Navy details shift in plan for destroyers

The Navy wants to stop production of the DDG-1000 Zumwalt destroyer after just two hulls because the ship does not provide defenses against the most pressing threats the military expects to face, senior service officials told a House panel Thursday.

During their first public hearing on the issue since briefing lawmakers on their plan last week, Navy officials argued that buying more of the DDG-51 Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer instead of the DDG-1000s would provide ballistic missile defense and other capabilities combatant commanders have said they need.

Producing all seven DDG-1000s once planned for the force would give the Navy "excess capacity" in the types of missions for which the next-generation destroyer was designed, Vice Adm. Barry McCullough, deputy chief of naval operations for integration of resources and capabilities, told the House Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee.

McCullough added that the "greatest single threat" the Navy faces is proliferation of ballistic missiles and stealthy submarines operating far out at sea -- two missions better suited for the deepwater DDG-51 than the DDG-1000, which is designed for missions along coastlines.

Navy leaders have said they now want to buy nine DDG-51s between fiscal 2009 and fiscal 2015 rather than the last five DDG-1000s. The plan, McCullough said, would allow the service to attain its goal of a 313-ship fleet by 2017, two years earlier than planned. During his testimony, McCullough stressed that the Navy's decision was based on operational needs rather than costs for the DDG-1000, which analysts have projected will grow to as much as $5 billion per ship. But McCullough acknowledged the budgetary realities the Navy faces as it tries to modernize and grow its fleet.

"It is no longer feasible or affordable to purchase the most capable, multimission platform and then limit its use to tailored mission areas or focus on specific threats," McCullough said in his written testimony. "The Navy must find affordable and adaptable ways to fill current and future warfighting gaps," he said.

A Congressional Budget Office analysis released Thursday estimated it would cost $19.4 billion to build and operate five additional DDG-1000s over 35 years. By comparison, it would cost $19.2 billion to buy and operate eight additional DDG-51 destroyers over the same time period, and $26.8 billion for 12 of the older destroyers.

The Navy is still refining its acquisition strategy for the new destroyer plan, but service leaders hope to buy a DDG-51 next year. The Navy last procured a DDG-51 in fiscal 2005, although nine of the destroyers are still under construction. But the Navy's plan could be thwarted by several key lawmakers who have viewed the service's dramatic shift in thinking with skepticism.

Indeed, the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Wednesday did not approve any funding for a DDG-51 next year and provided just $450 million for advanced procurement for the DDG-1000. In its budget proposal sent to Capitol Hill in February, the Pentagon had requested $2.5 billion for the third DDG-1000 next year.