January 22, 2024

Is The U.S. Navy Ready For The Red Sea Threat?

By: Tom Shugart

In the Red Sea drone and missile attacks by the Houthi rebels are stemming the flow of commerce in a critical part of the world. The U.S. Navy has deployed numerous ships to help defend against these attacks, but with the high cost of advanced missiles, and fleet that has shrunk considerably since the end of the Cold War, can the Navy keep pace with the threats in the Red Sea and beyond?

Efforts to hide the movement of U.S. forces and misdirect or blind any reconnaissance systems could boost the Navy’s ability to defend against mass missile salvos in the event of a major war.

“As scary as the PLA rocket force is, in terms of the weapon systems … those units by themselves can’t find anything,” said Tom Shugart, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. “They’re just missiles on trucks. So something has got to find those targets for them.“

Watch the full video from CNBC.

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