This never happens? : The US Navy has decided to extend the lifespan of 12 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers by up to five years to avoid a capacity gap before the arrival of the DDG(X) class.

– This choice highlights the challenges of rapidly modernizing the fleet, as the Navy grapples with delays in past programs, such as those for the Littoral Combat Ship and the 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 and immediate capabilities to counter current threats.

-Congress may need to reassess the viability of costly DDG(X) in favor of improving existing assets.

Will DDG(X) be another costly Navy misstep?

Just when the Navy thought it could catch a break, the U.S. Maritime Service was forced to announce that “twelve Arleigh BurkeClass II guided-missile destroyers will remain in the fleet beyond their initial service life. According to has NICU News, “Life extensions for Flight I destroyers range from one to five years, depending on the ship.”

The Navy welcomes this because this will prevent a capability gap from forming between the time THE Arleigh Burkeclass destroyers were supposed to be retired and when new warships, like the DDG(X), are supposed to come 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 extremely expensive) plans are not coming to fruition, as they have assured the American people and their elected representatives in Congress that they would. turn out.

This follows the parodies which were the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) And Zumwalt class destructive programs, as well as faulty programs, such as Constellation-class frigate– not to mention the inability to American shipyards in difficulty to meet the general demand for additional warships.

The specifications of this US Navy destroyer

DDG(X) destroyers are specifically designed to replace the Navy’s aging destroyers. TiconderogaAegis-class destroyers by fiscal year 2032. The Navy says DDG(X) destroyers will bring some of the most advanced capabilities ever seen. These advances include directed energy weapons (DEW) and larger missile payloads. Yet these boats, like the rest of the Navy’s surface fleet, do little to reliably respond to the threat that China’s anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) defenses ( and others) are taking a toll on the US Navy’s surface warfare fleet.

The DDG(X) is expected to have “96 standard Vertical Launch Systems (VLS) cells, with the capacity to incorporate 12 larger missile launch cells, instead of 32 of the 96 VLS cells.” It will also include two 21-cell rolling cell missile (RAM) launchers, and possibly the ability to be built with an additional central hull section, called the Destroyer Payload Module, which would provide additional capability,” according to a report . from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) main lines.

DDG(X): This will never happen

Talking about all these advanced systems and capabilities is great for getting Congress to give you money. It’s not that great to build things. The United States needs its Navy to be stronger and operate more robustly now, not in the 2030s.

The threat America faces today from close rivals – or even terrorist groups like the Yemen-based Houthi rebels – now exists. It’s not in ten years.

The Navy should have extended the life of these flights I Arleigh Burke-class destroyers years ago. In fact, they should stop talking about cannibalizing the existing fleet altogether to finance their obsessive quest for a wünderwaffe.

DDG(X), like so many other boondoggles the Navy has attempted to build, is a giant waste of taxpayer dollars that will divert resources away from systems capable of reliably defending U.S. national interests abroad . Someone in Congress should stop this madness before it gets out of control, like the LCS and Zumwalt-the class did it.

Author Experience and Expertise: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. Weicherta national security project of national interest analystis a former congressman 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 Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is now available from Encounter Books. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock.

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