The War Zone – Starlink is part of the Navy’s ambitious SEA2 program that aims to provide high-bandwidth resilient global connectivity for U.S. warships that will have major operational and morale benefits.
Yearly Archives: 2024
Australia To Help Maintain Visiting U.S. Nuclear Submarine For The First Time
The War Zone – The Virginia class submarine USS Hawaii is in port in Australia for routine maintenance, with that country’s navy set to help out with that work in a first-of-its-kind team-up. This is a new and important step forward in plans to start rotational deployments of U.S. and British nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.
French Navy Ship Hits Surface Drone Menacing A Tanker In The Red Sea
Naval News – A French Navy Horizon type air defense destroyer successfully intercepted a USV attempting to attack a tanker in the Red Sea.
Navy Could Sideline 17 Support Ships Due to Manpower Issues
USNI News – Military Sealift Command has drafted a plan to remove the crews from 17 Navy support ships due to a lack of qualified mariners to operate the vessels across the Navy.
There Are No Magic Beans: Easy Options to Deter China Militarily Do Not Exist
War on the Rocks – Since 1979, it has been the policy of the United States, as codified in the Taiwan Relations Act, to maintain the capacity to resist the use of force or other forms of coercion by China against Taiwan. Until recently it could be taken for granted that the United States was able to directly thwart a Chinese attack on Taiwan. But dramatic increases in China’s military capability over recent decades have called that into question, particularly with the military balance trending ever further in China’s direction for at least the near future.
Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln Arrives in U.S. Central Command
USNI News – Aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) arrived in the Middle East Wednesday, according to U.S. Central Command.
Iran’s Bizarre ‘Aircraft Carrier’ Seen In New Detail
The War Zone – A converted commercial ship with an angled flight deck, the Shahid Bagheri looks strange but could fill a mission set that Iran has been developing for years.
The U.S. Navy’s Constellation-Class Frigate Problem
National Interest – James Holmes writes that the USS Constellation (FFG-62) frigate program is doing little to refurbish the U.S. Navy’s reputation for competence. Intended to deliver a flotilla of at least twenty small, hard-hitting surface combatants in reasonably short order at manageable cost, the program is 36 months—and counting—behind schedule.
Red Sea Combat Experience Helping Refine Surface Warfare Education, Say Navy Leaders
USNI News – During his warship’s recent deployment to the Middle East, a guided-missile destroyer commander fired off some five terabytes of data about his crew’s operations in the Red Sea. On the receiving end was the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center in California, which collected from USS Mason (DDG-87) a treasure trove of information and combat systems data in an amount akin to 1 million cellphone photographs or 2 million books.
China Launches Its Most Sophisticated Submarine To Date
Naval News – A Chinese shipyard in Wuhan has launched a submarine which is likely to be the country’s most advanced non-nuclear type. The new boat is larger than existing ones and is the first in the country to feature X-form rudders. There are indications that it may have a vertical launch system.
Upgraded 1,200-ton submarine delivered to Korean Navy
AJU Press – The South Korean defense procurement agency on Monday delivered an upgraded 1,200-ton submarine to the Navy following a refurbishment that enhanced its combat and detection capabilities.
(Thanks to Alain)
Laser Weapon Appears On Chinese Amphibious Assault Ship
The War Zone – A Chinese Type 071 amphibious transport dock has emerged from a refit sporting a new laser directed energy weapon system.
Project GENESIS: How Turkey Resurrected Its Secondhand Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigates
The War Zone – Project GENESIS not only breathed new life into the aging Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates, but it also set the country up to build its own advanced warships.
Japan Plans New Missile Range In Southeastern Island
Naval News – According to Japanese defense officials, the Ministry of Defense is planning to establish a new missile range in the island of Minamitorishima for the Type 12 Surface-to-Ship Missile of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.
From the Great White North to the South China Sea
USNI News – 10 Days on Patrol aboard Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Montréal.
China Coast Guard Rams Philippine Cutters Near Disputed South China Sea Shoals
USNI News – Philippine and Chinese Coast Guard vessels collided in the South China Sea near two disputed shoals on Monday morning in the latest encounter at sea between Manila and Beijing.
The U.S. Navy’s Logistical Challenges: A Threat to Naval Dominance?
National Interest – Imperial Japanese prime minister Hideki Tōjō credited U.S. Navy underway replenishment as a central cause of American victory in World War II. He was right. Let us resolve never again to slight the importance of ferrying beans, bullets, and black oil to the fighting forces. The principle of continuity demands it.
Navy Notifies Congress of Pending $11.5B, 4-Ship Amphibious Warship Deal
USNI News – The Navy is preparing to award an estimated $11.5 billion multi-ship deal to build four amphibious warships. According to the Aug. 14 notification, the Department of the Navy will purchase three San Antonio class Flight II amphibious warships and a Flight I America-class big deck amphibious warship starting in Fiscal Year 2025 to 2027 as part of a “multi-ship procurement,” authorized as part of the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.
Coast Guard Names Juneau as Home Port for New Icebreaker
USNI News – The Coast Guard will use Juneau, Alaska, as the homeport for its commercially procured icebreaker.The Coast Guard is in the process of acquiring a commercial icebreaker, named Aiviq, built as a support vessel for Arctic oil exploration. The service plans to convert the ship into a medium polar icebreaker, a process estimated to take two years.
CMSI Translations #5: Strengthen National Defense Mobilization and Reserve Force Construction
China Maritime Studies Institute – The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party proposed “strengthening national defense mobilization and reserve force construction.” In the face of the Era’s requirements for strengthening the country and the military, the serious situation of national security, and the real existence of the risk of war, we must place the construction of national defense mobilization and reserve forces in a more important strategic position, and strive to promote the high-quality development of national defense mobilization and reserve force construction from a new starting point.
Navy finishes first control room on aircraft carrier designed to operate MQ-25
Breaking Defense – The US Navy this week announced it has finished the first installation of a new control room on its aircraft carriers designed for the crew to operate and monitor the service’s next-generation unmanned tanker MQ-25A Stingray.
French Frigate Drills with U.S., Japanese Forces in the Western Pacific, U.S. Sub Tender Ready for Work on Boats in Australia
USNI News – French Navy frigate FS Bretagne (D655) is carrying out the second phase of its Indo-Pacific deployment starting with drills with the U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) after conducting a crew swap in Japan. Meanwhile, submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS-39) is preparing to carry out a joint maintenance effort with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine when it arrives in Australia, as part of AUKUS Pillar 1.
How did divers manage to blow up the Nord Stream pipeline? We went down to the spot to find out
CBC – German network ARD chartered yacht and divers to see how sabotage occurred.
CMSI Note #8: Recent Changes in the PLA Navy’s Gulf of Aden Deployment Pattern
China Maritime Studies Institute – Key takeaways:
- Since December 2008, the PLAN has deployed 46 counter-piracy escort task forces (TFs) to the Gulf of Aden on a UN-authorized mission.
- Most TFs have included two combatants—a combination of destroyers, frigates, and amphibious transport docks—and a supply ship. Starting with the 33rd TF, which departed China in August 2019, every TF has comprised one Type 052D destroyer, one Type 054A frigate, and one supply ship.
- One TF generally is on station near the Horn of Africa at all times, while for less than half that time another TF is either on the way to relieve it or returning home after completing its mission.
- Until recently, the PLAN had normally dispatched three TFs per year, at roughly four-month intervals.
- However, the 45th and 46th TFs departed China on five-month intervals, suggesting a shift in deployment patterns.
- The PLAN has not explained the rationale for this apparent shift in its deployment pattern. It is possible that more onerous requirements for its surface fleet in operations around Taiwan and in the South China Sea have forced the PLAN to draw forces away from the Gulf of Aden mission, at least temporarily. Or it is possible that the PLAN may be desirous of keeping its ships clear of waters threatened by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The CMV-22 OSPREY: A Game-Changer for Today’s COD and Tomorrow’s Contested Combat Logistics Support
Center for Maritime Strategy – Despite the concern about retiring the venerable C-2 Greyhound fleet, the Navy has presciently fielded a more capable, flexible, and adaptable replacement in the CMV-22B Osprey. Like the C-2, the CMV-22 can deliver 6000 pounds of internal cargo at distances ranging to 1150 nautical miles and cruising speeds of 250 knots.
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
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