed quickly in any crisis. Of the four options, the CNO spoke most extensively about the hedge fleet, explaining the rationale this way: “We need ‘tailored forces’ and a Navy that has other battle formations beyond carrier strike groups. Tailored offsets include capabilities such as attritable and easily replenishable unmanned surface vessels, unmanned undersea systems, mine warfare and cost-effective counter drone defense. The hedge fleet avoids a brittle single-purpose force.”

The final option is the “golden fleet,” a recent initiative announced by President Trump in late 2025 to rapidly expand and modernize the fleet. This plan focuses heavily on battleships alongside frigates and uncrewed surface vessels. While media reporting regarding the golden fleet centers primarily on large ships, knowledgeable observers have suggested that the small- and medium-sized uncrewed surface vessels armed with long range strike and missile defense systems will be the most strategically impactful in the near term.

One common feature among these four options is the inclusion of uncrewed surface vessels as vital assets within a future fleet. There are two reasons for this sea change.

The first is that ships are expensive to build and operate. The cost of Ford-class aircraft carrier is $13B and an Arleigh Burke destroyer is $2.2B. The new Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine approaches $10B. However, those procurement costs only represent the tip of the iceberg. Populating those vessels with sailors is also increasingly expensive, given that seventy percent of the total operating cost (TOC) of a ship over its lifespan is providing a crew year-over-year.

The second is that after over a decade of development the Navy has confidence that uncrewed surface vessels have reached a point in their development that they are no longer prototypes, but production-ready vessels (some are commercial-off-the-shelf or COTS). that are ready to deploy with their crewed counterparts.

As evidence of this technological maturity, the CNO noted how Navy and Marine Corps exercises, experiments, and demonstrations such as the those conducted by Fifth Fleet/CTF-59, Fourth Fleet and a series of uncrewed surface vessel-focused events with NATO allies have accelerated the development of these craft. As just one of many examples of this testing in recent years, MARTAC, a U.S. uncrewed surface vessel designer/builder, has frequently been invited to showcase its MANTAS T12, Devil Ray T24 and Devil Ray T38 unmanned surface vessels (USV) to a wide range of Navy and Marine Corps at-sea events.

These events have included the U.S. Pacific Fleet-led Integrated Battle Problem series of exercises, the Integrated Maritime Exercise series held under the auspices of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander Task Force 59 in the Arabian Gulf, NATO exercises BALTOPS, REPMUS, and the follow-on Dynamic Messenger, Australian Defence Force Exercise Autonomous Warrior, among others.

The Navy Shipbuilding Plan reveals how this confidence in the technical maturity of uncrewed surface vehicles has given the Navy confidence to provide funding for USVs to: “serve as a direct, dual-use supplement to existing ready forces, providing a flexible “tailored force” to enhance the nation’s maritime posture.”

The number of medium uncrewed surface vessels (MUSVs) projected in the Shipbuilding Plan are substantial, growing from 39 in FY27 to 83 in FY31 when MUSVs will comprise 18% of the Navy’s fleet. As the Plan explains, MUSV integration will unburden higher-value assets, such as Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, as the autonomous fleet can take up long endurance maritime domain awareness missions.

The Road Ahead

Regardless of which design for the Navy-After-Next prevails in the coming years – be it one of the existing conceptual designs, a hybrid design drawing elements from among these options, or a completely different design – a future U.S. Navy comprised of formations of integrated crewed ships and uncrewed surface vessels represents a once-in-a-generation sea change for the U.S. Navy.

While deciding on the composition of the Navy-After-Next is a necessary first step it is not a sufficient one. The U.S. Congress has been reluctant to authorize the Navy’s planned investment of billions of dollars in USVs until the Service can come up with a concept-of-operations (CONOPS) for using them. Congress has a point.

Via the Navy Shipbuilding Plan, the Navy has announced plans to procure large numbers of uncrewed systems—especially medium uncrewed surface vessels—but a CONOPS, in even the most basic form, has not yet emerged. Such a CONOPS must be thoughtfully conceived, analyzed, vetted through stakeholders, war-gamed and widely distributed. Only through this disciplined process can the Navy-After-Next be the strongest Navy the nation can field.

Captain George Galdorisi, USN (Ret.) is a career naval aviator and national security professional. During his 30-year career he had four tours in command and served as a carrier strike group chief of staff. Additionally, he led the U.S. delegation for military-to-military talks with the Chinese Navy. He is the Emeritus Director of Strategic Assessments and Technical Futures at the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific. He is the author of seventeen books, including four consecutive New York Times bestsellers. His most recent novel, Fire and Ice, is eerily prescient, as it foresaw Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Featured Image: PHILIPPINE SEA (Nov. 16, 2018) Ships with the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group and John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group transit the Philippine Sea during dual carrier operations. (U.S. Navy photo)

[백선호]

" 중형 무인 수상함을 중심으로 대규모 무인체계를 도입하겠다는 계획을 발표했지만, 가장 기본적인 수준의 운용개념(CONOPS)조차 아직 제시되지 않았다 " ---> 진짜 USV를 어떻게 쓸 것인지 궁금하네요.

[위종민]

UAV처럼 ISR 플랫폼으로 쓰다가 타격까지 확장할지, 예전 레이다 피켓함 쓸 때처럼 진형 전방에 뿌려두고 감시와 타격 흡수 역할을 맡길 지...

[김유철]

이번이 아파치 추락시 조종사 구출에 소형 USV가 사용되었다고 하니 과거 구축함과 호위함이 하던 일부 업무(대기뢰전 같은 것)은 적극적으로 추진할 것 같습니다.

수상함대에 대한 구상은 계속있는 것 같은데 수중함대에 대한 방향은 어떤지 궁금하네요. 최근 중국에서 세일이 없는 1만톤급 잠수함이 발견되어서 관심이 쏠리던데.. 무인잠수함이라고 확신하는 것 같고...