The discussion considers how other navies might respond if the proposed large American surface combatant is built. One possibility is a design somewhere between an Arleigh Burke and the proposed battleship, allowing greater capability within a smaller budget. Additional vertical-launch capacity is described as relatively inexpensive compared with the whole ship and as requiring little corresponding growth in crew. This is a suggested response to the American proposal, with no foreign procurement commitment established.
Notable Point · 4:21:45-4:22:16
How other navies might respond to a larger US surface combatant
The proposed battleship prompts a conditional comparison with smaller foreign designs that could carry larger missile magazines without proportionate crew growth.