[John H K]

The antimissle Aegis capability requires an exceedingly expensive specially modified STANDARD missle, which I don't believe the Japanese have. And special software for the Aegis system, which I believe we're only installing on 8 of our Aegis ships...I'm not totally up on the status of Aegis ABM.

[Tallguy]

The antimissle Aegis capability requires an exceedingly expensive specially modified STANDARD missle, which I don't believe the Japanese have. And special software for the Aegis system, which I believe we're only installing on 8 of our Aegis ships...I'm not totally up on the status of Aegis ABM.

I suspected as much. Of course those 8 (proposed) ABM-capable AEGIS ships automatically become "strategic assets" and the Navy "loses" these ships to the Pentagon.

This is reminicent of the way the Navy lost control of many of the EA-8B "Prowler" ECM aircraft. Any time the USAF needs jamming aircraft, the Prowlers get the call.