Guided missile destroyers are picking up the slack of retiring Ticonderoga-class cruisers in the Atlantic as combat operations in the Middle East ramp up.
As the U.S. Navy’s Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers enter their final years of active service, the force is making changes to its guided missile destroyers to help fill the gap left, including modifications to existing ships to accommodate air and missile defense commanders.
Admiral Daryl Caudle, Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, detailed the changes during a media breakfast in Norfolk, Virginia this week. The modified Flight IIA destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) will be the first destroyer to deploy with the capability in the Atlantic Fleet.
“This is the first time we have deployed, in the Atlantic Fleet, a DDG Flight IIA as the air and missile defense coordinator. [USS Gerald R. Ford] will deploy with [a destroyer] as the air and missile defense coordinator, not a cruiser.”
Adm. Daryl Caudle, U.S. Navy Fleet Forces Command
The Winston S. Churchill has received modifications to its Combat Information Center (CIC) to make room for the flagship equipment needed to perform in its designated role. The modifications are part of a larger effort to introduce flagship capabilities to the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers throughout the 2020s as the Ticonderoga-class cruisers are decommissioned.
“She has an additional department head. We’ve reconfigured her combat information center to increase the number of terminals to allow the Churchill to best coordinate air and missile defense… …While she’s a Flight IIA, she brings to bear all the capabilities necessary to serve in that role effectively.”
Adm. Daryl Caudle, U.S. Navy Fleet Forces Command
With the Ford expected to enter combat operations in the Red Sea this summer, the Winston S. Churchill is preparing as part of the Carrier Strike Group’s Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX). The exercise is expected to last several weeks as the strike group incorporates lessons learned from deployments of previous carriers to the region.
One lesson learned is the ultimate reality that despite air warfare commanders and guided missile destroyers, each ship is responsible for its own self defense. As part of the ongoing COMPTUEX, the U.S. Navy is preparing the Gerald R. Ford‘s crew for the eventuality that it may need to use its own Close In Weapon Systems (CIWS) to engage incoming missiles or drones. This includes both the Phalanx 20mm and the Mk-49 Guided Missile Launching System (GMLS).
The Ford is also training with its embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 to perform air and missile defense. According to Admiral Caudle, the air wing is one of the primary methods of air defense for carrier strike groups, especially in the Red Sea where drone and missile attacks occur in a heavily cluttered battlespace.
“Every ship has to defend itself to some extent. The carrier itself has a responsibility for terminal defense. [USS Gerald R. Ford] is now training for that.”
Adm. Daryl Caudle, U.S. Navy Fleet Forces Command
The Ford CSG’s COMPTUEX will continue through the next few weeks as it tests the ability of the strike group to act as a organized fighting force. Its deployment is expected early this summer, paired with a deployment extension of the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) to ensure there is no loss of combat power in the Red Sea as strikes on Houthi targets continue.
While the U.S. Navy could not confirm or deny the USS Gerald R. Ford‘s potential involvement in strikes against Houthi targets, Admiral Caudle confirmed its planned deployment to 6th Fleet.
