The DDG(X) program will be over-budget, very late and a shadow of its naval architectural ambition.

Of course.

The US Navy has seemingly abandoned naval gunnery at the 5″ level and above and the latest navy build program for a new destroyer is removing the capability. While missiles are certainly the predominant means to project power from naval ships, there is certainly a call for naval gunnery in certain operational tasks. The increasing density and threat capabilities of drones is making gunnery important also at levels below that caliber to bring back the anti-aircraft utility of Oerlikon and Bofors style 12.7 to 40mm to increase reasonable ship protection.

The latest renderings depicting the U.S. Navy’s next-generation destroyer are missing some weapon systems initially incorporated onboard the ship. According to Naval News, the image revealed by Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships last week showcases the DDG(X) without a main gun. Back in 2022, the upcoming destroyer was equipped with a 5-inch Mark 45 Mod 4 main gun forward of the bow-mounted 32-cell ark 41 Vertical Launch System cells. While this original design was purely conceptual, the new DDG(X)’s missing gun is significant. Similar to the service’s other next-generation projects, its destroyer timeline has been delayed. The most recent estimates surrounding the DDG(X) indicate the destroyer will not become available until the early 2030s at the earliest.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/new-renderings-show-ddgx-destroyer-missing-its-main-gun-214372/

Naval gunnery used to be quite the vocation for interested surface warfare officers and men.

The legendary ADM Ching Lee commanding the USS Washington battleship (BB56) in WWII was the winner in the sole “gunfight” between battleships in the PTO in WWII and sunk the IJN Kirishima in what was point blank range for 14″ and 16″ guns. He was a former Olympic shooting champion in 1920. Guns and gunnery are a tool in the armory.