Can the US build three destroyers a year?
The launch of the first Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS John Finn (DDG-113) at HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division Pascagoula shipyard. (Photo: HII)
In the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the US funded procurement of three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers a year, but can industry achieve that goal?
At the Surface Navy Association’s National Symposium, US Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm Mike Gilday said the navy had been ‘bullish’ with its approach to shipbuilding.
One key area of investment is the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) allocating funds for the USN to buy three Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) destroyers.
‘The ‘23 budget gave them [shipbuilders] funding for three DDGs a year, so that’s a bellwether for them and a new target to aim for.’— US Chief of Naval Operations Adm Mike Gilday
Currently, the US’s two large surface combatant shipbuilders, HII and General Dynamics Bath
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