The USS Cushing, a U.S. Navy destroyer, cut through the dark waters of the open sea, its crew on high alert. A hostile missile had been detected inbound, locked onto their position with deadly precision. Within seconds, the ship’s advanced RADAR system identified the threat, triggering an immediate response from the vessel’s surface-to-air missile defense system. The crew worked seamlessly, executing their well-rehearsed protocols. A missile launched from the ship’s deck, streaking toward the incoming threat. The two projectiles met in a fiery explosion high above the ocean, neutralizing the danger before it could reach the fleet. Moments like this underscore the absolute necessity of maintaining peak operational readiness at sea—where split-second decisions and the reliability of defense systems mean the difference between success and catastrophe.
