Conversely, we should not be necessarily tied to just one Service accomplishing a role or mission exclusively if another can do so for less cost or put fewer people in harm's way. The Revolution in Military Affairs has placed the ship as a weapon of war in the same position as a Knight from the Middle Ages. Along came cheap Longbow technology which pierced a Knight's defenses. European battlefields were quickly covered with expensive casualties. The era of Knights came to an end.
Navies are well armed and expensively manned.
Today, we have the potential for a new innovative use of high tech airpower and missiles. Three B-52s, flying from the United States armed with Harpoon missiles, sank or disabled 16 ships imposing the blockade. In retaliation for the Nation of Z's action, the United Nations sanctioned the aerial mining of the Nation of Z's primary port facility . Thomas P. Loury and John Wellam, The Attack on Taranto, Blueprint for Pearl Harbor , 1995. Richard P. Hallion, Air Power and Maritime Operations, June 1996 5.