By Paul McLeary on January 12, 2021 at 7:50 PM USS Stethem (DDG 63) steams through the western Pacific Ocean. WASHINGTON: The Navy is laying plans for a next-generation destroyer to join its new frigate and light amphibious warship as the foundation of a nw fleet. The 67 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in the inventory today will have to be retired at some point, Navy officials acknowledge, with the design showing some age. “We’ve done about all we can do with this ship and we’ve maxed out the space, weight, power and cooling,” Rear Adm. Paul Schlise, head of the Navy’s Surface Warfare Division, said at the Surface Navy Conference Tuesday. “It’s time to reset to a new large surface combatant hull.”