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The U.S. Navy has maintained its top spot among global naval powers in the late modern era in part through its use and deployment of naval aircraft carriers. In Ukraine, however, strategists have observed evolving modern war tactics, specifically involving the use of low-cost drones. Those observations have forced naval tacticians to ask how they might innovate on the high seas. The U.S. Replicator Initiative, which transforms American aircraft carriers into seaborne military drone factories, is one possible answer to that question.
Watch the above video as Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan discusses how new low-cost drone technologies and changing geopolitical realities will help nations — including but not limited to the United States — modernize their navies for a new era.
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The following is an excerpt from Peter’s Aug. 19 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:
The U.S. Navy and its fleet of carriers (and super-carriers) haven’t had much of a challenge on the seas since WWII. But of all things, it might be some low-tech jet ski bombs that change the way the world’s navies operate.
As the Ukraine war evolves, we’re seeing warfare innovations that could reshape all future conflict. This has come in the form of modified speedboats and jet skis with bombs, used to disable Russia’s Black Sea Navy. And other countries are starting to take note.
For countries with constrained naval access points, this could spell trouble; think of regions like the Black Sea and Baltic Sea or countries with punchy neighbors like Israel and Turkey. These innovations are low-cost and accessible to just about everyone…even worse, they’re difficult to defend against with current tech. So, how does this look for the major naval players?
China is vulnerable to attack from smaller countries due to their port locations. For the U.S., U.K. and Japan, there’s less concern given their geographies and strategic partnerships. However, everyone should be updating their defense systems and working to handle this new style of water warfare.
