War Zone – With tensions in the Taiwan Strait remaining high, we look at how Taiwan’s armed forces would prepare to face a Chinese invasion.
Yearly Archives: 2022
U.S. Blames Iran for Drone Attack on Tanker Near Oman
USNI News – U.S. Central Command and Israeli officials are blaming Iran for a Tuesday attack on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire off the coast of Oman.
Interview With Ukrainian Ambassador To Turkiye About The Fundraising Campaign For USV Fleet
Naval News – While analysts and experts are still talking about Ukraine’s shocking kamikaze attack on Russian warships at the Sevastopol naval base, Ukraine has launched a new fundraising campaign to build an unmanned surface fleet.
(Thanks to Alain)
Team Resolute selected as preferred bidder to build the Fleet Solid Support Ships
Navy Lookout – Subject to final ministerial approval, the Team Resolute consortium comprising BMT, Harland & Wolff and Navantia UK has been selected ahead of Team UK to build the three Fleet Solid Support Ships. This decision has been announced earlier than expected and will prove to be controversial.
France’s Upgraded Atlantique 2s Are More Than Just Maritime Patrol Planes
War Zone – The newly commissioned latest version of the Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft is now equally proficient in overland missions.
Accelerating capability for the fleet: The case of the CMV-22B
Breaking Defense – The Navy faces a key strategic decision. Will it leave a very predictable contested logistics gap for the fleet? Or will it close that gap by ramping up its buy of CMV-22Bs with a hot production line in place? By adding 24 CMV-22Bs to the buy, provision for carrier resupply in contested operations would be significantly enhanced. This kind of decision, which provides an ability to ramp up fleet capabilities in the midterm and provide an input the kind of capabilities which the US Navy and allies like the Aussies need as well, for the Osprey can provide for point-to-point support to Aussie ships as well.
A future vision for the Royal Navy – the Maritime Operating Concept
Navy Lookout – In September 2022 the RN published the Maritime Operating Concept (MarOpC) which essentially lays out a vision of how the RN and other stakeholders in the maritime domain will evolve and develop to meet the challenges of the future. Here we examine aspects of the document and look at some of the questions around taking its ideas and making them a reality.
Why a small shipyard merger could signal bigger problems for the US military
Breaking Defense – Bollinger’s CEO says the deal has strengthened his company’s standing in the industrial base, but analysts worry the merger is a bellwether for more consolidation to come – which could impact the Pentagon’s shipbuilding plans.
Evolving Marines and Aerial ASW For the Undersea Fight
CIMSEC – The Marine Corps has two rapid options for establishing an ASW capability – a modified MV-22 or the MQ-9B Sea Guardian. Although the Corps has not planned to acquire ASW aircraft, the Commandant’s thoughts on the importance of ASW in the High North and the western Pacific combined with the ARG’s vulnerability means that consideration for a platform must be considered. The Commandant is divesting of legacy equipment and end strength to invest in future equipment. With the Navy’s shortage of ASW assets, it makes sense for the Marine Corps to support the maritime fight not just with land-based anti-surface fires and sensing, but also with its own ASW aircraft.
China’s Quad-Tracked Amphibious Unmanned Vehicle Is Fascinating
War Zone – The intriguing unmanned amphibious could be useful in future operations, such as during an invasion of Taiwan.
‘Dark Ships’ Emerge From the Shadows of the Nord Stream Mystery
Wired – Satellite monitors discovered two vessels with their trackers turned off in the area of the pipeline prior to the suspected sabotage in September.
How to Rebalance the Navy’s Strategic Culture
USNI Proceedings – The service is most effective when operational, technological, and strategic influences are in balance.
Ukraine’s Shadowy Kamikaze Drone Boats Officially Break Cover
The War Zone – Ukraine hopes to raise enough money to build 100 of these unmanned surface vessels to counter Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
The Exoskeleton Force: The Royal Navy in the Indo-Pacific Tilt
RUSI – An important feature of the UK’s 2021 Integrated Review was the tilt towards the Indo-Pacific. The announcement that the UK would seek to maintain a forward and persistently engaged presence in the region was of particular significance to the Royal Navy, given the region’s maritime character. The key question for the service to contemplate as it seeks to meet the objectives set by the Integrated Review is how to deliver strategic effect without mass.
Are torpedo-killing torpedoes ready for prime time?
Defense News – Manufacturers are pitching new products for neutralizing torpedoes, the most dogged enemy of surface ships, as those weapons are becoming smart enough to tip the balance of power in naval battles.
(Thanks to Alain)
Turkey unveils MIR naval surface drone for fighting submarines
Defense News – The Turkish government’s defense industrial-policy office, the Defense Industries Presidency SSB, has unveiled the MIR, an unmanned naval vehicle designed to fight submarines from the surface.
(Thanks to Alain)
How The U.S. Navy Can Compete With China In The Gray-Zone
1945 – U.S. political and military magnates must make the conscious strategic choice to compete with China in the gray zone. That means mounting a standing presence in the South China Sea in the form of U.S. Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard seafarers, ships, and planes. In other words, it means setting aside the past practice of showing up once in a while and then steaming away.
Nuclear-armed Navy submarine aborted top secret mission due to life-or-death fire beneath the waves
The Sun – A nuclear-armed Navy submarine had to abort a top secret mission because of a life-or-death fire beneath the waves.
(Thanks to Alain)
Relative Dominance: Russian Naval Power in the Black Sea
War On the Rocks – Russia’s naval strategy in the Black Sea cannot be divorced from its wider military objectives. A major defeat of Russia’s forces on Ukrainian territory is likely to force the Kremlin into its Black Sea bastion, from where it can seek to use its relative naval strength to maintain a military status quo, lock in a frozen conflict or buy enough time to rearm for future attacks on Ukraine. Russia still feels as though it has some degree of strategic depth in the Black Sea.
Cantiere Navale Vittoria, the 75 meters Offshore Patrol Vessel transferred to the Armed Forces of Malta
European Defence Review – The unit, a 75-meter long OPV, built in Italy will therefore be the new flagship of the Armed Forces of Malta and will be used in coastal surveillance operations, extended patrols on the high seas and Search and Rescue operations.
(Thanks to Alain)
Pentagon Adds 40 Armored Patrol Boats to Latest Ukraine Military Aid Package
USNI News – The United States will send 40 armored riverine boats to Ukraine as part of the latest assistance package.
Russian Navy Pulls Warships from Black Sea into Port After Attacks
USNI News – The Russian Navy still outnumbers and outguns the Ukrainians in the northern Black Sea. Despite the dominance on paper, the Russian Navy is on its back foot after several successful attacks from the smaller Ukrainian forces.
HII unveils next undersea drone, the Remus 620
Breaking Defense – HII today is unveiling its newest unmanned undersea vehicle, dubbed the Remus 620, the company’s latest play in an ongoing push to angle its product line towards the US Navy’s strategy for unmanned and autonomous systems.
Considering the implications of the attack on the Russian fleet in Sevastopol
Navy Lookout – On 29th October an attack was mounted on Russian Black Sea Fleet units using uncrewed boats and aircraft. Here we examine what is known about the events, the implications for the war in Ukraine and more widely for other navies.
Incubators of Sea Power: Vessel Training Centers and the Modernization of the PLAN Surface Fleet
Chinese Maritime Studies Institute – The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is building modern surface combatants faster than any other navy in the world. Before these new ships can be deployed, however, their crews must learn how to effectively operate them across the range of missions for which they were designed. In the PLAN, this “basic training” largely occurs at specialized organizations called Vessel Training Centers (VTCs). Since their creation in 1980, VTCs have played a key role in generating combat power for the fleet. But as China’s naval ambitions have grown, the VTCs have been forced to adapt. Since the early 2000s, and especially since 2012, they have faced tremendous pressure to keep pace with the rapid expansion and modernization of the PLAN surface fleet and its growing mission set, improve the standards and quality of vessel training, and uphold the integrity of training evaluations. This report argues that the PLAN’s VTCs have generally risen to the challenge, ensuring that new and recently-repaired ships can quickly reach operational units in a fairly high state of readiness.
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