Protecting auxiliaries in contested waters

The plan assigns high-end ships to command and massed fires, lower-end ships to presence and distributed operations, uncrewed systems to sensing and deception, and logistics ships to sustained operations. That last role prompts concern about the protection of auxiliaries in contested waters. The proposed defensive package includes anti-submarine helicopters, torpedo decoys, Sea Sparrow, and close-in weapon systems that could provide local protection. The discussion recalls late-Cold-War support ships designed for defensive systems that were never fitted, distinguishing reserved space from an operational weapon.