Second Zumwalt-class stealth destroyer christened at Bath Iron Works

The future USS Michael Monsoor is named after a Navy SEAL who was killed saving the lives of others in Iraq.

At least 1,500 people attended the event, including all four members of Maine’s congressional delegation and several family members of the ship’s namesake, a Navy SEAL who was killed on Sept. 29, 2006, in Iraq after he jumped on top of an enemy grenade to absorb the blast. Petty Officer 2nd Class Monsoor’s act of herosim saved the lives of three fellow SEALS and eight Iraqi Army soldiers. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2008.

“I’m not sure how the destroyer addresses terrorism, exactly,” he said."

The Zumwalt class destroyers have been in the works for 15+ years. Since before 9/11.

Major weapon systems take years to get out the door, and you have to plan for wars that are not even on the horizon. I believe we will only have 3 Zumwalts, and they are really more of an experimental platform than anything else, but if we have to face the Chinese navy, we will need powerful ships, not simply "things that address terrorism".

"...Peter Morgan of Veterans for Peace said he thinks the money spent on building Zumwalt-class destroyers could be put to better use, such as by helping those in need and repairing the country’s aging infrastructure. “I’m not sure how the destroyer addresses terrorism, exactly,” he said..."

I have always been inclined to give veterans a lot of leeway in their opinions of these things, specifically combat veterans.

However, having been at antiwar demonstrations down in DC, and seeing the sentiments and behaviors of these "Veterans for Peace", as well as listening to and observing the sentiments of other veterans (many of whom were actual combat veterans) towards these leftist tools who identify as "Veterans for Peace", I will side with the vets who despise these "Veterans for Peace" leftists, especially since they were doing all they could to sabotage the efforts of the men who were currently serving in combat at that time.

At best, I think they are Useful Idiots. At worst, they are in bed with John Kerry and his ilk.

In this case, the guy is just a dimwit: "...helping those in need and repairing the country’s aging infrastructure..." he said. Sorry. We already gave your butt-buddy Obama and his like a trillion dollars for a bogus "Reinvestment and Recovery" BullSh*t act, and that money went towards things like teachers union health benefits and National Park visitor center construction.

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he is a Useful Idiot.

That’s really what’s it was always designed for. Huge powerplant on board.

The development of the railgun seems to have taken a little longer than they had hoped, but that’s what retrofits are for.

I’m not an expert on doctrine, but it seems to me that an aircraft carrier gives air superiority at sea, and a stealthy destroyer that has a railgun with enormous range gives excellent land attack capability. Once land defenses are weakened, bombers from the carriers can do the rest.

Almost every important place in the world is within 100 miles of the ocean. If you can dominate the coast, you can conquer nearly anyone.

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