DDG-1000 Destroyer
Graphic Source: USN

America is thought to have the most modern and most numerous warships in the world. While this is basically true on the whole, there are a lot of hiccups. I really shouldn't say hiccups, because these things have to be intentional. Take the case of the DDG-1000. The DDG-1000 is a naval vessel, a huge destroyer that is stealth and costs $5 Billion a copy. Wait a second, didn't it cost about $4.5 Billion to build the Carl Vinson Aircraft Carrier? Yep and that was expensive. So what is going on here. When aircraft carriers go out to sea they are protected by a flotilla of other ships called a carrier battle group. These are all used to protect the carrier, not only because of its expense and length of time to construct a new one, but also to allow it to get all its planes airborne. Ironically sometimes destroyers are used to protect the carrier by placing them in the carrier battle group. In the case of the DDG-1000 that would mean that a $5 Billion ship would be expected to sacrifice itself to protect a $4.5 Billion ship. Supposedly when the navy found out how weak the ship was, it attempted to cancel the rest of the order. I ask you, does anyone believe that the navy didn't know the capabilities, or lack thereof, before the first one of these ships were built? They have engineers that look into these things, where were they? They were probably prevented from making comments. This was just another case of the military industrial complex getting a contract signed for an inferior, super expensive weapon that was far over budget. I wonder who got rich over this, or what navy personnel got a cushy job with the contractor after they retired?

If we examine the ships defenses we find that the ship is incapable of performing area air defense. The ship was never designed to fire any long range air defense missiles, yet we are asked to believe that this was not noticed, or that the navy decided it didn't need that type of weapon. So what was it equipped with? All short range weapons, some of which are carried by aircraft carriers and even coast guard ships. We are talking about the short range Sea Sparrow Missile that can even be found on some cargo ships. It had nothing that could even have the possibility intercepting a ballistic missile. It did have a Phalanx gun, but again that was short range stuff and considered last defense. This ship could not only NOT adequately protect itself, but it would decrease the protection available in the carrier battle group if it were to replace another ship in that group. The navy had been telling congress that the ship could fire a Raytheon missile that could kill other missiles, but this was not the case. Here is a question for you, why would the navy want a sub-par ship and why would they fight to keep it?

Guess what, it now looks like the navy will build a second and third ship of this class. They will be the DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class Destroyers. The navy states that the ships will feature a low radar profile. In other words it will be a stealth ship. What good is a stealth ship in a carrier battle group, no good! To me this means that it probably will never be used that way, so it doesn't seem to be a replacement for a standard destroyer, but a new type of ship. There is a rumor afoot that the ship may have a rail gun installed, but not immediately. It has even been said that eventually lasers will be fitted to the ship. This sounds the same to me as a politician saying that if we accept his fiscal plan, in 30 years the budget will be balanced. I call this pie in the sky. It seems that this ship will be fully automatic. Computers will be integrated into every phase of its operation, even including fire fighting. I would hate to be on it when the computer crashes, especially if it happens during an attack. It is said to be so sophisticated that the computer can isolate sections of the plumbing if it ruptures. The navy in its zeal planned to have 32 of these ships built. Let me see, at 5 Billion each that would have been 160 billion dollars. The order is now for 3, which is still too much. The navy is now saying that that the ships will ONLY cost 3.2 Billion each. As someone I knew once said, “Such A Bargain”. In 2009 a memo from John Young, the US DoD top acquisition official stated that the price per ship had reached $5.964 Billion, almost twice what the navy is quoting, that is 81% over the Navy's original budget estimate. It looks like we are being taken for a ride again. In 2009 Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that the DDG-1000 program will end with the production of 3 ships.

Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer
Photo Source: USN

Do we really need the DDG-1000? The ship itself was 40% larger than an Arleigh Burke class destroyer. It is said to put out the radar signature of a fishing boat, so it is not entirely hidden from radar. I might feel different if it couldn't be detected but I don't think so, but as it stands, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer seems to be a much better buy. It has superior weapons and the first ship built cost $1.1 Billion, with the weapons systems costing another $778 Million. It seems that you could purchase 3 of these ships for the same amount of money it would cost for one DDG-1000. Wouldn't you rather have 3 better armed ships pounding your enemies, than one with inferior armament? The mission of the DDG-1000 is now said to be surface warfare, anti-aircraft and naval fire support. It looks to me that the Arleigh Burke class destroyer can do all of this better. In these times of terrible budget crisis, why are we allowing money to be wasted this way?