It is not so clear that a surface fleet is the key to winning naval wars anymore.
Ukraine showed the vulnerability of surface ships to drones of various kinds. Consider the Moskva.
It may be more important to have a robust space force and orbital lift ability than to have numerous and vulnerable surface ships.
“It is not so clear that a surface fleet is the key to winning naval wars anymore.“
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We are developing, and have to some extent, defense against and offense with drones and it is vital that we have ships to transport many drones and supporting equipment. I have participated in a few of the truly awesome concepts to win multi-company contracts. The country is of course further advanced than we let on, but our support structure has been deliberately stifled. I participated in contributions to the massive and versatile phased array antennas that can control countless drones, both ours and theirs. Ships play a vital role in the drone technology around the world.