CIMSEC – Since 1845, the SWO community has reduced variance within its ranks and imbued a clearer identity in its officer corps through more robust, formalized training. To take this to the next level, the SWO community must standardize SWO qualification such that it incorporates the very best of what we already know about what SWOs need as warfighters and leverages the most experienced officers as assessors.
Yearly Archives: 2022
Learning to Win: Using Operational Innovation to Regain the Advantage at Sea against China
Hudson Institute – To enhance the proficiency of its force and unleash the creative potential of its sailors, the Navy should establish a virtuous cycle of operational learning. This will require organizational changes to generate opportunities and strengthen the relationship between warfighting concept development, experimentation, and training or exercise curricula. This paper reviews Navy strategy, identifies challenges in contemporary training, discusses key elements of a learning organization, and proposes approaches the Navy could adopt.
The Next Mediterranean Front Line
War on the Rocks – From migration to energy and food security, the Mediterranean has emerged as an overlooked front in Russia’s war with the West. As its name suggests, the Mediterranean is a sea that sits between lands. For better or worse, it connects Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, transporting fuel, grain, and refugees from one shore to another. As such, it can serve as a source of stability for Europe or as a site of disruption for actors like Russia that seek to threaten that stability.
Highly Unusual Disclosure Made Of U.S. Ballistic Missile Submarine’s Presence In Arabian Sea
War Zone – It is extremely rare for the US military to reveal the whereabouts of nuclear ballistic missile submarines while they are on patrol.
The United States Has Entered The ‘Danger Zone’ With China
1945 – China and U.S. have entered the danger zone Says Dr. James Holmes.
Damaged cable leaves Shetland cut off from mainland
BBC – Communications to Shetland have been severely disrupted after a subsea cable was damaged.
The Navy’s DDG(X) Destroyer: We Have A Price Problem
1945 – James Holmes asks if DDG(X) has a cost issue.
France reveals first look at new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
Breaking Defense – Known for the time being as the PANG (for Porte Avion Nouvelle Génération), the 75,000 tonne (82,673 tons) ship will be 310m (1,017 ft) long and 85m (279 feet) at the widest point of the carrier deck.
Submarines: Period of high activity of sightings in the Strait of Gibraltar
El Snorkel – Apparently NATO countries are taking positions to be ready, if necessary, to be able to deny the use of the eastern Mediterranean to the Russian fleet. (In Spanish)
(Thanks to Alain)
Nord Stream blast ‘blew away 50 metres of pipe’
BBC – At least 50 metres (164ft) of an underwater pipeline bringing Russian gas to Germany is thought to have been destroyed by a blast last month.
Navy Tests Reloading Missiles on Destroyer in San Diego Bay, Open Ocean Tests Tougher Task
USNI News – A pairing of a guided-missile destroyer and a supply ship in San Diego Bay last week was the Navy’s latest test to learn how to resupply its warships with missiles during a high-end conflict.
Royal Navy upgrades its passive decoy launchers
Navy Lookout – In this article, we look at the RN’s aspirations to improve its soft-kill countermeasures for defence against anti-ship missiles.
Chinese Aircraft Carrier Deployment Prompted Record Japanese Fighter Scrambles
USNI News – In a six-month period from April to September, Japanese fighters scrambled 446 times to intercept threatening aircraft from China and Russia, according to the Japanese Ministry of Defense. Many of the aircraft intercepted belonged to the air wing embarked on the People’s Liberation Army Navy aircraft carrier Liaoning
‘Assault Carrier’ Tests Show How Marine F-35Bs Can Operate with Navy Aircraft Carriers, Says 7th Fleet Commander
USNI News – This summer’s experimentation with the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA-7) explored how an America-class big-deck amphibious warship can better work in concert with a carrier strike group, the commander of U.S. 7th Fleet said Friday.
Regaining the High Ground Against China: A Plan to Achieve US Naval Aviation Superiority This Decade
Hudson Institute – U.S. naval aviation risks sliding into irrelevance unless Navy and Marine Corps leaders embrace organizational and investment changes that would enable more effective operational concepts against peer adversaries. To support the approaches, naval air forces will need greater reach, adaptability, and capacity, which this study proposes to address by changing the composition of carrier air wings and repurposing aircraft based ashore or on surface combatants and amphibious ships.
Keeping intrinsic value low key for future USV fleet: Admiral
Breaking Defense – If the US Navy is going to keep proliferating unmanned surface vessels throughout its fleet, then a key operating principle will be making them worthless to any adversary who might tamper with or steal the technology, according to a senior officer overseeing experimentation efforts.
The Military is the Fourth Instrument of UK Power in the Indo-Pacific
RUSI – The Indo-Pacific is vital for the UK’s prosperity, but that does not make it the military’s main effort. The military’s craving for relevance in the theatre risks a strategic blunder.
PLAN hospital ship completes first medical tour on Xisha, Nansha islands
China Military Online – Recently, the PLA Navy (PLAN) hospital ship Youhao (Hull 862) docked at Zhanjiang Port, Guangdong Province, after completing the first medical tour on the Xisha and Nansha islands and reefs in South China Sea.
China, Russia Quietly Expanding Arctic Partnership, Says Panel
USNI News – China is subtly installing a larger presence in the Arctic through an extensive partnership with Russia in areas ranging from multi-use ports and airfields to energy extraction.
Navy Wants 100 Unmanned Ships Monitoring Middle East Waters by Next Year
USNI News – The United States and its allies want a force of 100 unmanned surface vessels patrolling waters from the Red Sea into the Persian Gulf by next summer, the commander of U.S. 5th Fleet said on Tuesday.
Mind the Gap Part 2: The Cross-Strait Potential of China’s Civilian Shipping Has Grown
War on the Rocks – In August 2021, I discussed how China’s civilian roll-on/roll-off car ferries and vehicle carriers could significantly enhance its ability to launch an amphibious assault on Taiwan. Having updated the numbers and looked more closely at how they translate into military potential, I believe the capacity of China’s civilian fleet is considerably greater and more threatening than it appeared at that time.
Depth From Above: Reinventing Carrier ASW
CIMSEC – A long-term solution is needed to restore fixed-wing ASW capability, and fiscal reality demands this solution be flexible and affordable. Rather than build a new dedicated ASW aircraft, it may be better to instead develop a series of ASW pods and a more flexible aircraft suitable for both ground attack and ASW since either type of store can be carried on the pylons with equal ease.
Inside Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford’s Two-Month Operational Stress Test
USNI News – After years of delays, the Navy’s first-in-class aircraft carrier is underway on a two-month operational stress test of the carrier’s new systems and air wing as the ship and its crew prepare for an extended deployment early next year.
Turkey drops underwater “microphones” in the Aegean Sea to “listen” to Greek submarines
Greek City Times – With the use of underwater microphones, which will be dropped into the sea by UAVs, Turkey is trying to deal with the inability to locate Greek submarines in the waters of the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.
(Thanks to Alain)
EABO Degraded Logistics in the WEZ: Self Propelled Semi-Submersible Solutions
CIMSEC – The Marine Corps is faced with an intensified challenge of contested logistics as it employs its novel concept of Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO). EABO calls for Marines to act as Stand-in Forces using low profile, highly mobile Expeditionary Advance Bases (EAB) that will likely be within an enemy’s Weapons Engagement Zone (WEZ). Supplying these bases will be difficult since their location is expected to frequently shift, and reliance on the conventional global logistics chain may not be responsive in a contested environment. A possible solution is the use of unmanned or autonomous Self Propelled Semi-Submersibles (SPSS) to provide logistics support. It is important to consider how SPSS will be classified under domestic and international law, and what rights and obligations will be imposed on them during peacetime and armed conflict.
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
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