The world was surprised by the sinking of the Russian guided-missile cruiser Moskva by the Ukrainian navy.
The sinking of the Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, by the Ukrainian navy was unexpected and highlighted the effectiveness of anti-ship missiles.
The way Moskva was sunk reminds us of the lessons learned in the Vietnam War.
The Moskva was built to take out US aircraft carriers and was equipped with weapons.
16 P500 anti-ship missiles, 104 S-300F anti-aircraft missiles, 40 9K33 air-defense missiles, two 130mm cannons, anti-submarine mortars, and six close-in weapon systems could be carried. Moskva is more than 600 feet long and displaces over 11,000 tons, making it hard to sink.
Two Neptune anti-ship missiles were launched by the Ukrainian military on the night of April 13 and flew 50 feet above the water. They dropped to the ground to avoid the ship's missile defense.
The Ukrainians had to aim their Neptunes very well, but after their impact, cascading explosions fueled by Moskva'smunitions, as well as what was likely its crew's poor training and leadership, helped doom the Russian ship.
Moskva's movements were tracked by a Bayraktar TB2 drone that was used by the Ukrainian military. The sinking of the Moskva is seen as a reflection of a new age in naval warfare, as the use of a drone to track and distract a large enemy surface ship is a first.
Russia's navy has lost its freedom of movement since the Moskva was sunk. As of June, 14 small and large vessels were sunk by Ukrainian anti-ship missiles.
The surface combatants are still very much relevant. Force projection and deterrence, as well as long-range attack and area defense, are some of the roles that aircraft carriers and destroyers can fill.
Surface ships' ability to survive in modern warfare has been challenged by new weapons on display in Ukranian.
During the 1982 war in the Falklands, there were two incidents in which surface ships were attacked.
On May 2, 1982, three Mark 8 torpedoes were fired at the Argentine light cruiser ARA General Belgrano. The Argentine ship sank in less than a minute, taking more than 300 of its crew with it.
Since World War II, only one surface warship has been sunk by a submarine, and that was Belgrano.
Argentina retaliated days later. The Type 42 guided-missile destroyer was attacked by Argentine jets on May 4.
Residual fuel from a missile caused a fire in the ship and destroyed most of the forward portion. The destroyer sank as it was being towed. Twenty people were killed and many more were injured.
The British lost to Argentine air attacks on four ships, including the flagship. 46 British sailors were killed when three Royal Navy vessels were hit by Argentine planes.
During World War II, guided missiles were used to sink ships, and the Falklands War showed how dangerous they could be. John Lehman, the secretary of the Navy at the time, said that all but one of the missiles fired at US ships were downed by the US Navy.
The cruise missile has been around for a long time. Lehman said at a think-tank audience in April that almost every lesson from World War II was ignored in the Moskva.
The worry is that NATO and the US have forgotten what they should be remembering. Lehman said that all of those things are important.
A Hellenic Army veteran, a defense journalist specializing in special operations, and a graduate of a prestigious university are just some of the things that Stavros Atlamazoglou is.
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