The New York Times Editorial: The Ship That's Sinking the Navy

Editorial The Ship That's Sinking the Navy.htm">The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: The Ship That's Sinking the Navy

The editorial illustrates some very good points that need to be made -- although these aren't the points the grey lady had in mind.
First, although the short term threat is assuredly littoral, there is no very good reason to believe we won't face a blue-water threat at the end of the DDX's life. Vide: PRC.
Second, although the DDX (and, for that matter, the Arleigh Burke class) certainly aren't optimized for littoral warfare, they're not incapable in that area. In other words, the threat is multifaceted; therefore, the response must be multicapable. An attempt to overspecialize the shrinking fleet would lead to a return to the high/low concept of the mid-late 70s.
Last, although it's extraordinarily easy to claim the Navy's over-the-moon with advanced technology, the added capabilities are largely driven by perceived threats twenty-to-thirty years out.