在世纪交替之际,美国海军已经意识到了,在21世纪,海军将不得不临近敌方沿海作战。而在敌方沿海作战,那些大型的、昂贵的“宙斯盾”舰可能不是最好的选择。尽管“宙斯盾”战舰具有可执行多种任务的能力,但是这些坚如磐石的主力战舰不能也不应该用于那些受其尺度、性能与后勤补给制约而不能发挥作用的水域。在已推出的12500吨级DD21战舰与特种作战艇和沿海作战艇之间,存在 At the turn of the century, the U.S. Navy has come to realize that in the 21st century, the Navy will have to fight near the enemy's coast. While large-scale and expensive “Aegis” ships are fighting along the enemy's coast, it may not be the best choice. Although the Aegis warships have the capability to perform a variety of missions, these rock-solid main warships can not and should not be used in waters that are not governed by their size, performance and logistical constraints. Between the launch of the 12,500-ton DD21 warship and special operations and coastal combat boats, there is