Defending Navy warships must not consider shooting down inbound missiles the first line of defense.
The Navy is learning lessons from the Red Sea fight against the Houthi to prepare to fight China:
Navy brass says they are now able to tune ship radars, provide feedback and update tactics far more rapidly than when the hostilities started. Just analyzing engagement data has gone from 40 days or more to just a day or two, a massive gain that could prove critical in a Pacific fight.
But the lesson seems to be too focused on shooting down the inbound missiles more effectively. We really don't seem to be trying to win. Focusing on more efficiently shooting down missiles ignores the point of battle--destroying the enemy.
And unexpectedly®, the Houthi are more confident and popular for their long missile campaigns against Red Sea shipping and Israel. We created that confidence through lack of seriousness.
Better to learn the lessons of the World War
II North Atlantic campaign that didn't focus on defeating the U-boat torpedoes
but on sinking U-boats at sea and in port, or at least making it too risky for U-boats to persist in attacking the escorted merchant and troop ships.
We need to expand the scope
of the problem from the terminal phase of the inbound munitions to the
beginning of the kill chain where the missiles are launched--or even
better, where produced. Are our Navy ships waging war or serving as shooting gallery ducks?
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
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NOTE: The photo is from the U.S. Navy.
