US destroyer commanding officer touts reach-back support for Aegis ope…

Seen here firing weapons in the Red Sea in October 2023, USS Carney benefited from shoreside support for Aegis performance during recent successful operations in the region. (US Navy)

The commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) underscored the capability of ship sailors and long-distance shoreside support to use and adapt recent Aegis combat system operations for effective defence against adversary missiles and unmanned systems in the Red Sea during a 20 May media roundtable discussion of those operations.

“We have an incredible network of system technicians and technical assistants to provide that distant support,” Commander Jeremy Robertson said.

The support network includes US Navy (USN) Surface Warfare Tactics Instructors (WTIs) from the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) and analysts from Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Corona Division, which serves as the navy's independent assessment agent for data analytics, Cdr Robertson noted.

“There is an incredible wealth of knowledge and reach back,” he said, highlighting the shoreside “troubleshooting distant support”.

Carney sailors were able to “provide them real-time feedback in real time”, he said, while they could check on system performance and configuration, which was important for the challenging and changing Red Sea environment.

“Especially for Aegis system, the reach back was really phenomenal,” he said. “We were able to get that data to them [in] real time – on the fly.”

This feedback helped the sailors manipulate the system to match the environment as needed, he said.

“Just the time of day, the mornings versus the evenings”, can affect Aegis performance, he noted.