It's better when it's in an article. This pretty much says what I have been writing here. A "containerized system" means Mk 70, currently, if talking weapons. Other "containerized systems" are under development, but I suspect many of those will be sensor packages. This ship looks to have room for Mk 70s. Those ARE VLS...4-cell VLS. So, if this ship mounts any Mk 70s at all, then it DOES have a VLS. How many cells is what is in question. From the looks of existing illustrations, it won't be many I grant you. But even one Mk 70 would mean this ship does "have VLS ability." Stating that it does not have a VLS (true) does not mean it is not VLS capable.

Containerized weapons and sensor systems leave the opponent guessing what the ship's actual capabilities are. And the unmanned ships are also expected to carry the same containers. Enemy intelligence analysts get a photo of a couple of FFX with a half dozen unmanned ships accompanying. They see a bunch of containers. What, then, is this little force up to, and what exactly is it capable of? Uncertainty...the fog of war...is no ranking military commander's friend.

Any ship with any fixed systems is a known quantity. A photo of a group of them has analysts tote up all the weapons and sensors, and determine what they're up against. True, VLS cells do present some mystery as to how they are loaded, but the choices are known, and the location, type and number of the ships can provide clues about what they might be up to, and their likely VLS loads. I have a force of six DDG with two LCS provides a good intelligence foundation. I have a force of six MASCs with two FFX does not give as clear a picture. Do those containers have weapons or just sensors? They can't be completely unarmed, but which ship has the weapons? What weapons? What about this other nearby identical group of six MASCs and two FFX? Is one snooping while the other covers? Which group is doing which?

Confusion is a great weapon. Confronted with a "vanilla" force of identical vessel types with identical container loads is more bewildering than being confronted by a force of mixed specific ship types. And the "vanilla" force has a great deal of flexibility.

The article points that this set up is still in the works, leaving these ships "insufficient" at present. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Building "sufficient" for the present leaves us worse off in the future. Taking the first steps now ensures we are in a better place later.