The contrast between prestige warships and ordinary fleet workhorses leads to a present-day procurement problem. Modern combat systems make even small crewed warships expensive, while uncrewed vessels appear to offer a cheaper alternative. Remotely controlled craft could shift much of the burden onto satellite communications. A fleet that depends heavily on those links may turn them into an Achilles heel that an opponent can attack.
Notable Point · 5:02-6:10
The modern fleet's missing cheap ship
The humble monitor opens a modern force-structure question: what can navies build cheaply and quickly without creating a new communications vulnerability?