U.S. Navy fleet must grow, adapt and automate to compete - admiral

Chief of U.S. Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson poses after speaking to reporters on the pier of the USS Coronado, a littoral combat ship, at the Changi Naval Base in Singapore, May 16, 2017. REUTERS/Himani Sarkar

(Reuters) - Even if President Donald Trump's promise of a 350 ship fleet is fulfilled, the U.S. Navy will still need to fundamentally change its fighting strategy and use more unmanned systems to keep pace with adversaries, according to Navy leadership.

"We're on the dawn of something very substantial in terms of naval warfare. Something as substantial as the transition from sail to steam," the Navy's Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson told reporters by phone this week.