New Navy chief 'regrets' costly missile strikes against Houthis, pushes for cheaper Red Sea defense
'I had not been thoughtful enough to think about the UAV threat where I think a much lesser-powered weapon would have done what we needed it to do,' says Adm James Kilby
By Morgan Phillips Fox News
Published April 8, 2025 10:42am EDT
New acting Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. James Kilby said he regrets the Navy’s reliance on expensive, high-powered missiles to counter the Houthi threat in the Red Sea and pledged to push for cheaper, more efficient solutions.
Speaking to reporters at the Sea Air Space conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Kilby said he was "not concerned" about the Navy’s ability to protect its people – such as the 350 sailors aboard the USS Carney missile destroyer – or its ability to safeguard commercial shipping.
He is concerned, however, about "not having better ways to more economically attrit the threat."
In his former role as vice chief of naval operations, Kilby said he was "focused on a high-end laser – 500kW to one megawatt – and I have regret for that."
"I had not been thoughtful enough to think about the UAV threat, where I think a much lesser-powered weapon would have done what we needed it to do," Kilby said.
He promised the Navy was now working to overhaul its costly defense tactics with "much more cost-effective" technologies to counter autonomous vehicles in the Red Sea, as he called on the defense industry to more quickly produce munitions for the mission.
"We have to get after our industrial base or munitions industrial base the same way we have to get after our shipbuilding industrial base," said Kilby.
When asked if the Navy had enough munitions to counter the Houthi threat, Kilby replied, "I think we need more munitions."
"We certainly need more depth of magazine, if we’re going to get into a protracted conflict."
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/navy-kilby-houthi-missiles-red-sea-costs
