Lately, we’ve made a lot of hay regarding the recently conducted and now concluded RIMPAC wargaming exercise that was held off of the Hawaiian shores in early July. While it was important to coordinate and demonstrate the joint capabilities and interoperability of 29 partner nations that were led by the US, it was equally vital to test out some of the latest platforms and munitions starting to come online. New stand-off munitions such as the AIM-174b are designed to fight the enemy from afar, keeping our ships and bases out of harm’s way from enemy weapons and subsurface platforms. Other newly deployed weaponry, including the MQ-9B SeaGuardian drone, represent our latest eyes in the sky over a huge battlespace, capable of gathering intelligence, dropping sonobuoys to determine the enemy’s whereabouts, and even engage enemy targets with a package of Joint Strike missiles.

We’ve already discussed the Manta Ray remotely operated submersible in a previous post and other newly developed weapons. These include the LRASM (Long Range Anti-Ship Missile), which boast extended range ship-killing capabilities, again designed to be fired from distant stand-off positions to keep our forces out of harm’s way while bringing the battle to the adversary in their own home waters.

If the PRC intends to carry out its threat of seizing Taiwan by force by the year 2027, then the US and its allies will certainly be ready to face them. While Allied forces will enter the fray clear-eyed and ready to accept tangible losses to meet its mission requirements, it is the enemy that will undoubtedly be bloodied by the latest technological advancements being tested and readied for battle.