– CIMSEC – The U.S. Navy is suffering from self-inflicted strategic dysfunction across the breadth of its enterprise.Part One looks at U.S. Navy combat training and draws a comparison with Chinese Navy training.
The US Navy is going to need a bigger boat, and it’s getting ready to buy one
– Defense News – The U.S. surface Navy is moving rapidly toward buying a new large surface ship that will replace the aging cruisers, a ship that Navy leaders and experts say will need to be spacious to accommodate future upgrades and weapon systems.
Japanese submarine conducts first drills in South China Sea
– Reuters – A Japanese submarine has for the first time joined a naval drill in the South China Sea in an expansion of Japanese activity in the disputed waterway claimed by China and others.
The inside story of how a US Navy pilot shot down a Syrian jet
– Navy Times – Navy Lt. Cmdr. Michael Tremel made history last year when he became the first American aviator in nearly 20 years to shoot down an enemy plane.
Adjusting to New Conditions for Command of the Sea
– CIMSEC – Whatever character naval warfare takes on in the future sea control will always be the key to success. Being so essential one should understand its principles in order to gain sea control, but history abounds with cases where nations succeeded or failed. Some of those who initially failed were able to readjust their doctrines in time (and consequently their capabilities) to gain sea control and win.
Fighting for Sea Control in the Next War
– CIMSEC – Since the end of the Cold War, the West has been able to exercise Sea Control when so needed without having to fight for command of the sea. This comfortable situation is now going away – and it has already disappeared regarding a potential conflict with China.
Russian warships hold drills in Bering Sea in huge military exercise
– CBC – Russian warships held drills in the Bering Sea, which separates Russia from Alaska, as part of Moscow’s biggest military manoeuvre since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Merchant Warships and Creating a Modern 21st Century East Indiaman
– CIMSEC – The great mercantilist trading companies of the age of sail are long gone, but the idea that a heavily armed merchant ship might again more fully participate in naval warfare has new credence.
The Nature of Sea Control and Sea Denial
– CIMSEC – The value of maritime activity is derived from its connectivity. Occupying or dominating a maritime space but disconnecting it from other parts of the global oceans is a misuse of power born from the historical experience of landpower applied to the maritime theater.
Navy’s Revamped Stealth Destroyer Looks Less Stealthy As It Leaves San Diego For Trials
– War Zone – Zumwalt class destroyers consistently shed capabilities as costs ballooned. Now the Navy is bolting components directly to their stealthy deckhouses.
Navy Readies Ships To Help Hurricane Florence Victims
– Breaking Defense – As the Navy sorties 30 ships from Norfolk and surrounding bases, a few ships will be heading back in short order to assist in the cleanup. The amphibious ships USS Kearsarge and USS Arlington, along with hospital ship USNS Comfort, have all loaded up on supplies and have put out to sea.
Marines Prepared to Use F-35Bs in Middle East Combat If Needed; No Other Naval Aviation Nearby
– USNI News – The Marine Corps’ F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters are the only ship-based fixed-wing aircraft in the Middle East right now, and service leaders say the new jets are ready to handle any fight in Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan they may be tasked with.
Japanese destroyer shoots down ballistic missile off Hawaii
– Defense News – Japanese Aegis destroyer Atago detected and shot down a short-range ballistic missile in space Tuesday in a joint test with the U.S. Navy using the SM-3 Block IB missile.
For Sea Control, First Control the Electromagnetic Spectrum
– CIMSEC – Lofty tactics and operations will perform sub-optimally and be disrupted through electronic attack unless the Navy builds a solid foundation in electromagnetic freedom of action.
Bringing Back Seapower From the Deckplate Up
– CIMSEC – The most important challenges faced by the U.S. Navy in achieving sea power are not technological, but human.
Sea Control at the Tactical Level of War
– CIMSEC – This article explores sea control at the tactical level of war in an age defined by precision-guided munitions and post-industrial production.
New Forms of Naval Operational Planning for Earning Command of the Seas
– CIMSEC – Sea Control operations require a delicate balance of protecting the hunters and releasing the hounds.
Marines Deploy First F-35Bs to the Middle East; 13th MEU, Essex ARG Test Battle Readiness
– USNI News – Marines training on the ground on the Horn of Africa will see a new set of wings pulling the classic close air support mission: The F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.
China’s Navy Is Studying the Battle of Guadalcanal. Here’s Why It Matters
– National Interest – In lieu of real wartime experience, the PLAN is drawing from history.
‘Washington’s sharksucker’: Chinese media fires at Britain over South China Sea
– Guardian – China Daily decries ‘reckless actions’ after HMS Albion sails close to disputed Parcel islands.
How a potential Chinese-built airport in Greenland could be risky for a vital US Air Force base
– Army Times – With less than 60,000 people spread across more than 830,000 square miles, Greenland relies heavily on air transport to move supplies and people up and down its coast.
So when the local government issued a solicitation to build three new airports, the move made sense from a business perspective. The project would be expensive, but would improve commerce and make life on the island easier for its residents.
Then a Chinese company — owned by the government in Beijing, and once blacklisted by the World Bank — put forth a bid, and a simple request for proposals transformed into a project with international diplomatic ramifications.
For Boeing, Its MQ-25 Win Is Sweet Vindication After Years Of Disappointment
– War Zone – After nearly two decades of trying to advance its advanced semi-autonomous unmanned combat air vehicle dreams, Boeing finally gets its shot.
How We Won the Great Pacific War
– USNI – In the May 2018 U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Navy Captain Dale Rielage published a “future history,” written as a first-hand account of a defeated Pacific Fleet Commander in the 2025 timeframe. Titled “How We Lost the Great Pacific War,” Rielage’s article was superb—thought-provoking, well-researched, and forcefully argued. The alternative future history below is intended to provide a more optimistic view, and another potential path.
Go Diesel, Scare China: Why the Navy Should Deploy Diesel Submarines to Asia
– National Interest – They’re cheap. You can build a lot of them. And Beijing won’t have an easy time responding. And our allies will be pleased. What could be wrong with that?
Why Icebreakers Matter
– CIMSEC – With only two operable icebreakers the Coast Guard is unable to safely conduct their mission in regions which are increasingly accessible due to receding ice levels. This gap in capability exacerbates international and economic consequences of an increasingly accessible Arctic against American interests. To conduct sustained Arctic operations in the national interest new icebreakers are needed and soon.
