At three years to complete one, all three hulls should have been launched and mission-ready by 2021-2026. Nice of the Chinese to wait that long for us to field three DDGs. Perhaps the eleven CG-47s we will have removed from service by then can come back to the fleet. ??
>>LCS was a good idea, but poorly executed. Biggest weakness, as I understand it, is a weak anti-air capability. So, if you have an adversary with even a rudimentary anti-ship/cruise missile capability, you’ll still need a cruiser or destroyer to protect the LCS. The idea of building 50 was preposterous, and you can make the case we don’t need the 30 or so that are planned. Meanwhile, we’re going to lay-up almost two dozen cruisers and destroyers so we can can maintain our carrier force (a good idea) while funding the DDG-1000 science project and trying to get something out of the LCS project.
The mission modules for the LCS can be removed/installed in three weeks, and only at a major shipyard. Tell me how that can be done during a war and make any sense. More than one admiral has called them "little crappy ships." They are going to O-5s instead of O-4s because we have so few ships left. They cannot survive one cruise missile hit and they keep breaking-down with an inadequate crew walking like zombies because of exhaustion. I realize that the Navy has to live within its budget, but this is the wrong way to do it. The ASW module still doesn't work, and the 5th gen AIP subs will run rings around them.
I’m not disputing your points...DDG-1000 should have been used in the same manner as the Seawolf attack sub; as a limited production technology testbed. We built three of the class, and a lot of the lessons learned/perfected on Seawolf have been integrated into the Virginia-class, making them a much better boat, at a lower per-unit cost.
Same thing for LCS..I’d stop production now, unless the Naval Special Warfare community can show a compelling reason they need more for a SEAL platform. Take whatever “positives” there are from the design, and start working on a new generation gunboat or light amphibious craft—or better yet, a more stealthy frigate that can perform many of the LCS roles and defend itself against a variety of threats. And some of the technology from DDG-1000 could be integrated in that platform as well.
So, perhaps instead of going with “blue” and “gold” crew deployment schedules, so the ships stay on-station longer, go with blue & gold and have everyone hot rack, allowing for a larger crew deployment, but not on station as long for unrep’ing and refit/repair in port.