At a July 31, 2008, hearing, Navy officials announced a major change in the services position on what kind of destroyers it wants to procure over the next several years: The Navy testified that it no longer wants to procure additional Zumwalt (DDG-1000) class destroyers, and instead now wants to restart procurement of Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) destroyers. The Navy has proposed this new path as part of internal Department of Defense (DOD) planning for the FY2010 defense budget to be submitted to Congress in early 2009. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) has reserved judgment on the Navys proposal, pending further analysis, but gave the Navy permission in late July to brief the proposal to Congress. Until the July 31 hearing, the Navy for several years had stressed the need for procuring additional DDG-1000s, defended the DDG-1000 program against various criticisms, and rejected proposals for stopping DDG-1000 procurement and for resuming procurement of DDG-51s. Although the Navys proposed FY2009 budget requested funding for procuring a third DDG-1000, Navy officials suggested at the July 31 hearing that they would prefer Congress to instead fund the procurement of a DDG-51 in FY2009. On August 18, 2008, however, OSD and the Navy informed Congress that OSD had directed the Navy to support the procurement of a third DDG-1000 in FY2009.
Navy DDG-1000 and DDG-51 Destroyer Programs: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress (Updated October 22, 2008)
2008
102 pages
Report
Keine Angabe
Englisch