"Our navy doesn't seem to be strong enough, and we still need to build more powerful warships!" Secretary of State Hull said.

President Roosevelt thought so. If it weren't for the fact that the U.S. Navy was cheated by the Germans in the previous battles and wiped out, the U.S. Navy would definitely be much stronger than it is now. At least, in terms of battleships, they had more than a dozen.

"Your Excellency the Secretary of the Navy, what is the next phase of the Navy's construction plan?" President Roosevelt asked.

"Your Excellency the President, the next stage of the Navy's warship program is mainly focused on aircraft carriers. A total of eight aircraft carriers are under construction at major shipyards along the Atlantic coast. The slowest one will also be completed in the middle of the following year. And, as we become more and more skilled in building Essex-class aircraft carriers, we are building them faster. At the moment, we are building an 'Essex-class' aircraft carrier, which takes two years. However, we are confident that in the next batch we will reduce the pace of construction to a year and a half. Or even further shortened to one year! Minister Swanson said.

President Roosevelt nodded, and the US Navy has been stepping up the construction of aircraft carriers. In this battle, there is no doubt that aircraft carriers have become the main force in naval warfare. Already after the end of the last world war, Germany stopped building capital ships and concentrated on conquering aircraft carriers. This makes Germany much ahead of the United States in terms of aircraft carriers.

Although, after paying a huge price, the United States caught up. However, in many respects, the United States is still at a disadvantage. For example, the performance of aircraft carriers, carrier-based aircraft, etc., cannot be compensated for in a short period of time.

"As for the capital ship, is there no arrangement?" Roosevelt asked.

There are still a large number of people in the top echelons of the US government who believe that capital ships are also irreplaceable. So, after the 'Montana-class' battleships, it was thought that the US Navy still needed to build more powerful battleships!

"Your Excellency, the Admiralty has no plans at the moment!" Minister Swanson said.

"Aren't the islanders building 'Yamato-class' battleships? The 460 mm gun seems to be very powerful. Our 'Montana class' is nothing more than a 410 mm main gun. Secretary of State Hull asked.

"Yes, Your Excellency. The islanders' Yamato-class battleships used 45 times the caliber of 460 mm guns. In performance, slightly stronger than our 50x caliber 406 mm guns. However, in terms of overall strength, our 'Montana-class' battleships are no worse than the 'Yamato-class' battleships of the islanders. Swanson explained.

"If we could, we could build a more powerful battleship than the 'Yamato-class' of the islanders. The main gun is 18 inches, so our naval strength will be further improved! Secretary of State Hull said.

Swanson hesitated, but nodded.

Swanson wasn't stupid, and he knew that Secretary of State Hull was speaking on behalf of the country's big shipyards. The profit of building an aircraft carrier is much less than that of building a capital ship. So, the shipyard owners put pressure on the government. Although, the US Navy wants to build more aircraft carriers with limited resources. After all, a battleship that is more powerful than the 'Yamato-class' battleship is estimated to be able to build two or even more 'Essex-class' aircraft carriers. However, at some point, compromise is also very necessary. Otherwise, the huge contradictions will affect the unity within the government.

It is precisely because of this that the US Navy agreed to build a class of battleships that are more powerful than the Montana-class battleships. With a displacement of more than 90,000 tons, it is equipped with three triple 50-caliber 18-inch guns, and the armor is extremely thick. Of course, this also makes the cost of this class of battleships staggering, which further consumes the national strength of the United States.

"Your Excellency, according to the promise of the islanders, they will attack the Germans at the end of January next year. When the time comes, the Pacific Fleet of the German Navy and the Indian Ocean Fleet will fight against the navies of the island countries. If the island's navy can perform well, it may be able to attract the Mediterranean fleet of the German navy. That way, we'll be much less stressed in the Atlantic. Maybe there's a chance to win! "Chief of Naval Operations Harold? Admiral Stark said.

President Roosevelt nodded: "The strength of the navy of the island nation is not weak, but on the whole, I am afraid that it is comparable to the Pacific Fleet and the Indian Ocean Fleet of the German Navy." But if they really manage to attract the Mediterranean fleet of the German Navy to the Pacific Ocean, it will be very beneficial for us! ”

If only against the German Navy's Home Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet, the US Navy actually had a considerable advantage. With a little luck, it was not impossible to defeat the German Navy.

"Well, it looks like we need to put more pressure on the islanders! In this case, it will be very advantageous for us to defeat the Germans! Hopkins said.

"May God bless the islanders and give them victory in the Pacific. In this case, the Germans would have to send the Mediterranean Fleet to the Pacific Ocean. Secretary of State Hull also said.

"General Stark, if the Mediterranean Fleet of the German Navy is sent to the Pacific Ocean. So, what are the odds of the US Navy that it can defeat the Germans? President Roosevelt asked.

"Your Excellency, we have at least a fifty or sixty percent chance of winning. When the time comes, the US Navy will launch an attack on the Azores, trying to inflict heavy damage or even destroy the German Navy's Atlantic Fleet before the German Navy's home fleet arrives. Then it will strike at the German naval home fleet that is rushing to the Azores. If all goes well, our chances of defeating the German Navy will be great. However, there are too many factors involved in naval warfare. Whether or not we will actually win is very difficult to say. "Harold? Admiral Stark said.

Although the U.S. Naval Operations Department has drawn up a whole set of operational plans, as Harold ? As Admiral Stark said, it is difficult to say whether everything will go as smoothly as they expected. After all, the German Navy is not stupid and will not wait until they begin their attack on the Azores before sending their native fleet to sea. As soon as the U.S. Navy left the homeland, the German Navy's home fleet had already set off. In the vast ocean, it will be very difficult to win or lose with a very powerful fleet.