USNI Proceedings – The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed critical weaknesses in the human domain of warfare at just the moment technology has emerged that gives bad actors new power to exploit those weaknesses. Developments in synthetic biology will create next-generation bioweapons, “human-domain fires” that will fundamentally change the strategic environment and create a threat naval planners must consider now, before it is encountered at sea.
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
Attack Class Submarine : French President And Australian PM Confirm Strong Partnership
Naval News – French president and Australian prime minister confirmed the strategic partnership the two nations share, and the importance of the Attack Class Submarine.
Navy Struggling to Retain Surface Warfare Officers; SWOs Want More Training, Specialization
USNI News – Surface warfare officers are leaving the Navy at a higher rate than other unrestricted line officers despite reforms in training the service has instituted since two fatal collisions in 2017.
U.S. Marines Experimenting With Tomahawk For Land-Attack And Anti-Ship Missions
Naval News – According to the United States Marine Corps’ (U.S.M.C.), Fiscal Year 2022 Unfunded Priority List Request PDF, line one requests funds for 35 Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) for the unmanned JLTV “ROGUE Fires” NMESIS program, and line three requests $96 million infunds for 48 Tactical Tomahawks.
Defeat is Possible
War on the Rocks – If the United States is to have a reasonable hope of winning a war, it needs to think very seriously about what it would be like to lose.
Does Biden Have The Right Naval Strategy To Take On Russia And China? History Has An Answer.
1945 – Having endured setbacks during the War of American Independence, Great Britain found wise political leadership—leadership that prepared the empire for tests to come during decades of war with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France. Congress and the Biden administration should take note. If the United States genuinely means to keep its commitments to allies across the globe while acting as custodian of freedom of the sea, it must field maritime forces adequate to those purposes. Otherwise, its interests and world standing will suffer—perhaps grievously so.
Navy releases long-range shipbuilding plan that drops emphasis on 355 ships, lays out fleet design priorities
Defense News – The Navy submitted an update to Congress to its annual long-range shipbuilding plans, one that takes a step back from the much-talked-about standard of a 355-ship fleet and instead lays out priorities for a future distributed naval force.
Made in Latin America: Domestically Manufactured Ecuadorian and Peruvian Ships Meet in the Pacific
CIMSEC – The era of “Made in Latin America” ships is here.
Russia’s Newest Submarines Are “On Par With Ours” According To Senior American General
War Zone – The head of U.S. Northern Command says that Russia’s Yasen class submarines are set to present a “persistent proximate threat” to the United States.
For America and Japan, Peace and Security Through Technology, Part 1
CIMSEC – This is part one of a two-part series on the urgent need for a bilateral technology roadmap to field and sustain a lethal, resilient, and rapidly adapting technology-enabled Joint Force that can seamlessly conduct high-end maritime operations in the Indo-Pacific.
The Army Lays Out Plans For Its New Intelligence Gathering Jet
War Zone – The U.S. Army has an ambitious scheme for a new surveillance aircraft to pick out ground targets at extended ranges.
Countering China’s Maritime Insurgency With Coast Guard Deployable Specialized Forces
CIMSEC – Losing the green water sea control challenge in the South China Sea could sideline US-led efforts in Asia. The US Coast Guard’s Deployable Specialized Forces can step up to provide strategic support for INDOPAC command.
Navy Weighing How to Include More Capabilities on MQ-25A Beyond Tanking
USNI News – Lawmakers are asking the Navy to start adding capabilities to the emerging MQ-25A Stingray unmanned carrier tankers that are set to join the fleet in the next few years, service officials said.
The Navy Is Developing “Bio-Inspired” Drones That Transition Between Air And Water
War Zone – The Navy wants to build drones that are inspired by the ways animals move and behave in the natural world and can even transition between sea and air.
Iran’s navy launches new indigenous destroyer and minehunter
RT – Iran has welcomed two new vessels to its navy, the Iranian-made Dena destroyer and Shahin minehunter, during a ceremony at Bandar Abbas port.
(Thanks to Alain)
Canadian Submarine Bedeviled By Accidents For A Decade Is Finally Back In The Water
War Zone – Canada’s tiny submarine fleet has been in sad shape for years. Now with the return of HMCS Corner Brook that could start to change.
U.K. Carrier Capability Returns to the Indo-Pacific
CIMSEC – This British naval deployment gives both political and operational support to the bigger U.S. efforts in the Indo-Pacific. The unstated rationale is sharing the burden against China.
Houthis Lay Sea Mines In Red Sea; Coalition Boasts Few Minesweepers
Breaking Defense – The Houthi rebels in Yemen have planted sea mines in the southern part of the Red Sea where US Navy and other allied ships are sailing, posing a possibly grave threat to shipping.
U.S. Aircraft Carriers Now at Risk from Hypersonic Missiles
USNI News – U.S. aircraft carriers are already facing risks from hypersonic weapons that are now entering the inventory of American adversaries and the Navy has developed early defenses for the threat.
Jeanne D’Arc Deployment Enhances Interoperability With Partners
USNI News – As France’s Jeanne D’Arc deployment nears its conclusion, the French are looking to continue high-end operations in the Indo-Pacific region, according to two French officials in command of the deployment.
The Little Carriers That Could
USNI Proceedings – Lessons for great power competition from Independence-class CVLs.
China Maritime Report No. 14: Chinese Views of the Military Balance in the Western Pacific
China Maritime Studies Institute – This report examines Chinese views about the military balance of power between China and the United States in the Western Pacific. It argues that while there is no single “Chinese” view on this topic, Chinese analysts tend to agree that 1) the gap between the two militaries has narrowed significantly in recent years, 2) the Chinese military still lags in important ways, and 3) Chinese military inferiority vis-à-vis the U.S. increases the further away it operates from the Mainland. In terms of specific areas of relative strength, the Chinese military has shown the greatest improvements in military hardware, but has farther to go in the area of jointness, training, and other military “software.” Nevertheless, despite continued criticism from senior civilian leaders, training quality has likely improved due to a greater focus on realism, and recent military reforms have, to a degree, improved the prospects for jointness.
Australia To Upgrade All Its Aging Submarines Amid Chronic Delays To Its New French Design
War Zone – The costly refurbishment comes as the government confirms its new submarines won’t be fully combat-ready until 2054.
The Navy Concluded Transmedium Flying Submersibles Were Possible A Decade Ago
War Zone – A vehicle that can travel under the sea and in the air may seem like a fantasy, but the Navy says it is possible and relevant for special operations.
Will Swarms Of Underwater ‘Drones’ Make Submarines Obsolete?
1945 – James Holmes writes that every now and again the idea that ultramodern technology will someday render the oceans and seas transparent—and expose submarine fleets to detection, tracking, and targeting—comes into vogue.
