The Enduring Role of Traditional Warships in Modern Naval Warfare: Insights from Admiral Jhared Montferrat

Dear Admiral,

I am writing to you as a fellow naval officer, with a unique perspective on the role of warships in maintaining order and ensuring the survival of a regime. In particular I am writing to impart some opinion on the potential thoughts of obsolescence of warships in the face of modern weaponry in your era such as direct-energy weapons or hypersonic missiles. As a former Imperial admiral, I served during the reign of Sheev Palpatine, Emperor, where the Empire maintained control over the galaxy through a combination of military might and fear[1]. Although this is a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, I do believe that as the commander of the Devastator one of the most prestigious Imperial-class Star Destroyers[2] provides me unique perspective in the issues warships face when introducing new technology.

My years of service in the Imperial Navy were marked by the constant threat of rebellion and the need to maintain the emperor’s rule at all costs. It was a time when warships like the Star Destroyer were seen as the pinnacle of military technology, able to crush any signs of sedition and hunt down high-value Rebel targets and bases. The Star Destroyer was the backbone of the Imperial Navy, with its massive size, powerful armaments, and advanced technology[3]

However, towards the end of my career, a new weapon emerged that threatened to make the Star Destroyer obsolete, as you too are faced with new weapons that could potentially result in your warships becoming obsolete. In my case this of course was the Death Star, a moon-sized battle station equipped with a super-laser capable of destroying entire planets, was seen as the ultimate weapon of terror[4]. It was a weapon that made the Star Destroyer seem small and insignificant by comparison.

But even in the face of this new threat, I remained convinced that the Star Destroyer was still a vital component of the Imperial Navy. The Death Star was a powerful weapon, but it was also a single point of failure. If the Rebels could destroy the Death Star, they could strike a severe blow against the Empire. The Star Destroyer, on the other hand, was more flexible and could be deployed to crush rebellion on multiple fronts simultaneously.

Now, as I observe the current state of naval warfare, I see similarities between the challenges faced by the Imperial Navy and those faced by the Royal Navy. Just as the Death Star posed a new threat to the Star Destroyer, modern navies face new challenges such as hypersonic missiles and direct energy weapons that threaten to make traditional warships obsolete.

But just as I argued that the Star Destroyer still had an important role to play in the Imperial Navy, I believe that modern warships still have a critical role to play in maintaining global security. The flexibility of a traditional warship, its ability to deploy and adapt to a variety of situations, is still an asset that cannot be easily replicated by other weapons systems. Modern weapon systems such as the AN/SEQ-3 (XN-1) Laser Weapon System (LAWS)[5] or the High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-Dazzler with Surveillance (HELIOS)[6] or the Kh-47 Kinzhal hypersonic missile[7] will transform advanced naval tactics but unlikely to replace the need for warship hard power projection. One of the Navy’s advantages are that its heavily armed warships can travel thousands of miles in a matter of days and linger around points of interest without imposing on another country's sovereignty, making it incredibly powerful. It has the capacity to provide extraordinary access to points of interest around the globe, patrolling vital waterways and manoeuvring to distant shores and population centres. The navy also has significant diplomatic and constabulary functions, which depend on its capabilities. Some of these functions include forward presence, deterrence, sea control, power projection, maritime security, and humanitarian aid. Maritime powers, this has long been used to influence the behaviour of allies and adversaries during times of peace. These types of naval operations may be intended to support, reassure, deter, or threaten different actors[8].

Admiral, while it is true that new weapons such as hypersonic missiles and direct energy weapons represent significant technological advances, I believe you’re your traditional warships and indeed ours such as the Star Destroyer still have a vital role to play in modern naval warfare. Your Navy is less likely to retire its warships but rather transform them seeking systems and effects with unmanned vessel as part of the broader system, driving down costs of increase efficiency, potentially enabling a larger force[9] as was seen with aneroids from Confederacy of Independent Systems during the clone wars. This will likely compliment new energy weapon systems rather than replace them. If warships are used wisely dominating the seas in way that does not provoke alarm, ensuring that multifaceted and complex naval vulnerabilities do not occur, the seas can act as a buffer against geopolitical disruptions[10].

The flexibility and adaptability of a traditional warship, combined with its psychological impact and other advantages such as reconnaissance and communication, make it a powerful tool in maintaining global security. Equally navies have a leading role in its sovereignties security posture, being able to deliver constabulary and presence operations for peace-time maritime security, whilst maintaining a warfighting stance as the Devastator does for the Empire and your warships do for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)[11].

As someone who has experienced the challenges of maintaining order and ensuring the survival of a regime through military might, I urge you to consider the role that traditional warships can still play in today's rapidly changing world. While new technologies may offer advantages in certain situations, they cannot fully replace the versatility and adaptability of a traditional warship.

In conclusion, despite the emergence of new technologies, traditional warships will not become obsolete and will continue to have a critical role to play in the projection of power, politics and influence other nations. As a former Imperial admiral, I remain firm that the versatility and adaptability of warships, as well as its psychological impact and advantages in reconnaissance, sea control and security will retain its relevance. While the emergence of new weapons may offer advantages in certain situations, they cannot replace the influence and advantage of a warship. They will remain a critical asset for modern navies today and encourage government to consider the role they can plan in maintaining your planets security.

I hope that my perspective as a former Imperial admiral has given you some valuable insights into the importance of traditional warships in modern naval warfare. I remain convinced that like the Star Destroyer, despite the emergence of the Death Star and other new weapons, was still a critical component of the Imperial Navy as your traditional warships will remain a critical asset for modern navies today.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter, admiral. I wish you all the best in your duties and hope that you will continue to uphold the ideals of honour, duty, and service that are so essential to our profession.

Yours,

?

Admiral Jhared Montferrat

Commanding Officer, Devastator

Naval Forces Galactic Empire

[1] Wookieepedia, ‘Jhared Montferrat’, Wookieepedia, n.d., https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Jhared_Montferrat (checked: 13/04/2023).

[2] Wookieepedia, ‘Devastator’, Wookieepedia, n.d., https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Devastator (checked: 13/04/2023).

[3] Wookieepedia, ‘Star Destroyer’, Wookieepedia, n.d., https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Destroyer (checked: 13/04/2023).

[4] Wookieepedia, ‘Death Star’, Wookieepedia, n.d., https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Death_Star (checked: 13/04/2023).

[5] GlobalSecurity.org, ‘AN/SEQ-3 (XN-1) Laser Weapon System (LAWS)’, GlobalSecurity.org, 24/06/2021, https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/systems/laws.htm (checked: 14/04/2023).

[6] Kris Osborn, ‘Destroyer to Receive New High-Powered Laser Weapon System’, The National Interest, 08/02/2022, https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/destroyer-receive-new-high-powered-laser-weapon-system-200437 (checked: 14/04/2022).

[7] Richard Gardner, ‘Countering the hypersonic threat’, Royal Aeronautical Society, 24/03/2023, https://www.aerosociety.com/news/countering-the-hypersonic-threat/ (checked: 14/04/2023).

[8] Jonathan Masters, ‘Sea Power: The U.S. Navy and Foreign Policy’, Council on Foreign Relations, 19/08/2019, https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/sea-power-us-navy-and-foreign-policy (14/04/2023).

[9] James Black, ‘The evolving role of warships in the 21st -century navy’, Global Defence Technology, 01/08/2021, https://defence.nridigital.com/global_defence_technology_aug21/what_is_a_warship (checked: 14/04/2023).

[10] Robert C. Rubel, ‘Navies and Economic Prosperity – the New Logic of Sea Power’, Corbett Paper, 01/10/2012, https://www.geostrategy.org.uk/app/uploads/2023/03/FSLEssayContestStyleGuide.pdf (checked: 14/04/2023).

[11] ‘“We’re going to need a bigger Navy”: Government Response to the Committee’s Third Report’, Defence Committee (UK), 25/02/2022, https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5802/cmselect/cmdfence/1160/report.html (checked: 14/04/2023).