Why modern warships retain deck guns alongside missiles

A missile may be the best weapon for air defense or land attack, but ships can carry far fewer missiles than gun shells. Proposals to remove deck guns persisted even after the Falklands War, so this remains a current design dispute. Modern deck guns are dual-purpose weapons rather than battleship artillery, providing flexible fire against targets that do not justify expending scarce high-end weapons. The gun occupies limited space and may displace few missiles while saving many more during routine or lower-end engagements. Keeping both systems preserves missile magazine depth for threats that must be killed immediately.