The Navy Still Suffers from Cybersecurity Complacency
By Midshipman Second Class Jessica A. Burrell, U.S. Navy
March 2023 Proceedings Vol. 149/3/1,441
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The United States has maintained its primary role in the global order since the end of World War II. As a result, today’s service members have never witnessed their nation at war with a peer adversary. However, today’s turbulent geopolitical environment has the potential to change the status quo. China, the United States’ principal adversary, currently enjoys two large advantages in modern naval warfare: a larger fleet and the superior means to employ cyber warfare. Therefore, U.S. command of the seas cannot be assured in a future conflict.
Despite the growing importance of cyber warfare, fleet size will still be an important factor in future conflicts. In 2020, China’s fleet of more than 350 ships officially became the world’s largest navy. This is a significant lead over the U.S. fleet of approximately 290 ships. In addition, the Chinese industrial base will continue to produce ships at a faster rate than the United States can match. According to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Chinese fleet may have up to 460 ships by 2030. The negative implications of such a gap in naval combatants could be tremendous, but that gap may not be the only determining factor for future naval conflicts.
Former Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Vernon Clark challenged the idea that ship numbers would solely win battles during his congressional testimony in 2005. He stated that “the number of ships is no longer adequate to gauge the health or combat capability of the Navy. The capabilities posture of the Fleet is what is most important.” The “capabilities posture” the admiral referenced is a plan to better equip naval ships and decrease overall required ship numbers while maintaining readiness levels. By advocating for increased spending on relevant technology, Admiral Clark called to redirect efforts from inefficient ship construction toward sensor technology, cyberspace, and undersea warfare capabilities because these areas were, and still are, projected to have the most influence in future conflicts.
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2023/march/navy-still-suffers-cybersecurity-complacency
