A floating weapons magazine still has to reach its operating area. If a barge cannot make that passage independently or survive attempts to stop it, another ship has to escort it. Those requirements help explain why the discussion returns to crewed ships, particularly for duties outside full-scale war. Electronic-system problems and the maturity of automation remain additional concerns. Uncrewed undersea systems are treated as a promising area whose development does not yet establish that this whole replacement scheme will work.
Notable Point · 43:40-45:52
Transport and escort requirements for weapon barges
A discussion of distributed missile barges asks how they would reach station and survive transit without creating another escort requirement.