A program long since chopped from
32 destroyers down to only three destroyers may come back. The first critical
step before committing to a $40 billion dollar expenditure is making the first
three and have it only work well before even considering follow-on ships. The
first 32 ordered were just a flagrant moon shot coming from the wishful think
tank commandos.
Hence it
was chopped down to three as the Navy spent its chips on a new aircraft
carrier (CVN 78), littoral combat ships, and a fleet renewal challenge for its Virginia
class submarines. Too much taxpayer money is in play and something had to give.
The DDG1000 family was the sacrificial lamb in this case while some other Navy
programs were trimmed back as well.
A Zumwalt redux, could be coming
to Bath Iron Works by 2020 if its DDG1000 works as "good" as it
looks. The military complex may realize it must build rail-gun platforms
covering a naval pivot towards China's aspirations in the Far East region. The
Lyndon Baines Johnson, known as DDG1002 will have a rail gun straight from the
factory development environment going on its deck. When tests on board the
DDG1002 are validated, then a congressional cash pivot towards building more of
this class will be voted on as China's rising presence in the region begins to
dominate Geopolitical influences. Places such as, the Philippines, Taiwan, and
Japan would each need three of this type as a strong influence plying its
waters.
The Navy
is depending on the current production destroyer results on operational
deployment, as it becomes the swing vote for building more of this type. The
summary report would include a recommendation coming right after the meeting
and exceeding all expectations statement: “The Navy must buy more
DDG1000's when possible”.
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