USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) is the lead ship of the U.S. Navy’s latest class of multimission destroyers, currently on the waters, signifying the U.S. vision of maintaining maritime superiority. The Zumwalt class is the largest and most technologically advanced surface combatant around the globe, floating and in line with the Navy’s vision for stronger, more lethal, and rapidly deployed units to combat current and future threats. Next-generation multi-mission destroyers are equipped with a new electric propulsion system, a wave-piercing tumblehome hull, and a stealth design, an audacious acquisition that adds to these class destroyers’ competitive edge in modern naval warfare.
The Zumwalt class is built to provide deterrence, power projection, sea control as well as command and control purposes. Reflecting the newest generation of multimission, advanced air-and land-warning spy ships capable of performing presence missions far forward, executing focused missions in support of special operations forces, and leading joint and combined expeditionary forces.
Construction of the USS Zumwalt began in February 2009; her launching occurred on 29 October 2013. The ship is now going into HM&E testing and trials that are followed by the installation and activation of combat and mission system equipment. DDG 1001, the second ship in the class, was named Michael Monsoor in honor of Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The third ship was named DDG 1002 Lyndon B. Johnson, after the 36th President of the United States.
The DDG 1000 is the first U.S. The first naval surface combatant to use an Integrated Power System is one that provides power to the propulsion, ship’s service, and combat system loads from the same gas turbine prime movers. Combining these functions in an integrated fashion has created an innovative design, ensuring energy savings of great significance and aptness for high-energy weapons and sensors in future demands. Its wave-piercing tumblehome design reduces the cross-section and acoustic output of the ship, making it less detectable. The DDG 1000’s MFR has the capability of area air surveillance—land and sea, which means looking closely over complex sea-land interfaces. Meanwhile, the ships are equipped with two Advanced Gun Systems each, which, with their ability to fire the LRLAP, will triple the range for naval surface fire coverage to a maximum of 63 nautical miles.
While the U.S. Navy remains at the leading edge of innovation even with ships like the USS Zumwalt, it now must find counter-strategies to deal with China’s growing naval capability. As of this time, the United States operates 66 nuclear submarines compared to China’s 12. However, technological advances and increasing Chinese capacity make this an area of pressing concern. Most studies have shown that, with building capacity, China might double that number by the mid-2030s, although most will be non-nuclear powered, in all probability. A report issued in 2023 by the Department of Defense sees an expansion of up to 80 submarines for China by 2035, most of which will not be propelled by.
A subsurface advantage is one that the U.S. must maintain, according to open-source wargaming along with strategic analysis for a future conflict with China. However, U.S. submarine shipyards are finding it challenging to build the two Virginia-class submarines required to be built each year to ensure maintenance and then added fleet size. Attempts to increase construction capacity run up against high material prices and a labor shortage. The U.S. Navy’s Fiscal Year 2025 Unfunded Priorities List highlights this urgency, calling for $403 million for the submarine industrial base and additional funds for submarines and anti-submarine warfare.
Much of the U.S. Navy’s vast combat experience, coupled with deep roots in a naval history of battle fleet operations on the high seas, comes to bear prominently in an advantage over the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). In the first instance over the past 50 years, however, opportunity is more and more alive to overcome the United States at sea. If the United States does not address its relative decline, the world could face a more dangerous and uncertain future.
The USS Zumwalt and its class represent the state of the art in naval warfare, but this continues to be a field of development in the maritime landscape, which necessitates vigilance and adaptation constantly to ensure stability and the safety of the international world.