Peace through strength

"The purpose of the AEGIS system when it was first devised, was to counter the Soviet 'saturation attack' order of battle. And each AEGIS ship was up for that challenge."

It is no secret that I relished the 1980's. It was the golden time in our nation's history. The Reagan Doctrine of "peace through strength" got our hostages released from Iran without firing a shot. It brought down the Berlin Wall without firing a shot. And then it ended the first Cold War without firing a shot.

In my twenty-one years of being in the Navy and the Navel Reserve, I had a high level security clearance. At the same time I was in the reserves, I was working on some of the Navy's more sensitive programs. To do so, I had contractor security clearance. For most of my twenty-five years in the industry, I worked on the AEGIS weapon system. I worked on it while at Sperry Univac, Control Date Aerospace Division, and FMC. Now, I am going to disclose a secret that few in this country know.

Okay, that was a tease. The only reason people don't know about this is secret is it has never been advertised. Under the Carter Administration, our Navy was anemic. Outdated. Poorly equipped. Could not put many ships to sea. Under Ronald Reagan, he decided to put some meat on those bones. Build a 600 ship Navy. The AEGIS weapon system, acting in conjunction with the Vertical Launching System, became fully developed. It could take care of about any threat in this world. And the former Soviets knew it.

The purpose of the AEGIS system, as it was first devised, was to counter the Soviet "saturation attack" order of battle. And each AEGIS platform is up for that challenge. Since then, we have added a smaller version of the AEGIS system (DDG), and many of them. Each is ready to take out a multiple of targets, ranging from wave top to azimuth, and beyond. Bottom line - nothing should be able to get past them.

I really have to chuckle when the Iranians send out PT type of boats to harass or challenge our destroyers. They have absolutely no idea of the kind of hell these ships can unleash on them before they would have a chance to say Ayatoliah Ruhulloh Khomeini. Trust me, these man-o-war ships have more firepower than one could imagine. Should the skipper of one of them ever have been given the "green light", there would have been nothing left of those Iranian boats but sawdust. 

But (and this a message for the North Korans and the Iranians), our ships were built for the purpose of peace through strength. We do not want a war with anyone. We want peace. However, should we be attacked, it will be "Katie bar the door". 

By the way, I have just been talking about our surface ships. Each one of our "boomers" can unleash a hell which could not be imagined on any country. Should North Korea ever launch a missile against the United States, within 30 minutes, North Korea would no longer exist. The same goes for Iran. Our D5 SACE Trident II subs along with our AEGIS fleet, is a force unlike the world has never seen.

I won't even go into the other two legs of our triad of defense. As far as I am concerned, the Navy is enough. Note to Iran and North Korea - be very happy we have a passive President right now. Under other circumstances, the lesson taught could have been very quick and painful.  

AEGIS - means shield. It was indented to shield the carriers from all threats. But it has grown into so much more. It is time our President show the world what we have. How it will keep the peace. Or how if necessary, it can totally eliminate all threats.