A Mass Missile Defense
The Falklands War of 1982 gave us a glimpse of what modern anti-ship missiles can do against a surface fleet. Not only were 2 British warships sunk, but the entire war strategy was affected. The former Soviet Union built cruise missiles of far more destructive power than those deployed by Western nations (Harpoon, Excocet), many of which are supersonic (Sunburn) and in the hands of potential enemies (Iran, North Korea, China). The West has yet to witness a mass attack of such weapons on their surface fleets.
In the late 80's, the US planned to add greater stealth to the fleet by the novel idea of creating smooth superstructures. In other words, all masts, radars, weapons, ect. would be imbedded below decks, making the vessel a much reduced target to anti-ship missiles. The end of the Cold War finished these ambitious plans, but the attack on the Cole and 9/11 2001 reminded us we still have enemies. For our ships to survive in modern war against a mass cruise missile attack, it may be time to revive this simple but potentially revolutionary idea.