How would an uncancelled Zumwalt programme affect current operations and a possible war with China?
Short answerMore Zumwalts would likely handle close-in operations near Iran, evolve into later flights, and influence the shape of future US surface combatants, while China could answer with its own design changes.
NotesMore Zumwalt-class ships could take on demanding work close to Iran, including operations around contested straits. A sustained programme would probably produce later flights instead of preserving the first design unchanged. The tumblehome hull might support a new American air-defence combatant fitted with systems developed through the Arleigh Burke lineage. In a Pacific war, the United States would begin with a somewhat larger and stealthier fleet. China could also answer such a visible design shift with competing hull forms and force-development choices.