Why the Navy Needs Disruption Now
You want disruption? Here are some ideas.<p>Build drone carriers. Who needs brave pilots in fighter seats when you can get the same results with slightly less brave drone operators? You can pack a lot more than 44 drones in each carrier.<p>Repurpose container ships. If Russians can launch cruise missiles directly from shipping containers (4 missiles per standard 40-feet container), the same can be done with drones. Imagine how much of them can be packed in 1000-container container ship, which looks like any other civilian cargo ship until the need arises.<p>Drone operators can control entire formations of combat drones (no need to actually fly these things — point and click interface should be enough with modern tech). Autonomous refueling, sensor fusion, battlespace mapping — the only need for humans in the loop is giving &quot;go &#x2F; no go&quot; for kill requests.<p>Use large coordinated battlegroups with numerous  uniform modular cheaper vessels instead of a few big expensive carriers surrounded by combat support. Every ship can (and should) be fitted with ECC and offensive electronic warfare options, which prevents attacking electronic support first. Try to jam 200 small ships simultaneously while they are constantly on the move in the large area — nearly impossible. No designated C&amp;C ships — all battlegroup members can take multiple roles as needed, including command and control.<p>Fail-deadly &quot;nuclear options&quot; — if battlegroup communications are jammed beyond repair, drones can be programmed to proceed with their missions fully autonomously, until kill switch signal arrives. Looks harsh, but better than actual nuclear option.<p>Etc etc.