US Navy’s New DDG(X) Destroyer Can Be Described in 2 Words

Doesn’t it ever happen?: The US Navy has decided to extend the service life of 12 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers by up to five years in order to avoid a capability gap before the arrival of the DDG(X) class.

– This selection underscores the challenges of timely modernization of the fleet as the Navy grapples with past schedule delays such as the Littoral Combat Ship and Zumwalt-class destroyers.

Although DDG(X) promises advanced capabilities such as directed energy weapons and increased missile payloads, critics argue that the Navy needs reliable, immediate capabilities to counter current threats.

-Congress may need to reconsider the feasibility of costly DDG(X) to develop existing assets.

Will DDG(X) Be Another Costly Misstep by the Navy?

Just when the Navy thought it could take a break, America’s naval enlistment was forced to declare “twelve.” Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers will remain in the fleet for the duration of their initial service life.” By the way with USNI News, “The life extension of Flight I destroyers ranges from one to five years, depending on the ship.”

The Navy pats themselves on the back because this will prevent a capability gap from occurring between the two times. the arleigh Burke-class destroyers had to be retired, and when newer battleships like the DDG(X) were retired supposed to get online.

In fact, the Navy’s decision to expand these older guided missile destroyers was a quiet admission that the Navy’s best-laid (and very expensive) plans had not come to fruition, as they assured the American people and their elected representatives in Congress that it would happen. discharge.

This comes right after drag queens Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) And Zumwalt class destructive programs as well as unsuccessful programs Constellation class frigate-to say nothing about inadequacy America’s troubled shipyards to meet the demand for more warships in general.

Features of This US Navy Destroyer

DDG(X) destroyers are specifically designed to replace the Navy’s aging vehicles. Ticonderoga-class Aegis destroyers by Fiscal Year 2032. The Navy claims the DDG(X) destroyers will bring some of the most advanced capabilities ever seen. These advances include: directed energy weapons (DEW) and larger missile payloads. But these boats, like the rest of the Navy’s surface fleet, do little to reliably address the threat that China’s (and others’) anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) defenses pose to the U.S. Navy’s surface warfare fleet.

DDG(X) is planned to have 96 standard Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells capable of combining 12 larger missile launch cells instead of 32 of the 96 VLS cells. It will also include two 21-cell Rotary Airframe Missile (RAM) launchers and will likely include a capability that can be built with an additional mid-airframe fuselage section called the Destroyer Payload Module, which will provide additional capacity. From the Congressional Research Service (CRS) outline.

DDG(X): It Will Never Happen

Talking about all these advanced systems and capabilities are great for getting Congress to give you tons of money. Actually building things isn’t that good. The United States needs its Navy to be stronger and more robust now, not in the 2030s.

What America currently faces today is the threat of close rivals and even terrorist groups such as the Yemen-based Houthi Rebels. Not ten years from now.

Navy should have extended Flight I’s life Arleigh Burke-class destroyers were years ago. In fact, they should stop talking altogether about cannibalizing the existing fleet to pay for an obsessive pursuit of the wünderwaffe.

DDG(X), like so many other boondoggles the Navy is trying to build, is a giant waste of tax dollars that will divert resources away from systems that can reliably defend U.S. national interests abroad. LCS and LCS need someone in Congress to stop this madness before it gets out of control. Zumwalt-made class.

Author Experience and Expertise: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. WeichertNational Interest national security analystis a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who contributes to The Washington Times, Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Creation: How the West Lost Ukraine, is out now from Encounter Books. Weichert can be followed on Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

All images courtesy of Creative Commons or Shutterstock.

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