The service life of 12 aging Navy destroyers that have retired will now be extended.

WASHINGTON — The Navy is extending the service life of 12 aging destroyers as the service balances the need to keep ships at sea with the time it takes to add new ships to the fleet.

“Today’s tight budget environment requires the Navy to prioritize investments to keep more ready players on the battlefield,” said Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations. “The Navy is proactively using the right levers to maintain and grow its combat forces to support the United States’ global interests in the world and decisively win conflict.”

The 12 destroyers that will remain in service are Flight I destroyers, the oldest variant of the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, according to the Navy. The ships were supposed to begin decommissioning in 2028, but the Navy now plans to keep them in service sometime between 2030 and 2036.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers typically have a service life of 35 years, but in recent years the service has begun gradually extending the service life of individual ships due to rising demand.

Multiple conflicts around the world are creating a need for more warships. The Navy has been forced to shuffle assets, withdrawing aircraft carriers backed by guided missile destroyers from the Indo-Pacific region to contain conflict in the Middle East. At the same time, the Navy had to rely more on destroyers, using warships to fill the gaps left by the retirement of the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers. The service retired four cruisers in 2024, and the nine remaining cruisers are scheduled to be retired by 2027.

In addition, the Navy is working to build a fleet of 355 ships to keep pace with the growing Chinese navy, which is expected to have a fleet of 400 ships in 2025, according to congressional lawmakers. The US Navy currently boasts a fleet of approximately 300 ships.

In 2014, the Navy began developing new destroyers to replace the older Arleigh Burke ships, with the intention of entering service with the new class in the 2030s. An August report from the Congressional Research Service said the Navy plans to acquire the first new class of destroyers in 2032, four years after the Arleigh Burke class was previously retired.

The renewal period ranges from one to five years. Ships that will now remain active include:

• USS Barry, which was scheduled to retire in 2028 but will now remain in service until 2031.

• USS John Paul Jones from 2028 to 2033.

• USS Curtis Wilbur from 2029 to 2034.

• USS Stout from 2029 to 2034.

• USS John S. McCain from 2029 to 2034.

• USS Laboon from 2030 to 2035.

• USS Paul Hamilton from 2030 to 2035.

• USS Statham from 2030 to 2031.

• USS Carney from 2031 to 2032.

• USS Gonzalez from 2031 to 2036.

• USS Cole from 2031 to 2036.

• USS The Sullivans from 2032 to 2035.

The Navy said it assessed each destroyer over the past 10 months and determined that all 12 warships should remain operational beyond their expected service life. The Navy said it conducted a hull assessment of the ship’s material condition, combat readiness, technical feasibility and life-cycle maintenance requirements.

The decision follows a similar decision announced last year to extend five Arleigh Burke destroyers. USS Arleigh Burke, the class’s oldest destroyer and namesake of the class, was 33 years old and entered the fleet in 1991. Its service life was extended in 2023 by five years until 2031. In 2023, its service life was extended by five years. USS Ramage until 2035 and USS Benfold until 2036. USS Mitscher and USS Milius have been extended by four years to 2034 and 2035, respectively.

These destroyers are armed with vertically launched anti-submarine missiles, Tomahawk missiles and MK-46 torpedoes. They are designed for anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, and the latest versions can simultaneously defend against aircraft and missiles, according to the Navy.

In its fiscal year 2026 budget request, the service will propose funding to maintain the destroyers for more than 35 years, the Navy said. The service did not specify how much it might cost to maintain the ships in the fleet.

“The expansion of these highly capable, well-maintained destroyers will further increase our strength as new warships join the fleet,” Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said in a statement. “It also speaks to their continued role in projecting power around the world, and more recently in the Red Sea, and their proven ability to defend themselves, as well as our allies, partners and friends, from missile and drone attacks.”

The ships have played a key role in mitigating conflict in the Middle East for more than a year. Destroyers shot down drones launched by Iran-backed Houthi militants from Yemen targeting commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea. Destroyers that have played a role in controlling the conflict in the Middle East include USS Arleigh Burke, USS Mitcher, USS Laboon, USS Russell, USS Ramage and USS Carney.

The two destroyers also helped defend Israel from a barrage of nearly 200 ballistic missiles fired by Iran. One of the ships, USS Cole, is an Arleigh Burke-class Flight I destroyer.