Naval News – The world of Italian midget submarine construction is famously secretive. Deals are not talked about in the same way that larger submarine purchases inevitably are. Currently an Italian boatyard is building two small submarines for the Qatari Emiri Navy. That much can be treated as fact, yet few other details are available through traditional reporting. In the absence of details, speculation has been rife. Which company is building them? What will their capabilities be?
Monthly Archives: May 2021
NATO Maritime Commander: Allies Are Coming Up With Modern Littoral Warfare Concepts, and NATO Needs to Exercise Them
USNI News – The head of NATO’s maritime force says amphibious operations will play a big role in any future combat or crisis response scenario – but he wants to move beyond old notions of what an amphibious operation really is.
Why Does China Want A Naval Base In The Atlantic Ocean?
1945 – Now that the People’s Liberation Army has ensconced itself at Djibouti, in the western Indian Ocean, Xi Jinping & Co. are “casting their gaze to the Atlantic coast and wanting to get such a base there.”
The US Military in Competition: Supporting Effort One
CIMSEC – To help counter the gray zone strategy the Chinese Communist Party regularly uses, the U.S. military should consider non-traditional approaches to competition.
Amphibious MC-130J Transport Is On Special Operations Command’s Wishlist
War Zone – There have been proposals for a waterborne C-130 Hercules in the past, but the U.S. special operations community might just make it a reality.
Biden Isn’t Ready: China is Coming For American Submarines
National Interest – Here’s a glimpse of yet more coming attractions from the Chinese Navy in terms of anti-submarine warfare.
That’s Weird: Could China Be Getting an Atlantic Fleet?
National Interest – And if so, would Washington stand for a Chinese naval presence so close to home?
British Carrier Joins U.S. Amphibious Forces In North Atlantic In A Vision Of What’s To Come
War Zone – For the first time, the flagship of the Royal Navy is working with a full-size Amphibious Ready Group.
Software-Defined Tactics and Great Power Competition
CIMSEC – Software-defined tactics will yield a lasting advantage for American military forces by leveraging the comparative advantages of western societies: openness and a focus on investing in human capital. There is no time to waste.
How China’s Thinking About The Next War
Breaking Defense – Dean Cheng writes that the PLA Navy (PLAN) and PLA Air Force (PLAAF) are now the world’s largest, but China’s military modernization is not only focused on equipment. The PRC appears to be developing new strategies and doctrines.
Hamas Submarines Destroyed
Jewish Press – The Israeli Defense Force reports that they destroyed 10 unmanned autonomous Hamas submarines. Each submarine carried 50 kilos of explosives and were designed to attack Israel’s offshore gas platforms. The submarines were guided by GPS systems.
(Thanks to Alain)
Israeli Warships Fire Missiles At Gaza While Hamas Takes Aim At Offshore Oil Platforms
War Zone – Reports, as well as video and photos from the Eastern Mediterranean, demonstrate that the Gaza conflict is rapidly expanding into the maritime domain, with Israeli missile strikes now being launched from vessels off the coast against reported Hamas targets in the self-governing Palestinian territory. At the same time, reports from both sides in the conflict confirm that Hamas militants are meanwhile launching rockets against Israeli natural gas platforms in the Mediterranean, which, in turn, are being defended by shipborne Iron Dome air defense systems, and other assets.
No Ordinary Boats: Cracking the Code on China’s Spratly Maritime Militias
CIMSEC – A Chinese fishing vessel appears in a sensitive location—near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, a South China Sea reef, or just offshore from a U.S. military base. Is it an “ordinary” fishing boat, or is it maritime militia? This straightforward question seldom yields straightforward answers.
New Photos Reveal Details of Cuba’s Tiny, Lethal Attack Submarine
USNI News – Like most of the Cuban military, the country’s Navy is characterized by inventive recycling of Soviet-era hardware. Modern systems are rare, but there are systems that are unlike anything you will see in other countries’ fleets. The Cuban fleet has fishing trawlers remodeled into warships and torpedo launching platforms that resemble party rafts. But perhaps the most dangerous platform is Cuba’s secretive, tiny submarine.
Navy to Decommission Littoral Combat Ships USS Freedom, USS Independence Later This Year
USNI News – The Navy will decommission the service’s first two Littoral Combat Ships later this year.
Hawaii’s Fishermen Are Worried About China’s Fleet. So Is The Military
Honolulu Civil Beat – Hawaii’s commercial fishermen and the U.S. military have a potential threat in common — China’s fleet of government-subsidized ships that has been straying into more distant waters in search of seafood and more influence.
UFOs regularly spotted in restricted U.S. airspace, report on the phenomena due next month
60 Minutes – We have tackled many strange stories on 60 Minutes, but perhaps none like this. It’s the story of the U.S. government’s grudging acknowledgment of unidentified aerial phenomena— UAP—more commonly known as UFOs. After decades of public denial the Pentagon now admits there’s something out there, and the U.S. Senate wants to know what it is. The intelligence committee has ordered the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense to deliver a report on the mysterious sightings by next month.
America’s Maoist Maritime Strategy To Beat China In A War
1945 – It’s one way to understand China’s maritime strategy in the Western Pacific. It’s also a way for the American sea services to plot strategy to deny China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy control of the sea, defeating Beijing’s purposes; to wrest control of the sea from China, granting the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps the liberty to use the sea lanes for their own purposes; and to project power as necessary to convert victory at sea into wartime triumph.
Northern Fleet gets priority in receiving new ballistic missile subs
Barents Observer – Russia’s Defense Ministry has decided that at least one of the next Borei-A class strategic submarines will be delivered to the Northern Fleet instead of the Pacific Fleet.
Diving Off the Platform-Centric Mind-set
USNI Proceedings – Algorithmic warfare will require an energetic focus on software updatability, not today’s overwhelming emphasis on ship types and totals.
Navy Sending Two Guam-Based MQ-4C Tritons to Japan for Temporary Operations
USNI News – The Navy is temporarily moving two MQ-4C unmanned aircraft from Guam to a base in Japan.
Greece Overhauling Military With New Helicopters and Frigates, Updating U.S. Defense Pact
USNI News – Despite its struggling economy and escalating tensions with neighboring Turkey, Greece is pushing ahead on overhauling its military, according to its defense minister.
Chinese Nationalism and the “Gray Zone”: Case Analyses of Public Opinion and PRC Maritime Policy
China Maritime Studies Institute – This volume examines the role of popular nationalism in China’s maritime conduct.
Can The U.S. Navy Fix Its Shipyard Problem?
1945 – James Holmes writes that in a sense, our navy is suffering from a case of historical role reversal. It is playing the part of the Imperial Japanese Navy while China’s People’s Liberation Army plays the part of the U.S. Navy.
Improve NATO’s Black Sea Maritime Posture Through Operation Sea Guardian
CIMSEC – NATO must find a solution to address the current limitations of its Black Sea maritime posture, in particular the Montreux Convention, but also the low capacity of Black Sea NATO navies and the lack of sufficient NATO maritime command and control in the region.
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