CDR Salamander - Battle Damage Repair for Arleigh Burke–Class Destroyers--with Brad Martin, on Midrats

For me, it is funny but serious that the phrase I started saying in 2019 that we were going to keep building Arleigh Burke DDGs “until the crack of doom” has turned into prophecy.

With the anticipated death of DDG(X) and FFG-62, the Burkes are about the only game in town.

That fact naturally flows into a point we have raised here and on the Midrats Podcast for the last couple of decades: How are we going to conduct repair and maintenance under combat conditions should we find ourselves in a fight west of the International Date Line?

Well, we’ve got the perfect intersection of both issues for the next episode of Midrats.

This RAND Report from May caught my eye:

The Arleigh Burke–class guided missile destroyer, commonly known as a DDG-51, is the primary surface combatant vessel of the U.S. Navy. These ships—designed to operate in contested environments—are likely to sustain widespread battle damage from diverse attacks should a conflict develop in the Indo-Pacific region. The prevalent nature of this damage would give rise to the greatest demand for ship repair that the Navy has experienced since World War II.

To evaluate requirements for and potential issues with a significant demand for salvaging and repairing battle-damaged destroyers, the authors conducted a tabletop exercise on August 13–14, 2025, with participants from the United States and allied nations in the Indo-Pacific. The participants were split into four groups, and each group represented U.S. and allied stakeholders who would be involved in the repairs.

The report is titled, Battle Damage Repair for Arleigh Burke–Class Destroyers: Tabletop Exercise Results.

Our guest is one of the authors of the report, Bradley Martin.

You can listen at this link, or via the Spotify widget below.

Bradley Martin is a senior policy researcher at RAND. He retired from the Navy as a surface warfare Captain after 30 years of service, including four command tours.

In addition to his operational tours, Martin served on the staff of U.S. Forces Japan, on the OPNAV staff as an operations analyst, and, most recently, as the Navy coordinator for participation in Joint Staff and OSD requirements and resources forums. His subspecialties included operations research, operational logistics, and strategic planning. His work at RAND focuses on Navy force structure and capabilities, supply chain security and resilience, and national security strategy.

Prior to joining the Navy, he achieved a doctorate in political science from the University of Michigan, while working as a research assistant for the Correlates of War Project.

Show Links

• Battle Damage Repair for Arleigh Burke–Class Destroyers

• Repair CFT Brief for JTEG Forum on “Expeditionary Repair” CDR Erich C. Schwarz, USN, July 2022

Summary

In this episode, we explore the insights from a recent tabletop exercise on naval repair capabilities and strategic challenges in the Indo-Pacific, featuring Captain Brad Martin. We discuss the importance of organic repair assets, the vulnerabilities of fixed bases, and the need for adaptable logistics in wartime scenarios.

Chapters

00:00: Introduction to the tabletop exercise and its significance

04:02: What makes a successful tabletop exercise and team composition

09:01: Key findings: surprises and vulnerabilities in naval repair

15:03: The importance of organic repair capabilities and their current gaps

21:03: Lessons from history: Cold War to modern challenges

27:11: The impact of logistics, parts, and industrial base on wartime readiness

34:01: Geopolitical considerations and the role of partner nations

40:09: The need for mobile, flexible repair assets in contested environments

50:05: Concluding thoughts: preparing for a prolonged conflict

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