USNI News – The Yemen-based Houthis attacked crude oil tankers Panama-flagged M/V Blue Lagoon I, owned by a Panamanian company and operated by a Greek one, and M/V Amjad, a Saudi-flagged, owned and operated ship, on Sept.2.
Yearly Archives: 2024
Royal Fleet Auxiliary sailors seeking fair pay hold fifth round of industrial action
Navy Lookout – Today officers and crew serving in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are holding further strikes. As previously reported,the RFA that provides the Royal Navy’s critical afloat logistic support is in steep decline as it is increasingly unable to find people to crew its ships.
What lessons did the US Army learn from the Gaza aid pier mission?
Defense News – The Army is reviewing the $230 million pier operation and what it learned from the experience. One of the takeaways, according to a senior Army official, is that the unit needs to train under more challenging conditions to be better prepared for bad weather and other security issues it faced.
Beluga whale alleged to be Russian ‘spy’ found dead in Norway
The Guardian – A beluga whale nicknamed Hvaldimir, first spotted in Norway not far from Russian waters while wearing a harness that prompted rumours he might be a spy for Moscow, has been found dead.
Russia’s Karakurt-Class Corvettes – Slow, But Forward
Naval News – On August 26, the Russian Navy commissioned another corvette (formally “small missile ship”) of the project 22800 / Karakurt-class. The Amur, is the fifth vessel of its class, armed with the Kalibr-NK missile system, to raise the Russian flag.
Chinese Vessels Ram, Surround Philippine Coast Guard Flagship in South China Sea
USNI News – Chinese forces surrounded and rammed the flagship of the Philippine Coast Guard today at Escoda Shoal in the seventh scuffle this month between Beijing and Manila in the South China Sea.
Our Best Look At China’s Stealthy Experimental Corvette
The War Zone – The ship has some puzzling features that point to it being even more experimental in nature than originally thought.
Italian Aircraft Carrier F-35Bs Reach IOC
USNI News – The Italian Navy announced Monday that its carrier-based F-35B Lightning II fighter fleet reached initial operational capability.
Why South Africans are flocking to a Chinese hospital ship
BBC – Miserable winter weather, snow on Table Mountain and gale force winds have not dampened Cape Town residents’ enthusiasm for free medical care being offered on a Chinese ship, currently docked in the South African city’s harbour.
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India’s Improved Nuclear Ballistic Missile Submarine Enters Service
The War Zone – The second Indian nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine is the latest development in a project to field a viable second-strike capability.
Philippine Marines Eye New Concept For Archipelagic Defense
Naval News – The Philippine Marine Corps eyes the Littoral Response Group concept in an effort to strengthen its archipelagic defense capabilities.
Marine Corps MQ-9 Reapers to Operate in Okinawa for Intelligence, Surveillance Ops
USNI News – Up to six U.S Marine Corps MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles will operate from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa for a year to carry out Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions around the southwest region of Japan, according to a Japan Ministry of Defense and Foreign Ministry public explainer document released Tuesday.
What is an Italian Carrier Strike Group Doing in the Indo-Pacific?
War on the Rocks – The Cavour carrier strike group’s arrival in Tokyo should not be seen as yet another European “showing the flag” journey in distant waters. It comes hot on the heels of a substantive training and engagement schedule in which engagement with Asian partners advances Italy’s pursuit of a fifth-generation carrier strike capability and signals the country’s concerns over the fragility of the international maritime order. It is a flag-bearer for an economic connectivity strategy and a security strategy for the Mediterranean in which the geographical boundaries of this theatre extend eastwards beyond the western Indian Ocean. These are important political steps indicating a commitment to maintaining a technological edge in defense and to working with others to do so — regardless of geographical boundaries, because their uses apply across different interlinked theatres.
How America Lost Its Global Connectivity Lead and Why the Future Depends on Getting it Back
War on the Rocks – The global telecommunications network is increasingly owned and maintained by entities that can be manipulated against the United States. And America and its allies have dropped their deserved lead as innovators in this industry. For the United States, regaining a technological and strategic lead in telecommunications is an urgent necessity for national security. That’s what I will try to convince you of here: The United States used to dominate in this sector. It does not anymore. It is critical that American industry focuses on the next deep horizon, specifically in optimization, private networks, and free space optics, with a lot of help from the U.S. Department of Defense. It’s also a great opportunity for investment. Both public and private sector players can work now to meet this challenge and should, before it’s too late to re-establish dominance.
Don’t Ever Invade China: Xi Jinping Prioritizes Border, Coastal, and Air Defense
War on the Rocks – Chinese leader Xi Jinping underscored mainland defense on July 30 with a speech to the Chinese Communist Party’s politburo standing committee group study session on China’s border, coastal, and air defense (边海空防).
Setbacks in the Royal Navy’s effort to get newly acquired auxiliary ships into service
Navy Lookout – Early in 2023, the MoD purchased two former commercial vessels for the Naval Service. Despite their procurement ‘at pace’, RFA Proteus has yet to conduct any useful operations and RFA Stirling Castle is being laid up or ‘paused’ temporarily mainly due to a lack of qualified people to operate her.
40 Chinese Ships Blockade Resupply Mission to Philippine Coast Guard Flagship in South China Sea
USNI News – A resupply mission to the Philippine Coast Guard’s flagship stationed at a contested South China Sea feature was blocked by 40 Chinese vessels in the latest incident around Escoda Shoal, according to Manila.
No U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers Deployed In The Pacific
Naval News – The deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln from 7th Fleet to 5th Fleet has left the United States with no deployed carriers in the Pacific Ocean, at a time when they are needed most.
Uncrewed Platforms Have Been Critical to Ukraine’s Success in the Black Sea
RUSI – A consideration of other options shows that the success Ukraine has had in keeping the Russian Black Sea Fleet at bay could only have been achieved using uncrewed vessels.
ZEPREP
CIMSEC – A FICINT short story.
Everything We Just Learned About The Ghost Shark Uncrewed Submarine
The War Zone – Anduril says it has received active interest in integrating more than a dozen new military and commercial payloads onto its Ghost Shark extra-large autonomous undersea vehicle (XL-AUV). Payload testing and otherwise demonstrating the Ghost Shark’s highly modular design are core focuses of new work on the underwater drone that is now set to occur in the United States.
Fuel Supplies To Russian Troops, Crimea Strangled By Destruction Of Ship
The War Zone – The destruction of the ship full of fuel tank train cars at a port in the Kerch Strait yesterday will hamper Russia’s ability to supply troops and the Crimean peninsula with fuel and lubricants, according to the Ukrainian Navy and the popular Crimean Wind Telegram channel. As we reported yesterday, the Conro Trader, a Russian Roll On Roll Off (RORO) vessel with a reported 30 fuel tank cars aboard, erupted in a ball of flames at the Port of Kavkaz.
At Ingalls, plenty of space for shipbuilding but ramping up workforce will be the challenge
Breaking Defense – “People can go do far less difficult things for just about the same money from an entry wage standpoint,” Ingalls’ Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson told Breaking Defense. “I will say though that within a year-and-a-half to two years, you can double your salary as a shipbuilder.”
CMSI Note #9: On the PLAN’s “Core Operational Capabilities”
China Maritime Studies Institute – Key takeaways:
- The PLAN is prioritizing the development of what it calls “four core operational capabilities.” These capabilities include 1) integrated near seas operations, 2) far seas mobile operations, 3) strategic deterrence and counterstrike, and 4) amphibious warfare.
- Analysis of Chinese writings suggest the focus of these efforts is on prevailing in a high-end conflict involving the U.S. military.
- The PLAN seeks the ability to dominate the near seas, strike U.S. bases and sea lines of communication in waters east of the first island chain and in the Indian Ocean, achieve “reliable, credible, and effective” deterrence against the U.S. through SSBN patrols within and beyond the first island chain, and execute sophisticated multi-domain amphibious operations against U.S. allies and partners.
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