Anti-ship missile defense system unveiled

AP via Navy Times ^ | 8/14/2003 | AP Staff

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

LOUISVILLE, Ky.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

“We need to project ourselves as a defensive power,” Navy Capt. Lee Geanuleas said at the ceremony. “Historically we’ve meant to project an offensive power, but now our thinking has evolved to include offensive and defensive power.”

This is because we're STILL giving away the store to China.

[RightWhale]

“We need to project ourselves as a defensive power,”

High level stuff. The anti-missile system being installed in Alaska at Fort Greeley is part of that philosophy. We can't just threaten, it makes people nervous and less willing to cooperate in world security.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[wretchard]

The Navy needs defensive systems because it must now fight in "brown water", close to shore-based SSMs, diesel-electric sub threats, mines and even coastal artillery. The old layered defense won't work at pointblank. The brown water role is a direct result of the need to go ashore, with SEALS, or ARGs (as in Liberia). In most of these scenarios, the Navy will not be "at war" with the nation on the coast. But it will need the defensive missiles.

[Mentos]

They let Anne Northup onto a Raytheon facility?

[gcruse]

The way I read this, it looks like a defense against Yakhont and Sunburn supersonic antiship missiles. If so, it is welcome news, indeed. China has the Dovremny (sp) class destroyers outfitted to deploy aforesaid missiles.

[rmlew]

The Chicoms have 2 Soveremenny class destroyers and are getting 2 more.
These carry the Moskit/Sunburn missles. The future ones may carry the Yakhont.

The Chicoms also have a nice range of their own.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/missile.htm