– USNI News – Russia will start construction on a planned five-year expansion of its naval base in Syria this spring, officials said in Russian state media.
Monthly Archives: March 2017
Wary of China, Duterte tells navy to build ‘structures’ east of Philippines
– Reuters – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the navy to put up “structures” to assert sovereignty over a stretch of water east of the country, where Manila has reported a Chinese survey ship was casing the area last year.
Somali pirates suspected of first ship hijacking since 2012
– BBC – An oil tanker has been hijacked by suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia, the first such hijacking in the region in five years.
Aircraft Carrier: The Nation’s Trump Card Reborne
– Breaking Defense – The usefulness of the aircraft carrier, long the centerpiece of American naval power in the world, was in serious question, one year ago. Chronic underfunding, poor strategic assumptions and bad acquisition decisions had left the carrier defensively unprotected and offensively underpowered as its airwing both shrank in size and striking range. President Trump’s election and his public commitment to a 350-ship Navy as well as his explicit call for a twelfth carrier, effectively truncates these concerns, bringing the promise of additional capabilities that will ensure the safety and effectiveness of the carrier.
Japan plans to send largest warship to South China Sea
– Reuters – Japan plans to dispatch its largest warship, the helicopter carrier Izumo, on a three-month tour through the South China Sea beginning in May, in its biggest show of naval force in the region since World War Two.
Chinese survey ships entering Philippine territory
– AFP – Chinese survey ships have been entering waters recognised by the United Nations as Philippine territory, Manila’s defence secretary said Thursday, in a move he described as “very concerning”.
Marines with 11th MEU Join the Ground Fight in Syria
– USNI News – An undisclosed number of Marines assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived in Syria recently to join U.S. forces and local forces poised to push Islamic State militants out of the city of Raqqa.
After Viraat, Navy to bid adieu to Albatross patrol aircraft
– Times of India – Another iconic naval platform is now set for retirement after aircraft carrier INS Viraat. The Soviet-origin Tupolev-142M aircraft, which helped the force keep a hawk-eye on enemy warships and submarines in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) for almost 30 years, will be decommissioned later this month.
The Navy’s Getting a Big, Secretive Special Operations ‘Mothership’
– War is Boring – The U.S. Navy is quietly converting a 633-foot-long cargo ship into a secretive helicopter carrier with facilities for supporting a large contingent of Special Operations Forces and all their gear, including jet skis.
Trump, Putin, and the New Cold War
– New Yorker – What lay behind Russia’s interference in the 2016 election—and what lies ahead? A look at information warfare, Russian-style.
Report flags NATO’s naval shortfalls vis-a-vis Russia
– Defense News – NATO has been urged to rethink its maritime strategy to address the re-emerging contest with Russia for supremacy in the North Atlantic, a paper by one of Europe’s top military think tanks says. “If NATO does not have effective control of the North Atlantic, or at least the ability to deny Russia naval access to this maritime domain, Russia could block or disrupt U.S. reinforcement to Europe,” the Royal United Services Institute said in the paper to be published in London on Monday.
US Ships, Planes Challenge 22 Countries’ Claims — Not Just China’s
– Breaking Defense – In 2016, the Defense Department flew aircraft or steamed ships through territories claimed by Albania, Brazil, Italy, Japan, Malta, and, well, China, according to the Pentagon’s annual report released today. So should Beijing be relieved it was not the sole focus of American Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPS) or should it feel slighted that it wasn’t our sole focus? Of course, China’s Pacific pushiness does get pride of place, with the most extensive single entry — but the 22-nation list also includes US allies and neutral powers like tiny Malta.
Navy Subs Still Show Issue with Stealth Coating
– Honolulu Star-Advertiser – In 2010, when rubberlike quieting material started to peel off the hulls of newer Virginia-class submarines, the Navy said it was fine-tuning a fix for a problem occurring on the first few ships made. Seven years later, the Navy still appears to be seeking a cure.
Iranian ships ‘force’ US and Royal Navy vessels to change course
– BBC – A US Navy ship was forced to change course when fast-moving Iranian vessels approached it in the Strait of Hormuz.
Liaoning Raises More Questions for China
– CIMSEC – China’s sole aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, had put on a display of its skills recently as the carrier group transited the Western Pacific. Liaoning’s excursion, marking Beijing’s core interests, is a political message to the United States and the world as uncertainty grips them. It also marks the beginning of a new episode in the military history of Western Pacific, which has been dominated by American aircraft carriers since the Cold War, especially during the Taiwan Strait crises. Taiwan also believes that Liaoning represents China’s military ability to break through the first island chain.
Last 3 planes from Navy patrol squadron to depart Hawaii for new home in Washington
– Stars and Stripes – It’s the end of an era for Navy patrol squadrons that have flown the sub-hunting and surveillance P-3 Orion out of Hawaii for more than half a century. The final three planes of Patrol Squadron 9, or VP-9, are expected to wing away from Kaneohe Bay by week’s end with about 60 crew and maintainers on a deployment that started in Hawaii but will end at the squadron’s new home at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington.
Carrier Charles de Gaulle undergoing refit and upgrade
– UPI – The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is in drydock in the port of Toulon for an 18-month refit and upgrade. The carrier has been in service for 15 years and the French Navy said the midlife work will extend her operational life for at least 20 more years.
Arctic Security and Legal Issues in the 21st Century: An Interview with CDR Sean Fahey
– CIMSEC – The changing Arctic is a topic of increasing interest to the maritime security community. Rapidly receding sea ice and increasingly navigable waters combined with the promise of rich natural resource deposits have made investment in the Arctic – particularly military and infrastructure investment – a priority for Arctic nations and other parties that stand to benefit from the region. To discuss these issues and more, CIMSEC interviewed Commander Sean Fahey, USCG of the U.S. Naval War College Stockton Center for the Study of International Law for his expert insight on legal and security issues in the High North in the 21st Century.
A War Between the U.S. and China Would Be World War III (And Might Be Hard to Shut Off)
– National Interest – How does the unthinkable happen? As historians continue to contemplate the various historic anniversaries around World War I through next year, the question of unexpected wars looms large. What series of events could lead to war in East Asia, and how would that war play out?
Is Sir John Parker Advocating a Snatch Land Rover for the Royal Navy?
– RUSI – The chairman of the independent review into Britain’s National Ship Building Strategy is advocating a ‘cheap and cheerful’ Royal Navy. However, Sir John Parker is unlikely to face action on the unsuitable ships he is proposing.
Iran Developing Sub Launched Missiles to Combat Ships in Strait of Hormuz
– USNI News – Iran is developing a submarine that could launch an anti-ship cruise missile designed to quickly sink an American warship operating in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump Calls For 12 Carriers, But How Fast Will We Get There?
– Breaking Defense – Speaking today on the hangar deck of the almost-completed aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, President Donald Trump explicitly pledged to build “the 12-carrier Navy we need.” Ever since the USS Enterprise retired in 2012, the Navy has had only 10 aircraft carriers, with the Ford soon to be commissioned as the 11th.
Japan Under Time Crunch to Establish New Amphibious Unit
– USNI News – While rough seas and queasy stomachs tested some 350 Japanese soldiers and command staffs who took to sea aboard Navy ships for exercise Iron Fist, time might be their greatest obstacle. The members of the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force’s Western Area Infantry Regiment training in California are part of a fledgling force that will become the JGSDF first Amphibious Ready Deployment Brigade. That unit is tasked with creating a credible, ready force to conduct amphibious operations and defend its islands by next year.
Time to Put China’s Rocketeers on Notice
– National Interest – A Sea-Based Pershing II missile can blunt China’s A2/AD threat and help restore regional strategic balance.
Iranian Naval Forces: A Tale of Two Navies
– US Navy Office of Naval Intelligence – The 2017 Office of Naval Intelligence report, Iranian Naval Forces: A Tale of Two Navies.
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