Sometimes "you just need a submarine". Fast attacks doing sneaky-petes when pigboats were already doing them in 1942? .... might not be necessary, not when Collins-class diesels have >50 days' mission endurance and the Swedish Kockums-type closed-cycle Nacken coastal boats can stay underwater for three days, no surfacing. (The Collinses are also Swedish designs.)
That business about developing "partners" sounds ominous .... it does not reassure. Ronald Reagan wouldn't have emphasized "partners" to get to 600 ships. It's as if the Navy bonzes accept that Obozo will never let them get anywhere near "domination" of our main competitors.
The only nation whom we can count own to defend us is U.S. We won’t see Reagan levels again but we darn well should be at two thirds of that level in all respects including active duty manpower in all services.