Weapons

How hardware plays a part.

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The purpose of this page is not to recreate the vast databases of military hardware. Even Tom Clancy endorsed the incredible database CMO has, comparing it to Jane's Fighting Ships and others. I agree; in fact I penned a letter protesting the database was too accurate. 😐

Planned properly,

Any operation or mission should appear to the adversary that any action will be met with annihilation. In the event that escapes them, have the means at your disposal to do just that. My thought process on weapons is straightforward: how many can I have, how far can I shoot them.

Systems

For our purposes weapons and weapon systems fall into these categories: Sea, Land and Space based. Obviously that Space slot is a very necessary placeholder, as you will find. Any plan should have a logistics chain capable of supplying and re-supplying the necessary bullets for the mission, otherwise it's not really a plan at all.

Who decides what bullets I get?

Ah the chain of command. Influenced by what? And by whom? The fact is they decide what I have, and how I am to use it.

Almost every single scenario I have ever built can be characterized by this quote by Gen. LeMay: "If we'd lost the war, we'd all be prosecuted as war criminals." While I prefer the meticulous, systematic destruction Admiral Mitscher's Task Force 38/58 inflicted at will, I also absolutely believe in my bones LeMay's: "If you are going to use military force, then you ought to use overwhelming military force. Use too much and deliberately use too much; you'll save lives, not only your own, but the enemy's too." That said, it's a good thing I can't be prosecuted for thinking and scenarios yet. I am guilty as charged, of that there is no doubt.

Distributed lethality

Your task force must have distributed lethality, that means: even if your ship doesn't carry a shipload of SM-2s somebody in that task force better. Do I need a VLS full of RGM-109Es on my DDG or CG when I have a SSGN safely positioned to unleash all the UGM-109Es I will ever need? As you recover from acronym overload, let me take a second to shine on distributed lethality. Contrary to what some may have you believe, the US was not the pioneer in this category, not by any stretch. Look at any Soviet built military ship from the 70s on; if they didn't build it with a launcher, they bolted it on later. Every platform they had was capable of inflicting pain. I am not averse to strapping a M142 HIMARS to any deck that has tie downs. That's a no brainer, enough said.

Testing

This is where the build a little, test a little, learn a lot philosophy shines. Test how many bullets it takes to sink a ship under different circumstances. Then try it by air, compare notes. That's a simplified method of telling you how many and what kinds of bullets to add to your task force and the embarked aircraft. The more mission specific you are with your loadouts the more you will have to explain at your court-martial, if you live to tell about it. If you don't have a plan B and C then you still don't have a plan.