Burkes have appeared in crises and operations throughout the post-Cold War period. The ships have conducted strikes, shifted between theaters, and signaled US interests simply by appearing. Their numbers and flexibility mean that a Burke's arrival often represents the arrival of the US Navy itself. That operational ubiquity makes replacing the class an institutional and strategic challenge as well as an engineering project.
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Burkes become the visible presence of the US Navy
The class's worldwide employment turns the Burke from a successful design into the ship most closely identified with American naval presence.