Report calls out US Navy for surveillance and targeting shortfalls
By: David B. Larter  
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy lacks the necessary intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets to support a force plans to operate more spread out and fight at longer ranges, according to a new report by the conservative Hudson Institute think tank.
The service has relied for years on its F/A-18 Hornets and E/A-18 Growlers, as well as using satellite surveillance data, to find targets to kill. But with ranges extending out beyond the reach of the carrier air wing due to Chinese investments in very long-range anti-ship missiles, the Navy has to develop more organic capabilities, according to the report.
The needs is exacerbated by the reality that satellites will likely be down or degraded by Chinese attacks on the network, meaning that the fleet will be relying on a relatively few number of drones coming into the service to provide targeting, the report said.
https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2019/11/22/report-calls-out-the-us-navy-for-surveillance-and-targeting-shortfalls/
