By Geoff Fein
The Navy yesterday acknowledged that it would seek to buy eight DDG-51s and cease any further acquisition of DDG-1000 beyond the two already planned.
“The Department of the Navy has submitted the FY ’10 POM (program objective memorandum) with a modification to the surface combatant line. The modification truncates the DDG- 1000 program of record at two ships, avoiding any program termination, and initiates construction of eight DDG-51s into the FY ’10 POM,” Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a Navy spokesman, told Defense Daily.
The service did not comment on how those ships will be divided between the two yards that have built Arleigh Burke destroyers–General Dynamics’ [GD] Bath Iron Works and Northrop Grumman [NOC] Ship Systems Pascagoula, Miss., facility.
Earlier this week top Navy and Pentagon officials met with lawmakers to convey plans to restart the DDG-51 line and curtail DDG-1000s.
“With the agreement of DoD leadership, the Secretary and the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) have been briefing Congress since Tuesday on their recommendations,” Davis said. “We are discussing with Congressional leadership how to best ensure that our investment strategy is consistent and aligned with our nation’s warfighting needs.”
Opponents of the Navy’s plan have noted the advanced capability DDG-1000 would provide the surface ship fleet. But the potential for cost overruns and schedule delays led some lawmakers to oppose any additional buys of the next-generation multi- mission combat ship.
DDG-51 is a proven multi-mission ship that better meets our needs, particularly Integrated Air Missile Defense (IAMD), Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Davis said.
“Building DDG-51s enables us to expand both warfighting capacity and capability, reaching the 313-ship level sooner,” Davis said. “The 313-ship force represents the maximum acceptable risk in meeting the security demands of the 21st century, allowing us to remain a global deterrent and meet combatant commander warfighting requirements.”
The Navy has learned a great deal from DDG-1000 research and development and will learn more from the two ships we will build, he added.
“Those innovations, including a fully developed combat system installed on both ships, will pay dividends in future shipbuilding. DDG 1000 research and development will advance the Navy’s future surface combatants,” Davis said.