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Navy DDG-51 and DDG-1000 Destroyer Programs: Background and Issues for Congress
2015
Naval Readiness On March 26, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michelle Howard testified to the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Readiness about the Navy’s 21st-century readiness posture.
Ronald O’Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs The DDG-51 program was initiated in the late 1970s. The DDG-51 is a multimission destroyer with an emphasis on air defense (which the Navy refers to as anti-air warfare, or AAW) and blue-water (mid-ocean) operations. DDG-51s, like the Navy’s 22 Ticonderoga- (CG-47) class cruisers, are equipped with the Aegis combat system, an integrated ship combat system named for the mythological shield that defended Zeus. CG-47s and DDG-51s consequently are often referred to as Aegis cruisers and Aegis destroyers, respectively, or collectively as Aegis ships. The Aegis system has been updated several times over the years. Existing DDG-51s (and also some CG-47s) are being modified to receive an additional capability for ballistic missile defense (BMD) operations. The first DDG-51 was procured in FY85. A total of 72 have been procured through FY15, including 62 in FY85-FY05 and 10 in FY10-16. During the period FY06-FY09, the Navy procured three Zumwalt- (DDG-1000) class destroyers (see discussion below) rather than DDG51s. The first DDG-51 entered service in 1991, and a total of 62 were in service as of the end of FY14. DDG-51s are built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (GD/ BIW) of Bath, Maine, and Ingalls Shipbuilding of Pascagoula, Miss., a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII). The DDG-51 design has been modified over time. The first 28 DDG-51s (i.e., DDGs 51 through 78) are called Flight I/II DDG-51s. Subsequent ships in the class (i.e., DDGs 79 and higher) are referred to
as Flight IIA DDG-51s. The Flight IIA design, first procured in FY94, implemented a significant design change that included, among other things, the addition of a helicopter hangar. The Flight IIA design has a full load displacement of about 9,500 tons, which is similar to that of the CG-47. The Navy is implementing a program for modernizing all DDG-51s (and CG-47s) so as to maintain their mission and cost effectiveness out to the end of their projected service lives. Older CRS reports provide additional historical and background information on the DDG-51 program. Procurement of First Flight III DDG-51 Planned for FY16 The Navy wants to begin procuring a new version of the DDG-51 design, called the Flight III design, starting with the second of the two ships scheduled for procurement in FY16. The Flight III design
Chairman Wittman, Ranking Member Bordallo and distinguished members of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity to testify on the current state of Navy readiness and the resources necessary to provide a ready Navy in the future as described in our fiscal year 2016 budget request. As we meet, the Navy and our sister services have entered a third year of fiscal uncertainty. In addition, new threats to our nation’s interests are emerging, and old tensions are surfacing. Today, it is my honor to represent all our active and reserve sailors, particularly the 41,000 sailors who are under way on ships and submarines or deployed in expeditionary roles overseas today. They are standing the watch and are ready to meet today’s security challenges. American citizens can take great pride in the daily contributions of their sons and daughters who serve in Navy units around the world. We are where it matters, when it matters, ensuring the security that underpins the global economy and responding to crises. Last August, the George H.W. Bush carrier strike group, already forward present in the North Arabian Sea, quickly relocated to the North Arabian Gulf. Flying 20 to 30 combat sorties per day, this Navy-Marine Corps strike fighter team was the only coalition strike option to project power against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from the skies over Iraq and Syria for 54 days. Similarly, USS Truxton (DDG-103) arrived in the Black Sea to establish U.S. presence and reassure allies a week after Russia invaded Crimea. In the Java Sea, USS Fort Worth (LCS-3), a littoral combat ship, and USS Sampson (DDG-102), a destroyer, were among the first to support the Indonesian-led search effort for Air Asia Flight 8501. This forward
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