The discussion rejects the claim that a frigate is somehow not a proper warship, noting that many allied navies rely on frigates as their principal combatants. A traditional frigate is characterized as a smaller ship often weighted toward anti-submarine warfare, while the American proposal appears to seek a compact air-warfare escort. Calling it a light destroyer does not change that functional niche. The programme is also connected to uncertainty over replacing the aging Arleigh Burke force with enough large combatants to preserve hull numbers.
Notable Point · 1:53:42-1:55:02
The U.S. light destroyer is really an air-warfare frigate
A naming debate is reframed around the role and size of the proposed ship rather than the prestige attached to the word destroyer.