ANALYSIS – Is Trump regretting his VP pick? Will Trump tell Vance he is “fired”? When former President Donald Trump selected J.D. Vance as his vice presidential candidate soon after surviving an assassination attempt, some called the choice bold and a doubling down on Trumpism.
I said he could help Trump make his case in 2024 and be the GOP standard bearer in 2028. Still, I also said I would have preferred Trump had picked a woman, and that I had some reservations about Vance as VP, including his youth and inexperience.
ANALYSIS – Yes, the multibillion-dollar air defense systems designed to protect U.S. Navy ships and other forces are doing spectacularly well against Iranian-supplied, Yemen-based, Houthi terrorist-operated drones and missiles in the Red Sea region.
The question is, can they similarly destroy more sophisticated attacks from major enemies like China?
Referring to the Houthi threat, Kyle Mizokami notes: “American guided-missile destroyers have swatted down numerous drones and missiles using radar and missile systems designed to protect aircraft carriers from sophisticated mass attacks—and the fight isn't even close.”
The 1970s-era Houthi missiles travel at 600 mph, just 30 feet above the waves.
But the U.S. warships have three layers of missile and gun defenses (the primary and two backups), and at least one layer of deception. And based on recent engagements, the missiles, sensors, and combat systems work very well.
The primary air defense system is the Standard SM-2 rocket-powered medium surface-to-air missile “capable of engaging a wide spectrum of aerial threats, from low and slow cruise missiles to fast and high-flying fighter jets.”
Flying three times the speed of sound (Mach 3) they destroy their targets at up to 30 miles (maximum detection range) with a proximity fuze, high-explosive warhead.
And the SM-2s are very good.
As a matter of fact, Mizokami adds that: “A U.S. guided-missile destroyer is so good at shooting down missiles, that every real-world intercept so far hasn't needed to resort to either of the back-up air-defense systems.”
The back-up systems include the Phalanx system.
But as one reader (YoloFett) commented in response to Mizokami's article:
Impressive against 1970's Houthi missiles, but how would it fare against a more sophisticated swarm of say 150 missiles and 300 drones? Throw a couple hypersonics in there. Lasers should eventually help, but at some point, sheer numbers will overwhelm any system.
And that scenario likely describes just one of many expected waves of attacks the Navy can expect when going to war against China in the Western Pacific. It could even describe a direct Iranian attack.
I would also add that major attacks could include considerable enemy electronic warfare (EW) and maybe satellite communication disruption.
However, despite all that, America's warships then have even more defensive layers.
So if the SM-2s were to fail, our ships would then engage the enemy targets with the second line of defense: Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM), a short-range missile derived from the Sparrow air-to-air missile.
The smaller Mach 4 ESSMs are packed four missiles per silo and are fired in pairs.
Simultaneously the ship would also engage in deception. It would fire Nulka anti-missile decoys developed jointly by the U.S. and Australia. Once launched, PoP Mech notes: “Nulka hovers in the air, presenting an alternative, decoy radar signature for an incoming missile.”
If all that fails, the ship still has its third , and last line of defense: the Phalanx close-in weapon system CIWS) – also known as the ‘Sea-wiz.' This consists of a six-barrel 20mm Gatling gun that fires short bursts of tungsten penetrators.
The gun is linked to both search and tracking radars that can intercept and destroy missiles at just over two miles. It also has been affectionately called R2D2 due to its similarity to the small, domed droid in Star Wars.
So, how well would the Navy fare against much larger and more sophisticated threats?
It's hard to tell. But the air defense system appears to be working. And I'm sure the Navy is applying lessons learned from the ongoing firefights in the Red Sea to future applications and more serious threats.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
Paul Crespo
Paul Crespo is the Managing Editor of American Liberty Defense News. As a Marine Corps officer, he led Marines, served aboard ships in the Pacific and jumped from helicopters and airplanes. He was also a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at U.S. embassies worldwide. He later ran for office, taught political science, wrote for a major newspaper and had his own radio show. A graduate of Georgetown, London and Cambridge universities, he brings decades of experience and insight to the issues that most threaten our American liberty – at home and from abroad.
Violence. There are many elements to violence. Violence is a chaos system and it is
At American Liberty News, we eschew the mainstream media’s tightly controlled narrative to provide our readers with real news, real insights, and the means to take action. We seek out insightful coverage – and partner with knowledgeable and experienced people and organizations to bring you the information and insight our readers demand.
We humbly seek to provide the tools and information necessary for our readers to decide for themselves what is true and what is right.
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Will Trump Dump JD Vance?
ANALYSIS – Is Trump regretting his VP pick? Will Trump tell Vance he is “fired”? When former President Donald Trump selected J.D. Vance as his vice presidential candidate soon after surviving an assassination attempt, some called the choice bold and a doubling down on Trumpism.
I said he could help Trump make his case in 2024 and be the GOP standard bearer in 2028. Still, I also said I would have preferred Trump had picked a woman, and that I had some reservations about Vance as VP, including his youth and inexperience.
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ANALYSIS – Yes, the multibillion-dollar air defense systems designed to protect U.S. Navy ships and other forces are doing spectacularly well against Iranian-supplied, Yemen-based, Houthi terrorist-operated drones and missiles in the Red Sea region.
The question is, can they similarly destroy more sophisticated attacks from major enemies like China?
Referring to the Houthi threat, Kyle Mizokami notes: “American guided-missile destroyers have swatted down numerous drones and missiles using radar and missile systems designed to protect aircraft carriers from sophisticated mass attacks—and the fight isn't even close.”
The 1970s-era Houthi missiles travel at 600 mph, just 30 feet above the waves.
But the U.S. warships have three layers of missile and gun defenses (the primary and two backups), and at least one layer of deception. And based on recent engagements, the missiles, sensors, and combat systems work very well.
The primary air defense system is the Standard SM-2 rocket-powered medium surface-to-air missile “capable of engaging a wide spectrum of aerial threats, from low and slow cruise missiles to fast and high-flying fighter jets.”
Flying three times the speed of sound (Mach 3) they destroy their targets at up to 30 miles (maximum detection range) with a proximity fuze, high-explosive warhead.
And the SM-2s are very good.
As a matter of fact, Mizokami adds that: “A U.S. guided-missile destroyer is so good at shooting down missiles, that every real-world intercept so far hasn't needed to resort to either of the back-up air-defense systems.”
The back-up systems include the Phalanx system.
But as one reader (YoloFett) commented in response to Mizokami's article:
And that scenario likely describes just one of many expected waves of attacks the Navy can expect when going to war against China in the Western Pacific. It could even describe a direct Iranian attack.
I would also add that major attacks could include considerable enemy electronic warfare (EW) and maybe satellite communication disruption.
However, despite all that, America's warships then have even more defensive layers.
So if the SM-2s were to fail, our ships would then engage the enemy targets with the second line of defense: Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM), a short-range missile derived from the Sparrow air-to-air missile.
The smaller Mach 4 ESSMs are packed four missiles per silo and are fired in pairs.
Simultaneously the ship would also engage in deception. It would fire Nulka anti-missile decoys developed jointly by the U.S. and Australia. Once launched, PoP Mech notes: “Nulka hovers in the air, presenting an alternative, decoy radar signature for an incoming missile.”
If all that fails, the ship still has its third , and last line of defense: the Phalanx close-in weapon system CIWS) – also known as the ‘Sea-wiz.' This consists of a six-barrel 20mm Gatling gun that fires short bursts of tungsten penetrators.
The gun is linked to both search and tracking radars that can intercept and destroy missiles at just over two miles. It also has been affectionately called R2D2 due to its similarity to the small, domed droid in Star Wars.
So, how well would the Navy fare against much larger and more sophisticated threats?
It's hard to tell. But the air defense system appears to be working. And I'm sure the Navy is applying lessons learned from the ongoing firefights in the Red Sea to future applications and more serious threats.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
Paul Crespo
Will Trump Dump JD Vance?
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At American Liberty News, we eschew the mainstream media’s tightly controlled narrative to provide our readers with real news, real insights, and the means to take action. We seek out insightful coverage – and partner with knowledgeable and experienced people and organizations to bring you the information and insight our readers demand.
We humbly seek to provide the tools and information necessary for our readers to decide for themselves what is true and what is right.
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