– The Guardian – With the Taliban resurgent and the security situation deteriorating, elite US forces have been redeployed in southern Afghanistan.
Monthly Archives: April 2017
Sea power underpinning US response to Korea
– Defense News – The aircraft carrier Carl Vinson is operating in the Philippine Sea and, according to the head of U.S. Pacific Command, is within about two hours’ flying time to the Korean Peninsula.
French amphibious carrier visits Japan ahead of Pacific show of power
– Reuters – As tension spikes on the Korean peninsula, a French amphibious assault carrier sailed into Japan’s naval base of Sasebo on Saturday ahead of drills that risk upsetting China.
Sinking of Surveillance Ship Highlights Increase in Russian Navy Operations
– USNI News – The sinking of the Russian signals intelligence ship Liman after a collision with a Togo-flagged freighter bound for Jordan puts the spotlight back on a Russian Navy that is increasingly active in the maritime domain in and around Europe and a Black Sea region that continues to be tense in the wake of the 2014 Ukraine crisis when Russia annexed Crimea.
Chiefs’ mess meltdown: Seven chiefs on a deployed cruiser go to mast
– Navy Times – Something has gone terribly wrong on the cruiser Hue City’s deployment. Seven chief petty officers on Hue City were punished by their commanding officer, six in relation to adulterous affairs.
South Korea to build new amphibious landing ship
– Yon Hap News – South Korea said Friday it has begun the construction of another large-scale amphibious landing ship to be used by the country’s Navy.
Great Power Competition
– CIMSEC – An interview with Lieutenant Jack McCain on his new book Angola, Clausewitz, and the American Way of War.
Maritime Territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Disputes Involving China: Issues for Congress
– Congressional Research Service – Ronald O’Rourke’s latest report on the Chinese Maritime Militia.
Hainan’s Maritime Militia: All Hands on Deck for Sovereignty Part 3
– CIMSEC – Part I and II of this conclusion to our series on Hainan’s maritime militia discussed the Hainan Provincial Military District (MD) leadership’s approach to constructing maritime militia forces in response to national militia guidelines and how they address challenges during construction efforts. This final installment in our series offers a glimpse into what the Hainan MD’s efforts have yielded in force scale. It also examines the incentivizes motivating the builders of this force, such as political drivers and pressures confronting local officials. The conclusion also outlines issues meriting further observation and analysis, such as the significance of the Sansha Maritime Militia force for China’s third sea force more broadly, and the degree to which Chinese officials frame related efforts as part of a “People’s War.”
Chinese Naval Shipbuilding: Measuring the Waves
– The Diplomat – After a six-century hiatus, sea power development may once again find its center of gravity in the Asia-Pacific. While the Trump Administration plans a naval buildup, China is already well into a buildup of its own.
China launches aircraft carrier, boosting military presence
– BBC – China has launched a new aircraft carrier in the latest sign of its growing military strength.
China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress
– Congressional Research Service – The newest edition of Ronald O’Rourke’s report to Congress.
355-Ship Navy Takes At Least 18 Years: CBO
– Breaking Defense – President Trump and the US Navy want a 355-ship fleet, but even if you double shipbuilding budgets compared to historic levels, it can’t be done until 2032, at least 12 years after the end of Trump’s current term of office.
Carried away: The inside story of how the Carl Vinson’s canceled port visit sparked a global crisis
– Navy Times – In early April, officials at U.S. Pacific Command were developing plans to respond to a sharp rise in tensions with North Korea. Defense Secretary James Mattis ordered PACOM Commander Adm. Harry Harris to come up with “robust and sustainable” options for North Korea if President Trump ordered a strike on the rogue regime.
China set to launch second aircraft carrier
– Defense News – China’s second aircraft carrier, but its first locally built, has been floated off its dry dock, and its formal launch appears imminent, even as the country continues development work on other aspects of its carrier program.
North Korea tensions: US submarine arrives in South Korea
– BBC – The USS Michigan has arrived in South Korea, amid worries of another North Korean missile or nuclear test.
LCS Frigate: Delay A Year To Study Bigger Missiles?
– Breaking Defense – The Navy needs to delay a year before awarding the roughly $9 billion contract for the upgraded frigate version of the Littoral Combat Ship, because it needs more time to thrash out cost estimates and detailed designs, says congressional watchdog GAO.
Japanese warships join with carrier Vinson on exercises
– Defense News – Two Japanese destroyers joined up with the Carl Vinson carrier strike group in the Philippine Sea Sunday for renewed bilateral exercises, the Japan-based U.S. Seventh Fleet announced. The Vinson is headed north for the Sea of Japan in an expression of U.S. resolve as North Korea continues to develop offensive ballistic missiles with nuclear capability.
Coming Full Circle: The Renaissance of Anzac Amphibiosity
– US Naval War College Review – While the Australian Defense Force and New Zealand Defense Force maintain a relatively high level of interoperability, further enhancements in the area of amphibious capability could be achieved through greater integration, specifically through emulating the model adopted by the United Kingdom / Netherlands Amphibious Force (UKNLAF).
Expanding the ROKN’s Capabilities to Deal With the SLBM Threat From North Korea
– US Naval War College Review – This article considers the options open to the Republic of Korea’s Navy, in the context of its maritime cooperation with the US Navy, to deal with the new intractable North Korean SLBM threat.
Blunt Defenders of Sovereignty: The Rise of Coast Guards in East and Southeast Asia
– US Naval War College Review – What is the role of coast guards in the realm of territorial disputes? Until ten years ago or so, few policy makers in East and Southeast Asia had to grapple with this question, because regional navies, not coast guards, were the central actors asserting sovereignty in disputed areas.
Gulf of Guinea Maritime Security in 2016
– CIMSEC – 2016 witnessed a marked increase in maritime security incidents over the previous year, irrespective of the counting standards. Denmark-based Risk Intelligence counted 119 verified attacks by criminals on all kinds of vessels in West Africa (Senegal to Angola) – compared with 82 in 2015. The vast majority of attacks in 2016 were perpetrated by Nigerian criminals, including all of the 84 that were concentrated in and around Nigerian waters.
Burn After Reading
– The Intercept – The Snowden documents reveal scope of secrets exposed to China in 2001’s EP-3 incident.
South Korea To Consider New Maritime Patrollers
– Aviation Week – The North Korean submarine threat looked bad enough after the torpedoing of a South Korean corvette in 2010. It has looked a good deal more serious since, as North Korea has worked to deploy nuclear ballistic missiles in submarines. All of this is making a South Korean program to buy additional maritime patrollers a rising priority. The likely contenders are now the Boeing P-8 Poseiden and Saab’s proposed Swordfish, based on the Bombardier Global 6000. The navy has dropped a plan to buy and refurbish 16 Lockheed Martin S-3 Vikings, shifting its focus to the possible order for new aircraft.
7 Revolutionary Hardware Changes the US Navy Should Make in the Trump Era
– Warzone – Under the new administration the Navy could maximize a planned budget increase and tailor its force to 21st century demands.
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