Defense News

One simple step can “revolutionize surface warfare,” as U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro put it at the latest naval conference WEST in San Diego: rearming our warships at sea. Today the only way to reload vertical launching system cells — the mainstay of the Navy’s front-line warship — is to pull into port, often taking warships out of action for weeks at a time.

Consider the situation in the Red Sea. For our Navy’s warships engaging the Houthi rebel group, reloading VLS cells would require a transit through the Suez Canal to ports in Greece or Italy, about 2,000 miles or more away. This lost time, under persistent Houthi attacks, proves this ability to reload underway is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity.

VLS cells carry most of the surface fleet’s firepower onboard destroyers and cruisers. From VLS cells, the Navy employs air and missile defense weapons as well as long-range strike and anti-ship missiles. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers have the capacity to store 90-96 missiles in VLS cells depending on the variant of warship. Warships are loaded with an assortment of weapons before deploying to meet expected mission needs and ensure the ship’s self-defense.

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