Author: Michael

Since late 2023, the U.S. Navy has fired nearly $1 billion worth of munitions to protect ships in the Red Sea from low-cost Houthi drones and missiles. The headlines that followed have rightly pointed out the absurdity of firing multi-million dollar missiles against cheap drones. But those headlines miss the bigger picture.Behind each intercept lies a vast and expensive ecosystem: the carrier strike group and its escorts, the logistics tail that keeps them fueled, the training pipeline for crews, and the command-and-control networks that make the engagement possible.

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Under the Arizona sun, mothballed aircraft glisten in perfect rows at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. In the brackish calm of the James River, reserve ships drift, their gray hulls streaked with rust. Both rest in quiet suspension, reminders that hardware decays without care. Future force design will share this truth: Hardware degrades if it is not sustained. Procurement is the flashy step, sustainment the sticky one.Replicator is the Pentagon’s catalyst to deliver new capability at speed and scale.

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Following confirmation that the Algerian Air Force had brought its first two Su-57 fifth generation fighters into active service, questions have been raised regarding the utility of this very small fifth generation fleet until further aircraft are delivered. The Su-57’s unique capabilities provide the aircraft, even when fielded in very small numbers, with force multiplier capabilities that could significantly bolster the offensive capabilities of the wider Algerian fleet.

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