The commander of Naval Surface Forces wants the service to accelerate deployment of directed energy weapons on ships to defend against threats like the Navy is dealing with currently from Houthi actions in the Red Sea.
Vice Adm. Brendan McLane, also known as SWO Boss, told reporters when he was captain of a ship the idea of a swarm threat to naval forces was seen as real and prepared for with specific munitions in naval guns. However, he now favors accelerating directed energy to help deal with swarming threats.
“One of the things that I think we really need to get after quicker is we need to accelerate the development of directed energy weapons, whether it’s a laser, whether it’s a microwave,” McLane told reporters during a media call on January 5 ahead of the Surface Navy Association annual symposium.
“When I was in Bahrain as DESRON 50 [Commander, Destroyer Squadron 50] 10 yrs ago, the Afloat Staging Base Ponce (AFSB(I)-15) had a laser on it. And we’re 10 years down the road, and we still don’t have something that we can field. I mean, I find that frustrating,” he added.
The USS Ponce tested hosting a 30-kilowatt Laser Weapons System (LaWS) for three years while serving in the Middle East, being tested against UAVs and small boats.
McLane said he wants to put “a lot of effort” into accelerating directed energy capabilities because it increases magazine capacity with high speed impact and good distances.
He also underscored that the Navy’s Red Sea defense role is not just relatively inexpensive Houthi drones currently countered with significantly more expensive U.S. missiles, but also land attack cruise missiles and anti-ship ballistic missiles.
During the same call, Rear Adm. Fred Pyle, director of Surface Warfare, OPNAV N96, said from his resource sponsor perspective, over the past few years the Navy has been working closely with industry to establish maximum rather than minimum sustaining rates of munitions to fill naval magazines and vertical launch cells.
“Over the past two budget cycles, we’ve acknowledged that we need to increase inventory of all munitions,” Pyle said.
He nodded to McLane’s directed energy comments obliquely by noting they are “always looking for cost effective ways to neutralize a threat” and they are very focused on keeping a stable inventory while currently looking at other options.
Separately, McLane confirmed they are considering sending Littoral Combat Ships to the Middle East waters to bolster the number of Navy hulls patrolling the region.
He said the Freedom-variant USS Indianapolis (LCS-17) “is over there right now doing a lot of great work” and noted in 2022 the USS Sioux City (LCS-11) was assigned to maritime security in the Red Sea as part of the Fifth Fleet with a “very successful deployment.”
“So it certainly is possible long term to be able to use our LCS’ from both coasts. the Freedom-class and the Independence-class, really worldwide.”