It’s about getting ready for the main event with China.

If that's the case, they're not doing it. We're drawing down our missile inventory in a pointless war, and we're spending a fortune on a nuclear battle cruiser that could better be spent on finishing and deploying DDG(X) and the new frigates. It was already going to be a few years before either of those ships were ready, and now we're wasting time and money on a cruiser that -if it ever is launched, which is unlikely- is at least a decade away, and relies on 'wonder weapons' that aren't deployable yet.

The cost of the cruiser is going to be higher than an aircraft carrier (Ford class). We could buy several DDG(X) for that, which will give us more firepower (i.e. bang for the buck).

We are NOT getting ready for China. We're letting them get ahead of us because they have an actual ship building plan, and they're doing it well.