Rumsfeld-era procurement and Beatty's command roles

What is the strongest devil's-advocate case for Donald Rumsfeld and David Beatty?

The response examines uncertain programme attribution for Rumsfeld and separates Beatty's ship-command, political and fleet-command roles.

The exchange reviews several acquisition programmes while acknowledging uncertainty about their dates and which decisions belonged to Donald Rumsfeld. It distinguishes the Zumwalt hull from the weapons developed for it and touches on the Ford class's waste system. The waste-system explanation is explicitly second-hand and qualified by limited study. The Beatty portion separately discusses command of a ship, political advocacy for the Navy and operational fleet command.