PROCUREMENT: As the Last Zumwalt-Class Vessel Launches, the Stealth Destroyer’s Fate Remains Deeply Uncertain. “The Navy still hasn’t said what it’s going to do about the fact that it can’t afford the ammo for the boats’ fancy guns.“

The service now has three destroyers with no ammunition for their long-range guns, which was the entire point of building them to begin with. The Navy is reportedly planning to reconfigure the destroyers as hunter-killers, meant to seek out and attack enemy ships and land targets with precision-guided missiles. In such a case, the Zumwalts would rely on the 80 vertical-launch missile silos per ship to provide offensive firepower.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Marines are still awaiting the fire-support replacement for the Iowa-class battleships, 26 years after the last battleship was retired.

What a mess.