Navy unveils DDG(X) warship concept with hypersonic missiles, lasers
Hypersonic missiles (and possibly anti-ship ballistic missiles) are making surface ships like this obsolete, similar to how carriers made battleships obsolete in WWII.<p>Hypersonic missiles, submarines, and satellites (sensors, C&amp;C, directed energy weapons, EMP, rods from god, etc) I think will be the critical force components of this century.  If any war breaks out, those components working in concert will take out surface ships and stationary bases first.<p>The US Navy has a history of being slow to recognize and adapt to these inflection points.  Prior to WWII a few forward-looking admirals were warning about, and demonstrating the efficacy and game-changing nature of, carrier warfare.  At least one wargame ~10yrs prior to WWII showed Pearl Harbor was vulnerable to a simulated carrier-based attack.  But Navy leadership wasn&#x27;t convinced until actual Pearl Harbor.<p>Part of the problem is that to maintain the ability to manufacture mega-projects like aircraft carriers, at least one needs to always be in production.  Once you repurpose those production lines, it&#x27;s difficult to restart them.<p>But I hope they start figuring this out soon, and planning to fight the next war, not the last one, or the US won&#x27;t have enough credible deterrent to prevent another war.