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As long as our Navy must steam “in harm’s
way” to carry out its assigned missions, it will
require a formidable antiair warfare capability.
The Aegis weapons system gives surface AAW
forces a decided edge against the sophisticated
modern air threat. Planned upgrades to standard
missiles and evolving improvements to the Aegis
weapons system promise the fleet an extremely
capable AAW system well into the 21st century.
SUMMARY
To meet present and future threats, the Navy
develops new weapons systems and improves
existing systems. It often develops new weapons
with physical characteristics similar to their
predecessors to preclude designing a new system.
This practice has the advantage of being both cost
effective and time saving.
DEVIL
Many weapons are capable of being used by
different types of ships and aircraft. This practice
is also cost effective. During periods of budget
reductions, this policy just makes good sense.
One fact about our weapons and weapons
systems, however, will always remain constant—
the Navy will always use every resource available
to meet any threat.
REFERENCES
Naval Science for the Merchant Marine Officer,
NAVEDTRA 38051, Naval Education and
Training Program Management Support
Activity, Pensacola, Fla., 1986.
Navy Fact File, 9th ed., Office of Information,
Washington, D.C., 1989.
TO PAY
T0DAY THE EXPRESSION “DEVIL TO PAY” IS USED PRIMARILY AS A MEANS OF
CONVEYING AN UNPLEASANT AND IMPENDING HAPPENING. ORIGINALLY, THIS EX-
PRESSION DENOTED THE SPECIFIC TASK ABOARD SHIP OF CAULK THE THE SHIP'S
LONGEST SEAM.
THE “DEVIL” WAS THE LONGEST SEAM ON THE WOODEN SHIP, AND CAULKING
WAS DONE WITH “PAY” OR PITCH.
THIS GRUELING TASK OF PAYING THE DEVIL
WAS DESPISED BY EVERY SEAMAN, AND THE EXPRESSION CAME TO DENOTE ANY
UNPLEASANT TASK.
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