Navy to keep 12 guided-missile destroyers beyond their service life

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro wants to keep 12 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in the fleet beyond their 35-year expected service life.

Mr. Del Toro said Thursday the move would support the Navy’s complement of active warships as it awaits new vessels to be commissioned. The decision was based on a hull-by-hull evaluation of each ship, including the condition and combat capability, officials said.

“Extending these highly capable, well-maintained destroyers will further bolster our numbers as new construction warships join the fleet,” Mr. Del Toro said in a statement. “It also speaks to their enduring role in projecting power globally, and most recently in the Red Sea, their proven ability to defend themselves, as well as our allies, partners, and friends from missile and drone attacks.”

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers conduct a variety of operations, including peacetime presence and national security missions. They have played a major role in U.S. operations to protect merchant ships in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden since November 2023.

The Navy proposed service life extension funding for the destroyers in its 2026 fiscal budget, which will result in an update of the sea service’s shipbuilding plan.

Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations, said the plan will help meet her goal of getting “more ready players on the field.”

“Today’s budget-constrained environment requires the navy to make prioritized investments,” Adm. Franchetti said. “The Navy is actively pulling the right levers to maintain and grow its Battle Force Inventory to support the United States’ global interests in peace and to win decisively in conflict.”