War Zone – While refit work on Russia’s aging aircraft carrier seems to have slowed, its two new amphibious assault ships are set to grow even bigger.
Design Delays on Columbia Sub Program Leading to Construction Delays, Cost Increases
USNI News – The Government Accountability Office released a new report that warns Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarine cost and schedule plans are at risk due to problems with a new digital design tool and cascading effects stemming from the design challenges.
Hypersonics, Unmanned Ship Teaming Ahead for Zumwalt Destroyer
Breaking Defense – Navy officials said this week that the destroyer, which still hasn’t been deployed almost five years after she was christened, might find a place in the fleet after all.
Russia building coastal base for ‘Doomsday Nuke’
Barents Observer – Russia is building a coastal base for its unmanned underwater “doomsday nuke” to extend its lifespan.
U.S. Navy Ohio Class Submarine Filmed By Iranian Navy While Submerged
Naval News – It seems probable that a US Navy submarine, the USS Georgia (SSGN 729), has been detected by Iranian forces in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz. The circumstances are unclear.
Do the earliest Arleigh Burke-class destroyers still have legs? The US Navy thinks so.
Defense News – Between 1991, when the Navy commissioned the USS Arleigh Burke, and 1998, when it commissioned the USS Mahan, the service built the class at a pace of three per year. Now, as those ships are bearing down on their 35-year expected hull life, the Navy wants to grow its fleet, but it lacks the budget and capacity to modernize those first 21 ships to the latest configurations. So while the fleet will try to keep them around as long as possible, it will have to get creative in its problem-solving approach.
For the US Navy, the future of shipbuilding (and warfare) is in the power plant
Defense News – The U.S. Navy wants to buy a next-generation large surface combatant by the end of the 2030s, but its not being built for a new kind of sensor or weapon system. The newly dubbed DDG(X) is being built for power.
SWO boss: ‘Many challenges remain’ in fixing surface fleet’s manning problems
Navy Times – Chronic manning shortfalls aboard U.S. Navy warships were found to have contributed to the fatal 2017 collisions of the Fitzgerald and John S. McCain, disasters that killed 17 sailors and scarred many more of their shipmates for life.While the surface fleet has made improvements in manning its ships in recent years, more remains to be done, the head of Naval Surface Forces said Tuesday.
French Carrier Strike Group To Deploy To Eastern Mediterranean And Indian Ocean
Naval News – The French Navy Carrier Strike Group will soon be back at sea to support France’s fight against Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
China’s big military ship building spree to guard its aircraft carriers
South China Morning Post – Dozens of destroyers and frigates are thought to be in the works but it will take more than hardware to make the plan work, observers say.
This Is Our Best Look Yet At China’s Z-20F Seahawk Clone Toting Air-To-Surface Missiles
War Zone – A new, much clearer picture has emerged of a Chinese Z-20F helicopter, the navalized variant of the Harbin Z-20, carrying what appears to be a load of eight live KD-10 air-to-ground/surface missiles.
Here’s the latest on the US Navy’s new Constellation-class frigate
Defense News – The U.S. Navy’s next-generation frigate, the Constellation class, is a do-or-die effort for the service and a critical test of its return to building ships around existing technologies rather than designing them around technologies in development.
Iran Commissions Its Massive Oil Tanker Turned Sea Base Into Service
War Zone – Iran’s Navy has formally commissioned the Markran, a former oil tanker it says has been transformed into a “forward base ship.” This vessel could provide a platform for more persistent maritime operations in and outside of the country’s own littoral areas.
The Tri-Service Maritime Strategy: Reading Between the Lines
CIMSEC – The Navy has not had a formal strategy process, most capstone documents being the products of an ad hoc effort, so it is never a routine occurrence when one is issued. Thus it is a worthwhile exercise to try and read between the lines of a new document. Hopefully this exercise will be of use to readers.
Navy Wants to Shed Aegis Ashore Mission, But Army Still Hasn’t Agreed to Take It
USNI News – The chief of naval operation’s new call to focus on sea control and power projection could lead the service to shed other non-core missions the Navy conducts today, such as manning Aegis Ashore missile defense sites. The biggest problem is, no one else has agreed to take over that mission yet.
A New Arctic Strategy For an Emerging Maritime Domain
CIMSEC – Coming on the heels of the new tri-service maritime strategy (“Advantage at Sea”), the Department of the Navy has now released an updated framework for the Arctic region— “A Blue Arctic: A Strategic Blueprint for the Arctic.” The document is a marked improvement on the brisk 2019 Navy version. It is particularly innovative (as strategies go) in including the Marine Corps in a “Blue/Green” approach to the region and in its navigation of cooperative themes in a moment dominated by great power competition. Yet it also has room for growth, in particular on how to connect loftier concepts with operational realities.
Russian Navy Commander Stole Two 13-Ton Bronze Propellers From His Own Destroyer
War Zone – The Russian Navy says that a former commander of the now-decommissioned Sovremenny class destroyer Bespokoynyy conspired with others and stole the ship’s two bronze propellers while it was in dry dock being converted into a floating museum. The alleged caper sounds like it was ripped straight from the plot of a comedic Hollywood heist movie, with the thieves reportedly swapping out the pair of screws, each weighing approximately 13 tons, for ones made out of a cheaper metal.
Destination Unknown 2.5
Krulak Center for Innovation & Creativity – Fictional short stories about near-future US Marine operations.
Italian Navy Aircraft Carrier Cavour To Start F-35B Qualification Next Month
Naval News – The Italian Navy aircraft carrier ITS Cavour is set to reach Naval Station Norfolk in mid-February to start F-35B STOVL aircraft qualifications with the U.S. Marine Corps.
Message from Joint Chiefs on U.S. Capitol Riot
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff – This. Is. Extraordinary.
Marines, Navy Moving Quickly on Light Amphib, Anti-Ship Missiles to Create More Warfighting Options
USNI News – The Navy and Marine Corps are quickly seeking new ideas that allow Marines to support the Navy in sea control and other maritime missions, including the rapid acquisition of a light amphibious ship and a movement toward using Marine weapons while at sea.
CNO Gilday’s New Guidance Sets Clear Goals to Bring Lethality to Surface Force
USNI News – The head of the Navy warned the surface force there is little time to waste in designing and fielding key technologies it will need for a lethal and distributed future fleet.
French Navy’s 2020 Report On Worldwide Maritime Piracy And Robbery
Naval News – The Maritime Information Cooperation and Awareness Center of the French Navy released its 2020 annual report on maritime piracy and robbery acts that impacted worldwide maritime security.
Unclear on unmanned, Part 3: A New Year’s resolution to slow down
Defense News – This is the final installment of a three-part series on the Navy’s struggles to develop unmanned ships and systems.
The Navy’s $13 billion supercarrier still can’t do the one thing it’s absolutely required to do
Task and Purpose – What good is an aircraft carrier that can’t reliably launch and land aircraft?
