The Calm Before the Swarm: Drone Warfare at Sea in the Missile Age
The U.S. Navy is still far from a revolutionary shift toward a fleet fully integrated with autonomous platforms. While the Navy is exploring the role of unmanned systems in future combat scenarios, the reality is that the transition to a…
Lessons Learned or Lessons Observed: The U.S. Navy’s Blind Spot in Mine Warfare
Since 1945, mines have been responsible for sinking or severely damaging 15 of the 19 U.S. ships lost in combat. Despite this sobering statistic, mine warfare remains an underdeveloped and often overlooked area of focus for the U.S. Navy. Meanwhile,…
Is a U.S. Fleet of Ten Supercarriers Sustainable? Rising Costs of Warships and Aircraft May Force Fleet Reduction
The U.S. Navy’s ambitious plan to induct ten supercarriers of the Gerald Ford Class over the next two decades aims to replace its aging Nimitz Class carriers. While the USS Gerald Ford (commissioned in 2017) introduced advancements like electromagnetic catapults…