The book, Warships Illustrated No. 2: The US Navy Today (Volume I) represents a concise but complete pictorial review of the United States Navy as of the mid 1980s.  The Reagan Administration came into office in January 1981 with public support to increase America's military posture around the globe to levels similar to that seen during the Vietnam War era.  As it relates to naval vessels, at the time President Reagan came to office, the United States Navy had been reduced from a peak of 1,000 vessels during the Vietnam War to approximately 445.  In the face of the former Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, the taking of American Embassy hostages in Iran and the Soviet's advances in conventional and strategic weapons, President Reagan advocated and began building towards a 600-ship navy.  This 600-ship navy was to include 15 carrier battle groups, 4 surface action groups centered on battleships, sufficient amphibious ships to lift an entire Marine Division plus a brigade, 100 nuclear submarines plus a myriad of support ships.  Included in the 600-ship navy would be sufficient destroyers to protect battle groups as well as escort important convoys.  It was also decided to make a concerted effort to improve the United States Navy's mine warfare capability by developing two different classes of surface minesweeping ships intended to clear American ports and coastal waterways.  Along with improvements in the United States Navy's offensive capabilities, a large number of auxiliary ships were in service including cable ships, a missile test ship and a training aircraft carrier.  In addition to the aircraft carried on the United States Navy's aircraft carriers was a large land-based air arm consisting of anti-submarine, maritime patrol aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, transports and training aircraft, as well as, a large air research and development organization.  As "Warships Illustrated No. 2: The US Navy Today (Volume I)" went to press in the mid 1980s the "Cold War" was still being fought and it was implicitly assumed that the threat posed by the former Soviet Union would require the maintenance of a 600 ship fleet for the foreseeable future.  In addition to an informative introduction and picture captions, "Warships Illustrated No. 2: The US Navy Today " includes the following features: 1) Approximately 111 black and white photographs and 2) 10 color photographs.  This book is 72 pages and is in very good condition.  The author is Norman Polmar.  Edition published in 1985.