– CIMSEC – The Argentine Coast Guard stopped a South Korean trawler that was allegedly operating without authorization in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in early February. The non-violent operation highlights how Asian fleets are willing to travel long distances in order to make a profit, and how Latin American navies and coast guards need to be more focused than ever before on combating unauthorized fishing.
Let’s Talk About The Navy’s Ultra Ambitious New Plan To Get To 355 Ships In Just 15 Years
– War Zone – The service will face huge challenges in meeting that goal and just sustaining those vessels will cost many billions more than it spends now.
Navy To Supersize Its Ultra Versatile SM-6 Missile For Even Longer Range And Higher Speed
– War Zone – The SM-6 is getting a way bigger rocket motor that will allow it to reach even farther than before and enemy ships may be its primary target.
V-22 Program Celebrates 30th Anniversary of First Flight; Inserting Maintainability Improvements Into Fleet
– USNI News – Military and industry officials gathered at the Marine Corps Museum in Virginia on Tuesday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey’s first flight and to welcome in the next era of V-22 operations around the globe.
30-Year Plan: Navy Puts 355-Ship Cap on Fleet Size; Plans to Introduce Large Combatant, CHAMP Auxiliary Hull
– USNI News – The Navy’s latest 30-year shipbuilding plan outlines a path forward that includes less near-term growth in fleet size but reaches and sustains a 355-ship fleet sooner than last year’s plan.
Navy Needs More Dry Docks for Repairs, Says First-Ever Maintenance Report
– USNI News – The Navy released its first-ever long-range ship maintenance and modernization plan amid a growing fleet and a growing backlog of repair work, and the report highlights challenges in dealing with chronic mismatches between maintenance requirements and yards’ capacity.
Late is the new normal for Virginia-class attack boats
– Defense News – The U.S. Navy is dealing with persistent delays throughout its submarine-building enterprise as it prepares to enter into a historically large contract for the complicated Block V Virginia-class attack submarine and begin heavy work on the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines.
With an eye to China and Russia, the US Navy plans a lethal upgrade to its destroyers
– Defense News – Facing ever-faster missiles and increasingly complicated air threats from China and Russia, the U.S. Navy is moving toward a major upgrade to its stalwart Arleigh Burke destroyer fleet.
Ingenuity, Grit Keep Coast Guard’s Last Heavy Icebreaker Running
– USNI News – The Coast Guard plans to award a contract this spring to build a new heavy icebreaker, but Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz says today’s problems running the one decades-old icebreaker illustrate the fragility of the current polar icebreaking capability.
The Navy’s “Operational” F-35C Is Fully Mission Capable Less Than Five Percent Of The Time
– War Zone – A stunning deficiency in readiness rates for Navy and Marine F-35s calls into question whether the stealth jets can fight a prolonged conflict.
New virus case aboard US warship prolongs quarantine
– CNN – A new case of a viral infection aboard a US navy warship was reported Tuesday, which means the USS Fort McHenry will continued to be quarantined at sea in the Middle East.
Details of China’s nuclear-powered icebreaker revealed
– RCI – To be powered by two reactors, the vessel will manage to crush ice in the Arctic at a maximum speed of 11.5 knots.
The Chinese Navy’s Marine Corps, Part 1: Expansion and Reorganization
– CIMSEC – This is the first part of a two-part article discussing organizational reforms and evolving missions for the PLA Navy (PLAN) Marine Corps. The first part focuses on the growing order of battle for the PLAN Marines.
Sister Islands in the Indian Ocean Region: Linking the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to La Reunion
– War on the Rocks – History has time and again highlighted the importance of islands in establishing naval dominance. In the 21st century, maritime affairs have returned to prominence on the geopolitical stage. As countries debate an emerging security architecture in the Indo-Pacific, a key area is missing from the discussion: the role of islands. Much as they did in the past, islands will come to play a critical role in shaping the new order in the Indian Ocean region.
The US Navy, facing a shortfall, aims to ink an enormous attack sub contract next month
– Defense News – The U.S. Navy is preparing to sign a contract with General Dynamics Electric Boat and subcontractor Huntington Ingalls Industries for the next tranche of Virginia-class submarines.
The Bad Day Scenario Part 3: Developing a Dynamic, Distributed and Lethal Global Force
– CIMSEC – Parts One and Two of the Bad Day Scenario series posited a worst case-style scenario for the U.S. Navy, discussed ways the Navy might respond with current capacity and capability, and introduced emerging concepts that could help the Navy address similar scenarios in the future as a more globally responsive force. Dynamic Force Employment (DFE), the U.S. military’s latest concept for employing the joint force with agility and unpredictability, will have a significant impact on how the Navy is used as an instrument of national power. Meanwhile, Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) is the Navy’s emergent concept for force development and maritime operations that will be capable of generating combat power across a broad range of platforms, domains, geographical area, and potential adversaries. The rest of the Bad Day Scenario series aims to reconcile the DFE and DMO concepts into an overall model for developing a dynamic, distributed, and lethal global force by 2020.
Russian Submarine Makes Mysterious Exit From Black Sea
– USNI News – The Russian Improved Kilo-class submarine Krasnodar (B-265) made an unexpected southbound passage through the Bosphorus Strait on Thursday. The submarine assigned to the Black Sea Fleet entered the Mediterranean the next day. Under the Montreux Convention rules governing warships in the Black Sea, there are specific restrictions around passage in and out of the Black Sea, including by submarines.
Once again, the US Navy looks to scrap its largest combatants to save money
– Defense News – The U.S. Navy is eyeing canceling six planned service-life extensions on its oldest cruisers, meaning the Navy will be short six of its current 22 largest surface combatants by 2022.
Navy’s torpedo-armed Poseidon spy planes track China’s nuclear submarines
– Fox – The increasing global reach of Chinese nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines, armed with JL-2 weapons reportedly able to hit parts of the US, continues to inspire an ongoing Navy effort to accelerate production of attack submarines, prepare long-dwell drones for deployment to the Pacific and continue acquisition of torpedo-armed sub-hunting planes such as the P-8/A Poseidon.
Navy will dominate next century of warfare
– Post and Courier – Robert D. Kaplan writes that “A naval century is upon us, in keeping with an era of globalization that depends on safe and secure sea lines of communication for container shipping. But nobody should assume it will be peaceful. The United States is coming home from tragic wars, but there is little relief in sight.”
In The New Naval Arms Race, A Scruffy U.S. Fleet Gives Rivals An Opportunity To Look Great
– Forbes – With global naval tensions on the rise, a grand tool of naval diplomacy, the old-fashioned international fleet review, is making a weaponized comeback. While the U.S. can easily sink the restless navies that are busy flaunting their latest ships and newest technologies, America’s maritime rivals have discovered that these maritime beauty contests offer an entirely new and low-risk axis of naval competition. Looks can kill; the stressed and tired-looking U.S. Navy is ill-prepared to compete as the genteel pageantry of ceremonial port calls and flamboyant multi-national fleet reviews become just another means to grind down an overextended U.S fleet.
The Future of Information Combat Power: Winning the Information War
– CIMSEC – In a data-rich and knowledge-poor circumstance, challenged with sophisticated competitors, as IWC you will be more than just the conductor of this information orchestra; you will be the instrument builder and tuner, the composer, and the producer. You will rely on advanced technologies and computers to perform the heavy lifting so our forces can act dynamically with precision and purpose. Modern information warfare requires this nimble shift from orchestra to jazz, or to the raw power and disruption of punk rock.
A classified Pentagon maritime drone program is about to get its moment in the sun
– Defense News – A project birthed in the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office is getting some serious buy-in from the U.S. Navy, and could yield the world’s first large-scale armed unmanned warship.
Japan inks deal with Kongsberg for F-35 standoff missile
– Defense News – Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has entered into a contract with Japan to supply the initial deliveries of anti-ship Joint Strike Missiles for the country’s fleet of F-35 Lightning II fighter jets.
Large Surface Combatant Program Delayed Amid Pivot Towards Unmanned, Other Emerging Tech
– USNI News – The Navy’s new focus on distributed maritime operations and the incorporation of high-end weapons is prompting a re-look at the future Large Surface Combatant program and an apparent delay in the planned start of the new ship class.
