Global Conflict Reporting

Tag: Defense

  • Navy Growler crashes over San Diego harbor. 

    Navy Growler crashes over San Diego harbor. 

    By: Scott Jackson

    February 12,2025
    EA-18G Growler.

    Today, at around 10:15 PDT A US navy Boeing EA-18G Growler Electronic Attack Jet assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 135 crashed while taking off at NAS (Navel Air Station) North Island. The pilot and copilot are both unharmed as they ejected into the San Diego harbor and were picked up. The crew were originally picked up by a sport fishing charter boat the M/V Marietta, before being transferred to a Customs and border patrol craft according to radio calls made in the area that were recorded. The customs patrol boat  transported them back to shore where they are now receiving medical attention at UC San Diego Health. 

    With the crew being recovered emergency crews will respond to the wreckage to investigate as well as clean up and debris and fuel from the crash. According to radio calls from the area there is a large amount of fuel and the navy has dispatched response teams.

    The cause of the crash is under investigation. 

    CCTV Video shows the EA-18G Growler coming in down in a quick descent. Essentially falling out of the sky. The camera barely catches it.

    The aircraft had traveled to San Diego for ongoing exercises, leaving its home airbase at NAS Whidbey Island in Washington State. It’s unknown if the aircraft was taking part in the Bamboo Eagle 25-1 exercise currently taking place in the pacific. 

    NAS Whidbey Island

    Bamboo Eagle is a massive event focused on a possible high stakes conflict in the Pacific Ocean with China. Being led by the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center in Nellis it has brought dozens of not hundreds of military aircraft to the region for this combined arms operation with the U.S. and several key allies. 

    Video taken from twitter user San Diego web cams shows footage from their livestream as well as the radio calls that happens after the crash.

    The EA-18G Growler is the U.S. Navy’s Electronic Attack aircraft that began to replace the EA-6B Prowler around the late 2010s. Based on the airframe of the F/A-18(E/F) It has since then become an integral part of the carrier air wing. The Growler swapped out the Super hornets main cannon with a strong AN/APG-79 AESA Radar. The plane has 9 weapons hard points but will almost always have 5 of those hard points taken up by ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming pods. The hard points that are left open are usually equipped with either AIM-120 AMRAAM for air threats or more likely AGM-88 HARM Anti-Radiation Missile that track enemy radar signals. The two wingtip rails that would usually hold AIM-9X sidewinders was replaced for AN/ALQ-218 passive radar warning receivers to detect enemy radar.

    While mostly known for jamming enemy radar enemy communication can also be jammed by the Growlers suite of comms jamming systems.

    Australian EA-18G Growler

    While the growler with its jamming pods can defeat all current air and surface threats it comes up against its future is always in question as new and more advanced radars are developed and fielded and it’s jamming pods become out of date. The airframe is only as good as its equipment that needs to be updated in the near future.

    Author note.

    We here at GCR respect and appreciate any aircraft and crew capable of the roles of SEAD and DEAD. Suppression and destruction of enemy air defense is one of the most important roles in the always critical task of establishing aerial supremacy. The Growler holds a special place in my heart as did the Prowler that came before. Hats off to all of today and yesterday’s Electronic Attack Planes as well as the F-4 that carried out the insane Wild Weasel missions.

    If you are somebody with knowledge of this story contact Scott at GCR. My contact info is on the Website and I would love to talk on or off the record regarding this story.

  • Daily Briefing

    February 5th,2025

    By Scott Jackson

    Arleigh Burke-Class Guided-Missile Destroyer, USS Preble (DDG-88) utilizing its High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) Weapons System. 

    USS Preble (DDG-88) firing its HELIOS system.

    Helios is apart of a larger program aimed at the development of Solid State Lasers (SSL). Some of the other lasers being developed include the 

    -Ruggedized High Energy Laser (RHEL);

    -Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN); -Solid State Laser Technology Maturation (SSL-TM) 

    -High Energy Laser Counter-ASCM Program (HELCA), for shooting down anti-ship cruise missiles. 

    All of these I’ve listed are in varying states of development and wont be fielded until a future date however HELIOS has been in a testing phase since 2021 and now has been fully integrated into the combat systems of at least the USS Preble (DDG-88) where it will be used to counter drones, small boat threats and missiles. 

    The main advantage of the direct energy weapons is the price. Lasers cost about $1 to fire compared to some missiles getting into the tens of millions of dollars. 

    Russias losses in Ukraine for the month of January reached almost 50,000, the second highest since the early days of the war.

    According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the month of January 2025, the Russian armed forces lost 48,240 soldiers and 573 Russian armored vehicles and 230 tanks. In the Russian order of battle this is roughly equivalent to 3 motorized rifle divisions. In that time the Russian army has managed to take roughly 500 sq. kilometers (193 sq miles) in the Kursk Region as well as Ukraine. These numbers are almost identically to December of 2024 numbers except they took 100km more territory.

    The situation in Ukraine remains much as it has the past couple months. Ukrainian forces continues to reinforce defensive points while Russia has kept its army’s pushing into enemy territory. Ukrainian forces have stepped up the intensity of attacks on Russian oil and gas infrastructure, with the Ukrainian security services (USB) targeting the regions of Volgograd and Astrakhan.

    Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant

    Future daily briefs will have more Ukraine reporting as I reconnect with my sources and find new ones.

    Iraqi airstrike kills 5 ISIS operatives in Iraq.

    On January 31, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), supported by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted an airstrike near Kirkuk, Iraq. The attack killed 5 ISIS fighters according to CENTCOM.

    “An initial post-strike clearance found multiple explosive suicide belts and other materials,”

    CENTCOM confirmed in a statement, underscoring the strike’s role in weakening the group’s operational capabilities.

    “ISIS remains a threat to the region and beyond, and CENTCOM, along with partners and allies, will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists to protect the homeland,” 

    This operation was backed by Coalition Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CTF-OIR), which provided intelligence and technical support for the strike.

    U.S. forces have recently stepped up strikes against ISIS targets since the fall of the Assad Regime in Syria. With the state being weakened it was a possibility that Daesh could attempt a comeback.

    On the same note….

    US Africa Command carries out airstrikes on ISIS in Somalia.

    On February 1st, 2025, US president Donald Trump, in his first major U.S. Strike overseas since he took office, ordered US forces to carry out airstrikes on ISIS targets in Northern Somalia in the Golis Mountains. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that “multiple operatives” were killed in the strike.

    F/A-18 Super Hornet

    The strikes were carried out by planes from the navy and Air Force. FA-18 Super Hornets took part from the USS Harry S. Truman currently stationed in the Red Sea.

    While the main threat in the area has been Al-Shabab, ISIL has been involved in attacks in Southern and Central Somalia. Even while facing the threat of US bombings as well as the policing actions of the Somolian Security Forces, and a fierce rivalry with Al-Shabob ISIS (ISIL) continues to grow and gain a strong foundation in the country.

  • Daily Briefing

    By. Scott Jackson

    February 1st, 2025

    US Forces kill senior operative of Terror Group Hurras al-Din in Syria.

    The aftermath of the airstrike that killed Muhammad Salah al-Za’bir in Northwestern Syria.

    On January 30th US CENTCOM (Central Command) forces conducted an airstrike in northwestern Syria targeting a senior operative of the US classified Terror group Huertas Al-Din (HaD) an affiliate of Al-Qaeda. The target was Muhammad Salah al-Za’bir a former ISIS member who later went on to become a member of the Syrian At-Qaeda branch. Not much else is known about him besides that CENTCOM describes him as a “Senior member” in the group. 

    A statement from CENTCOM on the strike:

    “The airstrike is part of CENTCOM’s ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond”

    It ends with a warning from commander of CENTCOM, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla.

    “CENTCOM will continue to hunt and kill or capture terrorists and defend our homeland against groups that plot to attack U.S. and allied personnel,”

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  • Daily Briefing

    By Scott Jackson

    Statement from new U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

    The U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was sworn in the day before yesterday. This is some of what he had to say today in a messages to the forces. 

    “…The President gave us a clear mission: achieve Peace through Strength. We will do this in three ways – by restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence.

    -We will revive the warrior ethos and restore trust in our military. We are American warriors. We will defend our country. Our standards will be high, uncompromising, and clear. The strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose.

    -We will rebuild our military by matching threats to capabilities. This means reviving our defense industrial base, reforming our acquisition process, passing a financial audit, and rapidly fielding emerging technologies. We will remain the strongest and most lethal force in the world.

    —We will reestablish deterrence by defending our homeland — on the ground and in the sky. We will work with allies and partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific by Communist China, as well as supporting the President’s priority to end wars responsibly and reorient to key threats.

    We will stand by our allies – and our enemies are on notice.

    All of this will be done with a focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards, and readiness.

    I have committed my life to warfighters and their families.

    Just as my fellow soldiers had my back on the battlefield, know that I will always have your back. We serve together at a dangerous time. Our enemies will neither rest nor relent.

    And neither will we. We will stand shoulder to shoulder to meet the urgency of this moment.

    Like each of you, I love my country and swore an oath to defend the Constitution. We will do that each and every day,” 

    -End statement 

    Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing.

    Hegseth, a veteran and former Fox News personality only narrowly won his confirmation for SecDef with a Vice President tie breaker after the 3 republicans in the Senate joined with every democrats to vote no. His confirmation hearing was filled with allegations of past misconduct( that he denies) and claims that he is too inexperienced in leading a large organization like the U.S. military. 

    Russian oil refinery struck by a wave of Ukrainian drones.

    Ukraines most effective strategy throughout the war has been the destruction of Russian logistics on the frontlines and behind the lines using missiles and drones. This constant picking away at the Russian war machines supplies has kept Russia pulling for stockpiles nobody thought would ever be needed. Supplies that went untouched for decades are now being pulled from occasionally (especially with regard to armored vehicles). This strategy worked so well that Ukraine decided to expand on it with unrelenting attacks on Russian oil production. The thought is simple: try to make fighting the war too costly to continue to fight.Russia is supposed to be an oligarchy and no matter how many of their rich and powerful Putin has thrown out of windows they do still hold some power in the country and can cause him problems.

    Overview of the Ryazan Oil Refinery
    Loading and storage area, both of which sustained damage in the attack.

    The refinery targeted was the Ryazan oil refinery almost 300 miles from Ukraine. It has been targeted by drones multiple times in the past 72 hours and has suspended all operations. The most recent attack took place on January 26th at 1:00AM (Russia time) Video discovered of one of the attacks shows a massive fireball as a result.

    The full extent of the damage is yet unknown but we do know that among the damaged equipment that the oil storage was set ablaze as well as equipment used to load the product into rail cars.Russian media claims that the plants AVT-4 unit, which processes the crude oil into fuel distillates, was heavily damaged.

    The Ryazan oil refinery is one of Russia largest with the capacity to process 17 million metric tons of oil a year.The profit from this oil is used to fund Russia’s war in Ukraine which is growing costlier as the years go by. Neither side can keep this up forever but with these attacks on important and valuable Russian targets Ukraine hopes to tip the scales in their favor.

    Andriy Kovalenko, a reporter in Ukraine said on his Telegram channel ” The refinery plays an important role in providing fuel for both the civilian and military-industrial complex of Russia,”.

  • Two Iranian Cargo ships set to leave China filled with propellant used for ballistic missile production.

    By. Scott Jackson

    January 24,2025

    M/V Golbon and M/V Jairan, Two Iranian flagged containerships have reportedly been loaded with over 1000 tonnes of sodium perchlorate at a Chinese port over the past several days. 

    M/V Jairan
    M/V Golbon

    Sodium perchlorate is used to make ammonium perchlorate which can be used as a solid propellant in ballistic missiles and is controlled under the Missile Technology Control Regime, an international Anti- Proliferation group. 

    (more…)

  • Daily Briefing 

    01/21/2024

    Good afternoon. This is the return of the GCR Daily Briefing. For those who are new this is a daily article I used to do where I pick a couple headlines from around the world and I do a little write up on it. The world is increasingly turbulent  and it’s more important than ever to stay up to date in the events taking place in our world. 

     

    US President Trump orders 1000 national guard to the border. 

    The Pentagon-on the orders of President Donald Trump, has ordered 1,500 troops to join the already 2,500 soldiers to the US and Mexican border.These forces are ordered to “to support the activities of the Secretary of Homeland Security in obtaining complete operational control” and provide troops and supplies. The soldiers will also help build border fortifications and walls. These troops are apart of a larger force of 10,000 that will eventually make it to the border to help Customs and Border Protection (CBP) according to a leaked CBP memo being reported in the press. 

    This is all apart of a larger immigration policy put in place on the Trumps administrations first day in office. Surging troops to the border as well as using DoD bases as makeshift “holding facilities” until ICE can build more facilities. The above mentioned memos show that ICE will be drastically increasing the number of ICE holding facilities. 

    Trumps plan is to use the military to completely seal the border from migrants and asylum seekers. Migrants, who have long come to the U.S. to work in the farm industry will be picked up crossing into the US and deported before being able to ask for asylum or any sort of hearing. 

    At this point the southern border is effectively closed. Even those trying to enter the country legally have been turned away. This policy is likely to affect food prices for a time as the USDA Economic Research Service reported that in agriculture the number of migrant laborers was 59 percent and another 45% in the animal farm industry. 

    //UK

    UK navy shadows Russian spy ship through the English Channel. 

    HMS Somerset shadows Russian Spy ship Yantar.

    This week a Russia Spy ship (technically an oceanography ship),Yantar (also know as Cruys) has been shadowed by the UK Navy this week as the ship made its way through the English Channel. 

    In November this ship had been loitering above the area where several undersea cables were but was surprised by a Royal Navy Submarine when it surfaced near them to let the Yantar crew know that they were being closely monitored and warned them off. The ship left the area for the Mediterranean but returned this week and has been shadowed by the HMS Somerset(F82), a Type 23 Frigate.

    The Russian Spy Zship Yantar.

    Russian ships have even connected to sabotage of undersea cables in the recent past in the Baltic so no chances are being given in in the English Channel.. The Yantar is equipped with a small submersible that can be used to go down to the ocean floor and tamper with communications and power cables, potentially adding devices to the cables so Russia can access the data. 

    The UK has taken a lead role in countering the threat of Russian attacks on critical undersea infrastructure in the European seas and oceans. They have announced they will send several P-8 Poseidon and Rivet Joint maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft for the Baltic Sentry activity announced after the damage to the ESTLINK2 cable. Baltic Sentry is a NATO mission that aims to bring different maritime and aerial assets into the Baltic area and integrate them into the protection of the area. 

  •  White House announces the names of two new Ford Class aircraft carrier. 

    The White House on Monday annonced that it would be naming two of its future planned Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear powered aircraft carriers after former presidents. The USS William J. Clinton and USS George W. Bush, after the 42nd and 43rd U.S. presidents.

    “Their legacies will endure through these aircraft carriers, which serve as formidable platforms dedicated to safeguarding our national security and strengthening our resolve to protect this nation against any who would threaten our freedoms and way of life,“ said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. 

    These ships will be the 5th and 6th of the Ford-class. As of writing this only one of the class exists which is the lead ship in the series USS Gerald R. Ford. Ford was named after the 38th president of the United States, who served on the light aircraft carrier Monterey in WW2 in the Pacific. The Ford-Class carrier to this day remains the largest carrier/warship ever created. 

    Evolution of Power : Ford-Class carrier upgrades and capabilities.

    USS Gerald R. Ford departs Navel Station Norfolk for its first deployment.
    Photo by Petty Officer First Class William Spears.

    What makes the Ford-class Special? 

    The Ford-class was created to offer a number of improvements over the Nimitz-class carrier which had been the standard for 40 years and is now being phased out, replaced by the Ford-class.What improvements make the Ford-class so special? Well let’s talk about it. Most of this info comes from testing on the only Current Ford class in use, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)

    Cmdr. Robert Kurrle, the commanding officer of the “Golden Warriors” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 87, conducts his final carrier landing on the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) flight deck. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Zackery Guth.

    Improved aircraft launch and recovery systems. Specifically the EMALS or Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System replace the steam powered catapults used in the past giving fighter pilots a smoother takeoff with less maintenance. On the landing side we have the AAG or Advanced Arresting Gear which in testing so far with the Gerald R Ford has shown an increased smoothness with landing as well as the capability to catch heavier aircraft and UAVs (more in those in a bit).

    Island of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). You can see its radar here. Unknown photograph.

    To help with protecting the airspace around the carrier and its strike group the Ford Class Carriers all for the most part come equipped with the AN/SPY-/6(V)4 radar. SPY-6 for short. While the USS Gerald R. Ford has an older model and will be upgraded the future ships in the class will receive the upgraded SPY-6. This radar is one of the strongest parts of the ship giving the carrier the ability to defend against multiple threats from 360 degrees at the same time, including Hypersonic, Cruise, and ballistic missiles. It’s also highly resistant to enemy jamming efforts. The data collected can all be shared between the battle group and aircraft like the F-35 and EC-2 Hawkeye, further strengthen the groups defenses and offensive capabilities during battle. Info collected from the carrier battle groups radar and other sensors can be filtered through several different systems and processed and sent to whoever needs the info at the time. For example every CSG (carrier strike group) is going to have an Air Warfare Commander that will usually be the captain of an Aegis equipped Ticonderoga-Class Guided Missile Cruiser. His teams mission is obvious, to protect the Strike group from all manned aerial units and missiles and is one of the most important jobs in the CSG. The information taken from the carriers Radar on the Ford-class carriers can be transmitted instantly to the CIC (Combat Information Center)aboard the designated Air Warfare cruiser where the commander and his team can quickly make decisions based on that data to protect the CSG.

    Combat Information Center on the Gerald R. Ford

    I mentioned above that data could be shared between the CSG and I’d like to highlight this for a moment because I think it’s important. These systems are used throughout the navy. CEC or Cooperative Engagement Capability is a network of sensors and fire control systems all working together towards a complete battlefield picture for all aircraft and surface ships. Think about a computer network. The computers can all transmit data to one another through a high speed, encrypted, wireless connection allowing all these systems to operate together towards a unified goal. 

    A littoral battle underway as multiple hostile and friendly targets need to be identified and tracked.

    This would include systems like Aegis. Aegis is a series of radar,computers and different weapons systems that all work together be an effective missile defense system. While the carrier itself is not technically considered aegis its radar can be used to in the process to help shooting down threats. The last system I’ll mention is Link 16. Link 16 is a tactical data exchange network that allows ships and aircraft and ground forces to share a tactical picture in near real time. It supports text messages,imagery, voice through digital channel frequencies that operate using radio waves.  Link 16 is being used throughout NATO for the different nations to all be able to share their view of the battlefield.this system allows,for example- the stealthy F-35C lightning with its upgraded radar to communicate with the E2-D Advanced Hawkeye who can relay the signal to the 

    F/A-18 (and surface ships) allowing the Lightnings to act as a sort forward observer, tracking enemy’s and preselecting targets. 

    Planned air wing of the USS John F. Kennedy, The next Ford Class Carrier.

    Moving on. Let’s look at the main role of the carrier which is power projection through its air power. Its hanger capacity has been extended allowing it to support up to 90 aircraft of the current carrier air wing makeup. The future will likely see the navy’s workhorse F/A- 18 Super Hornet all replaced by F-35c Lightnings but for now it appears that they are running a mixture of the two mostly as a way to keep cost down if I had to guess. 

    Other aircraft operating from the Ford Class will be fairly standard except for a few instances. E/A-18 Growlers will remain a huge part of the carrier air wing being the electronic Warfare and SEAD/DEAD (Suppression/Destruction Enemy Air Defense) of Master that it is. The command and control E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes are the shiny big brother to the Hawkeye of olden days. Northrop Grumman took an “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it” approach to the beefed up Hawkeyes and instead of changing anything they just made it better in almost every way. The same is true for the SH-60 Seahawks which will cover helicopter operations. 

    F/A-18 Super hornet. No introduction needed. These are the ground strikers and air to air defenders of the fleet.
    E/A-18 Growler. The SEAD/DEAD powerhouse and the reason why the enemy’s never see what hit them.
    E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. Airborne radar as well as Command and Control. These guys are the Taskmasters. They make sure everybody is in the right place doing what they need to do.

    There is one other addition to be added to all Ford class carriers. The addition of an unmanned warfare center to operate any and all unmanned drones deployed by the CSG. The one major planned unmanned system is the MQ-25 Stingray. The Stingray is still in development but is expected to make its way to the fleet in the next couple years. The Stingray will handle all the carrier aerial refueling needs. 

    MQ-25 Stingray aerial refueling isn’t sexy, until you really need gas.

    All in all the Ford Class carriers will provide a net positive in war-fighting ability to the US  navy in a time when politics and budget constraints in the acquisition department have yielded several platforms that failed to meet expectations. The next Ford Class Carrier is set to be delivered to the Navy this year as long as there are no delays. 

  • French patrol plane targeted by Russian air defense system over Baltic Sea. 

    The Baltic Sea

    French media reported that last Thursday night while patrolling in international airspace over the Baltic Sea a Atlantique 2 French MPA (Maritime Patrol Aircraft) was targeted by the radar of a S-400 air defense system. This aircraft additionally had its radar jammed, a constant problem around the Kaliningrad area for commercial as well as military flight, but added with that the fact it was lit up by a S-400s fire control radar at the same time shows a clear case of aggression and attempted intimidation on the side of the Russians. 

    Atlantique 2 MPA

    The French military viewed this for the hostile act it was with Colonel Guillaume Vernet, the spokesperson for the French armed forces saying “Illuminating our aircraft in international waters with radar is an aggressive action. The professional attitude of the crew prevented any escalation“.

    S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler)

    While the French navy regularly sends Maritime patrol aircraft into the Baltic for the NATO mission to ensure safety of navigation and air and sea policing as well as surveillance of Russian forces. Recently the deployment of these assets have been increased in response to several recent incidents in the past several months where underwater electric and data cables have been damaged or cut. 

    The EstLink 2 cable carried electricity between Estonia and Finland before December when if was damaged by a ship, the EagleS which had allegedly dragged its anchor across it and several other cables damaging them. The ship and crew have been impounded since that incident pending investigation. EagleS is believed to be apart of the Russian shadow fleet, a fleet of cargo and oil transport ships using ships flagged in other countries but being used to circumvent sanctions on Russia. 

    Allied Command Operations (ACO) which is responsible for planning and carrying out all NATO operations has announced Baltic Sentry. 

    “Baltic Sentry will deliver focused deterrence throughout the Baltic Sea and counter destabilizing acts like those observed last month,” said U.S. Army General Christopher G. Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe. “It is indicative of the Alliance’s ability to rapidly respond to such destabilization, and shows the strength of our unity in the face of any challenge.”

    Baltic Sentry is described as a “multi-domain mission taken forth by NATO in the Baltic Sea to deter any future attempts by a state or non-state actor to damage critical undersea infrastructure there. NATO views the undersea links as critically important to the defense of these nations. 

  • US Department of Defense reveals the amount of munitions expended while engaging the Houthis in the Red Sea. 

    US Department of Defense reveals the amount of munitions expended while engaging the Houthis in the Red Sea. 

    The US military has been engaged in defensive operations against the Yemeni Houthis for the past 15 months in the waters of the Red Sea and in the Arabian Sea as well as the sky’s above Yemen. Several different US carrier strike groups have been deployed into the area to protect the billions of dollars of international commerce that moves through the Red Sea daily heading to and from the Suez Canal. The Houthis have targeted any ship they believe is connected in any way to America or Israel as a way to show support for Palestinian terror group Hamas and their war with Israel in Gaza. 

    The Head of Naval Surface Forces Vice Admiral Brendan McLane revealed at a Surface Navy Association conference that was attended by journalists from The War Zone( TWZ is great, I always recommend them when they come up) just how many munitions had been expended in the operation. Statements made by the Vice Admiral also give us a more detailed look at how the operation has been going and what US forces as well as their European allies have been dealing with. US CENTCOM which is the United States military command over The Middle East  region regularly puts out reports and social media post however they can sometimes be sparse with the details. 

    The U.S. Navy Surface Fleet has expended 400 individual munitions against the Iranian backed Houthis.

    The Vice Admiral also gave an example of the current state of modern surface warfare by talking about a recent engagement that the sailers aboard the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111).

    “They were in a fight where they shot down 3 anti-ship ballistic missiles(ASBM), 3 anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) and 7 one-way [unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs],” McLane said. “So that’s how it kind of rolls up.”

    USS Spruance (DDG 111) after its return to its homeport, Naval Base San Diego, Cali

    I’d like to break down the specific munitions, what they are used for, and maybe most importantly- the cost to the American taxpayers. 

    USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) fires an SM-2 missile.

    SM-2 missiles (RIM-66)

    120 expended. This missile is the workhorse of US navy air defense, being used to take out incoming anti ship missiles as well as other 

    missiles and incoming enemy jet fighters.. High speed-highly maneuverable and considered one of the best in the world at what it does. The Sm-2 has a reported range of 90 nautical miles and can reach an altitude of 65,000 ft. A cornerstone of the fleets layered air defense systems. 

    SM-2

    Cost vary on specific missile block but these come in at roughly $2 million USD per. 

    The U.S. is reported to have around 12,000 of these in its stocks.

    US Aegis Destroyer intercepts Medium-Range Ballistic Missile with new SM-6 SWUP Missile.

    SM-6 missiles (RIM-174)

    80 expended

    This is a newer addition to the fleet and the navy has a more limited stock of these missile with only 500 being reported to have been delivered according to the Raytheon website. 

    Coming equipped with the active radar seeker found in the Air-to-air AIM-120C AMRAAM, This missile is capable of a wide range of task being capable of defensive anti air against missile (including ballistic missile in their final terminal phase) as well as manned and unmanned air units. Its high speed also makes it a useful anti surface weapons although it’s high cost makes other weapons better choices. The thought behind this missile was warship today have limited space and a weapon that can effectively do everything is a benefit.  The explosive warhead as opposed to a hit-to-kill style missile makes this missile capable of potentially defeating the Chinese DF-21D and DF-25B anti-ship ballistic missiles. 

    SM-6 missile profile.

    Cost average around $3.9 million per. 

    A combined 20 expended from the 

    Sea sparrow and the SM-3. 

    Sea Sparrow launch

    Sea Sparrow ESSM

    Medium-range, semi-active homing missile that makes flight corrections via radar and midcourse data uplinks. The missile provides reliable ship self-defense capability against agile, high-speed, low-altitude anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), low velocity air threats (LVATs), such as helicopters, and high-speed, maneuverable surface threats

    Sea Sparrow Profile

     $787K – $972K depending on configuration

    SM-3 launched from the USS McCampbell (DDG 85) intercepts ballistic missile .

    SM-3 (RIM-161)

    The SM-3 is the main ballistic missile defense of the fleet. It uses its powerful kinetic energy to utilize a hit-to-kill method of attack. It has a lower production rate than everything else on the list which also puts a heavy cost on these missile, especially if you have to fire more than one at a time. 

    SM-3 missile profile

    Anywhere from $10 million to $30 million (this price likely to come down some as missile production is ramped up as announced earlier today. 

    While the expenditure of these weapons is something to be concerned about it only highlights the logistical issues that the US would have in a near peer, great power conflict when the amount of munitions expended in the Red Sea over the past year would equal only several days of fighting in say the pacific against China. Addressing these procurement and cost issues is paramount if the US is to remain a dominant force on the world’s stage.