BBC – Israel has accused Iran of being behind an attack on an oil tanker in which two crew members – a British national and a Romanian citizen – were killed.
Monthly Archives: July 2021
France’s Indo-Pacific Strategy
Government of France – France’s latest on its strategy for the Indo-Pacific region.
To Beat China In The Gray Zone, You Have To Be There
1945 – If you want to control something you have to be there to control it. Showing up intermittently and going away will not cut it if your opponent is there, in force, all the time, to impose its will.
US sailor charged over massive USS Bonhomme warship blaze in 2020
BBC – The US Navy has filed charges against a sailor over a massive blaze aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard in 2020 that destroyed the amphibious warship.
Keeping Littoral Combat Ships Nimble Key to Pacific Deployments, No Plans for 1st Fleet in Singapore
USNI News – The Navy is making Littoral Combat Ship deployments in the Indo-Pacific region more flexible and unpredictable, allowing the service to respond to impromptu engagement opportunities and ensuring the LCS are not tied to any fixed location for too long.
NATO Must Shore Up Control of a Key Maritime Chokepoint
Defense One – One of NATO’s geographic advantages—control of the lands around a key maritime chokepoint—may be in peril. For decades, alliance forces have used nearby bases to keep tabs on Russian submarines, surface ships, and aircraft transiting the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom, or GIUK, Gap, which consists of a 200-mile stretch of ocean between Greenland and Iceland and a 500-mile gap between Iceland and Scotland. But strong independence movements in Greenland, the Faroe Islands southeast of Iceland, and Scotland could soon jeopardize this position.
China is building a new type of unmanned research ship
South China Morning Post – A Chinese shipbuilder has begun work on an unmanned scientific ship that could be a “game changer” for the country’s marine research. The vessel – said to be the first of its type – will carry drones and be equipped to conduct air, sea surface and underwater monitoring remotely, China Ship News reported on Tuesday.
Egypt receives fourth submarine
Israel Defense – During a ceremony at a shipyard in Germany, the fourth 209/1400 submarine was handed over to the Egyptian Navy. The handover of the submarine, which set off in the direction of Egypt, marked the end of an Egyptian project to upgrade its underwater warfare capabilities that started about a decade ago.
(Thanks to Alain)
Blockade: Military-Economic Warfare vs. China
Clio’s Musings – This post assesses the potential of naval blockade as the principal component (along with cyber – not addressed) of a US national strategy of military-economic warfare versus China.
Turkey delivers first armed drone to Ukrainian Navy, much to Russia’s ire
Defense News – The Ukrainian Navy has accepted delivery of the first Bayraktar TB2 drone from Turkish defense company Baykar, according to Ukraine’s Defence Ministry.
(Thanks to Alain)
A New U.S. Navy Planning Model For Lower-Threshold Maritime Security Operations, Part 1
CIMSEC – This article asserts that the U.S. Navy will increasingly be called upon to operate in the constabulary end of activities short of war and proposes a 4-part constraints, restraints, enablers, and imperatives (C-R-E-I) analytical model for preparing the staff estimate to inform the mission analysis phase of the Navy Planning Process (NPP), when utilized to plan for such activities.
Royal Thai Navy confirms its plan to acquire two S26T submarines from China
Navy Recognition – According to information published by the “The Haiger” website, the Royal Thai Navy confirms its plan to acquire two more S26T submarines from China.
(Thanks to Alain)
Adaptability remains a constant — even as the ‘character of war’ changes
The Hill – James Holmes writes that a fighter pilot of bygone decades could help us make sense of recent remarks from Gen. Mark Milley to the NATO Joint Force Command in Norfolk, Va. In the course of his remarks, Gen. Milley offered some intriguing prophecies about the “character” of future war.
Most of the Royal Navy’s destroyers are unavailable for deployment
Defense News – Five of the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers are unavailable for deployment, leaving just one warship in the class capable of operations, defense procurement minister Jeremy Quin acknowledged this week.
(Thanks to Alain)
War Studies Primer
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Look at slides 2 and 3 in the War Studies Primer for its Table of Contents, and then choose a lecture to read and enjoy.
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Back to the Future: Routine Experimentation With Prototypes
CIMSEC – Broad agreement exists that the Department of Defense’s, and thus the Navy’s, acquisition system is bound like Gulliver by Lilliputian processes, resulting in an inability to adapt. This inflexibility threatens to increase the risks to operating forces as they face a growing number of adaptive adversaries, ranging from China and Russia, North Korea and Iran, to the Islamic State, Al Qaeda, and others. Well-intended legislation and increasing reliance upon computer modeling to inform the selection of future platforms and systems are major contributors to the current situation. Greater reliance on experimenting with prototypes at sea could provide a large improvement.
New Report Calls for Allied Monitoring of Chinese in Pacific as Part of ‘Deterrence by Detection’ Plan
USNI News – A “neighborhood watch approach” using coordinated American and allies’ unmanned systems and sensors could provide a continuous and effective, yet low-risk way to ward off Chinese ambitions across the Indo-Pacific, a new report from a Washington, D.C., think tank contends.
The Lost Fleet
USNI Blog – A new FICINT story.
NIDS China Security Report 2021 – China’s Military Strategy in the New Era
Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies – Japan’s annual analysis of the strategic and military trends of China.
Cultural Challenges for Israeli Sea Power in the Eastern Mediterranean
US Naval War College Review – The strategic-military significance of the recent discovery of extensive natural gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean works against Israel’s traditional reluctance to become a sea power. But any “turn to the sea” will require adopting a broad national and strategic mind-set in the face of cultural constraints that keep Israel tied to the land.
The Middle Kingdom Returns to the Sea, While America Turns Its Back—How China Came to Dominate the Global Maritime Industry, and the Implications for the World
US Naval War College Review – China soon virtually will control the global seagoing supply chain, with staggering consequences for the United States, its allies, and the world. As a nation dependent on maritime transportation for its economy and the movement of its military forces, the United States must take immediate, decisive steps to promote the reestablishment of a healthy and competitive U.S. maritime industry.
Can The Royal Navy Help America Deter China In Asia?
1945 – Two cheers for Great Britain! Why only two? London merits two cheers because it has accepted that “Global Britain” must play its part in a democratic armada meant to face down aggressors who menace their neighbors while degrading freedom of the sea.
The Case For Stripping The P-8 Poseidon Down Into An RB-8 Multi-Role Arsenal Ship
War Zone – A non-maritime patrol variant of the P-8 could provide the Air Force with a highly flexible platform for augmenting the bomber force and much more.
Turkey To Deploy MIUS Unmanned Combat Aircraft From LHD Anadolu
Naval News – On July 20, Turkey’s Baykar Defense company introduced the MIUS Project, an autonomous combat aircraft, by releasing concept design images via Twitter. The most notable feature of the images is that the MIUS takes off from Turkey’s future Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) “Anadolu.” This was unexpected because MIUS had never previously been declared to be deployed aboard a naval asset.
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