SAN DIEGO - The Navy announced today the future next-generation guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) is scheduled to be homeported at Naval Base San Diego following its commissioning in fall 2016. Zumwalt is scheduled to arrive in San Diego in late 2016.

Construction of Zumwalt commenced in Feb. 2009 and the ship was launched on Oct. 29, 2013. Currently, the ship is conducting Hull, Mechanical, and Electrical tests and trials with a subsequent period to follow for combat and mission system equipment installation, activation, and testing.

The ship is commanded by Capt. James A. Kirk.

DDG 1000 is the lead ship of a class of next-generation multi-mission surface combatants tailored for land attack and littoral dominance with capabilities to defeat current and projected threats. Zumwalt will triple naval surface fires coverage, add an improved SONAR system to track deep and shallow water threats, as well as pace current anti-ship cruise missile threats. For today's warfighter, DDG 1000 fills an immediate and critical naval warfare gap, meeting validated Marine Corps fire support requirements.

The multi-mission DDG 1000 is tailored for sustained operations in the littorals and land attack, and will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces, and operate as an integral part of joint and combined expeditionary forces. Its multi-mission design and littoral capabilities make it a 100 percent globally deployable asset to the Fleet.

The U.S. Navy continually monitors force readiness and ability to provide the most robust, capable maritime force possible. Stationing destroyers in a West Coast port supports the rebalance to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, placing our most advanced capabilities and greater capacity in that vital theater. By 2020, approximately 60 percent of Navy ships and aircraft will be based in the region.