by an enemy. It also assists in the detection and
targeting of hostile forces while making detection
and targeting of friendly forces more difficult for
the enemy.
LOGISTICS. Logistics is the resupply of
combat consumables to combatant forces during
operations. It may often be a major factor in
determining the success or failure of an operation.
A principal aim of naval logistics is to make the
operating forces as independent as possible of
overseas bases. Sealift provides most supplies
needed to support U.S. naval forces and other U.S.
combatant and allied forces. The U.S. maritime
mobility forces consist primarily of ships of the
Military Sealift Command, various ships held in
reserve, and the U.S. merchant marine.
U.S. NAVY WEAPONS AND
SYSTEMS
Since the Civil War, when armored, steam-
propelled warships first were combat-tested, the
U.S. Navy has used the latest technology in all
naval warfare applications.
For more than 40 years, the U.S. Navy has
developed systems and tactics to protect itself from
air attacks. Since the end of World War II, several
generations of antiship missiles have emerged as
an air threat to the fleet. These antiship missiles
can be launched from under the sea, from the
surface of the sea, and from aircraft above the sea.
Many can be launched several hundred miles
away. The attacks can be coordinated so that
several missiles arrive almost simultaneously, and
some of the missiles have a nuclear capability.
A survivable Navy in the modern world must
have
the
latest
surveillance
techniques,
information processing capabilities, and platforms
that can effectively deliver weapons wherever
needed.
AEGIS
The shipboard integrated AAW combat weapons
system (Aegis) is the most capable surface-
launched missile system the Navy has ever put to
sea. The system was designed as a total weapons
system with capabilities that range from detection
to destruction of enemy targets. The system can
perform search, track, and missile-guidance
functions simultaneously with a track capacity of
over 100 targets. It can defeat an extremely wide
range of targets. It can defeat very high- to very
low-altitude antiship cruise missiles and manned
aircraft, flying at both supersonic and subsonic
speeds. Aegis is reliable even in the most severe of
environmental conditions, both natural and man-
made. Aegis can operate simultaneously in all
modes of warfare: antiair, antisubmarine, and
antisurface. The system can also perform force
coordination.
The surface Navy’s Aegis provides area defense
for the battle group. It also provides a clear air
picture for more effective deployment of F-14
Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet aircraft. It
F-14 Tomcat.
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