[Mat_Helm]

Now you are starting another debate all together. Wow. Nobody said those weapons would stop a China invasion and you are ridiculous to go that direction. I trained Navy and Marine F/A-18 pilots for Naval warfare a few decades ago including the first use of Harpoons by Hornets. Our attack submarine fleet alone would decimate any Chinese Navy or amphibious operation, even though 35% of our attack subs are down for maintenance, overhaul, or refit. But who really knows or even wants to find out by projecting weakness like we are now as a nation.

The Pentagon has already put out its own warnings for needing those munitions in a protracted war over Taiwan. We are not the military power we were in the 1991 Gulf war. China has a sizable nayy now and almost double our fleet size. They have hypersonic missiles and I would not want to see us in a hot war as they would make a real mess of things.

[buwaya]

I worked on the Harpoon, 35 years ago. Metrology engineer-consultant. My only Navy system.

The Pentagon has been using the Ukraine ammo issue as leverage to get more units of what it really wants - as in those long range antiship/land attack missiles.

But that stuff is not what’s going to Ukraine.

The China problem is that they will try to take Taiwan. Not by amphibious assault, but by blockade. The USN and the neighbors will be obliged to run “Malta convoys” there. It will be highly unsafe. The real danger will be missile (cruise and ballistic) and sub attack.

Then there will be the need to protect Guam, Okinawa, and probably the Philippines from missile attack.

[buwaya]

Ìs not another debate, its the same one. It is disingenuous to say that the US is running out of ammo, risking a China war, and then dodge the question of “what ammo”?