Ever since its introduction, the Ticonderoga class cruisers – Ticos – have formed the core of the US Navy’s surface fleet. Ticos possess some of the greatest firepower of any surface combatants in the world, with 122 vertical launch cells (VLS), and act as the fleet air defense command center.However, the Ticos are becoming old and increasingly expensive to maintain, therefore the US Navy wants to retire them. But the Congress is adamantly opposed, believing that retiring the Ticos will make the Navy much weaker in the short term, leading to unacceptable risks. Replacements such as the DDGX and the Arleigh Burke III destroyers are either too late or insufficient to fill the gaps left by the Ticos. What will the US Navy do to maintain its naval superiority?