Navy Lookout – The political and strategic ramifications of the AUKUS pact announced in September continue to reverberate but the details of how Australia will actually acquire nuclear-powered submarines have been rather overlooked. Here we focus on the daunting technical, industrial and financial challenges to be overcome on the long road to joining the SSN club.
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
Moscow dissatisfied with Norwegian navy visit to Arctic archipelago
Barents Observer – Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Friday said the recent navy visit to Svalbard is the latest step by Oslo in a series of successive actions to include this territory in the sphere of national military development.
China Built A Mothership For Training Its Forces To Defend Against Drone Swarms
War Zone – China looks to have launched an odd mini-aircraft carrier of sorts that is intended to launch and recover small aerial drones earlier this year. A model of this catamaran vessel appeared at this year’s Zhuhai Airshow, where it was ostensibly described as a platform for mimicking enemy “electronic” systems during training exercises. This ship will be able to simulate hostile drone swarms, along with other kinds of threats, such as high-volume anti-ship missile strikes and distributed electronic warfare attacks. It also reflects the Chinese military’s interest in operational swarming capabilities, and especially in the maritime domain.
Signs Point to China’s Third Aircraft Carrier Launching Soon
CSIS – Steady progress on the construction of China’s third aircraft carrier has continued throughout 2021, and the vessel—commonly known as the Type 003—may launch in the coming months. Commercial satellite imagery of Jiangnan Shipyard captured on October 23, 2021, reveals that the installation of the carrier’s main external components is nearing completion. Work on other military vessels at Jiangnan appears to have slowed as the shipyard works to fill commercial orders.
Russia Deployed A Smokescreen Over Its Strategic Naval Base In Syria
War Zone – The countermeasure could confuse certain missiles during a conflict and obscure activities from some surveillance capabilities.
Jewel of the Indo-Pacific: The Quad as a Maritime Security Diamond
CIMSEC – In conclusion, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue should focus the combined diplomatic, information, military, and economic power of its four member nations to promote maritime security in the Indo-Pacific by fostering and strengthening rising partners in the region while coordinating to detect, analyze, and interdict illicit maritime activity.
Cyber Marines could be empowered to act boldly under commandant’s future force vision
Defense News – As the U.S. Marine Corps continues to reshape the force through the commandant’s Force Design 2030 effort and the recently released Talent Management 2030 plan, cyber and information warfare Marines in the future may be further empowered to use their digital skills to create operational advantages for kinetic forces.
On a quiet but tense corner of Russia’s border, its neighbors are gaining on it
Business Insider – Russia’s neighbors on the Caspian Sea have been building up their naval capabilities. Russia remains the dominant military in the region, but that advantage is diminishing. The countries there have taken steps to manage disputes, but future points of tension are visible.
Surveillance cables mysteriously cut
News in English – A unique underwater observatory in strategic waters off the coast of Northern Norway has been knocked out of service, after more than 4.3 kilometers of its specially designed offshore fiberoptic and electric cables were cut and then disappeared. Sabotage suspicions are rising, and the damage has been reported to both the military and state police intelligence agency PST.
Metallurgist admits faking steel test results for US Navy subs
BBC – A metallurgist in the US state of Washington has pleaded guilty to fraud after she spent decades faking the results of strength tests on steel that was being used to make Navy submarines.
(Thanks to Alain)
2021 China Military Power Report: Everything You Need To Know
1945 – Richard Holmes comments on the Pentagon’s latest report on Chinese military power.
Pakistan receives new Chinese-made frigate. How will it fare against India’s Navy?
Defense News – Pakistan on Monday commissioned the first of four Type 054A/P frigates during a ceremony at the Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding yard in Shanghai, China.
Second U.S. Aircraft Carrier Missile Target Spotted in Chinese Desert
USNI News – A second suspected missile target in the shape of a U.S. aircraft carrier has been spotted in a rural Chinese desert.
Beyond Competition: Why the US Must Cooperate With China and Russia For Maritime Stability
CIMSEC – Challenging threats to the rules-based order, no matter where they originate, is vitally important; but the United States also must cooperate with its adversaries, especially China and Russia, to secure the global commons and tackle other transnational threats, such as climate change and global pandemics.
T-DAY: The Battle For Taiwan
Reuters – China’s quest to rule Taiwan has already begun with a campaign of “gray-zone” warfare. Here is how military strategists believe the struggle might play out.
War Studies Primer
We invite you to try War Studies Primer – an introductory course on the study of war and military history. Its purpose is to provide an introduction to the study of war.
War Studies Primer is presented as a lecture curriculum at the university level. It is a free, non-credit, self-study course that consists of 28 topics and over 1,900 slides and is updated on a yearly basis.
Look at slides 2 and 3 in the War Studies Primer for its Table of Contents, and then choose a lecture to read and enjoy.
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LUSV As An Anti-Air And Anti-Ship Missiles Platform
Naval News – For purely hypothetical and speculative analysis discussion purposes, Naval News will explore the possibility of other armed and functional roles for the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) according to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps current and future desires, challenges, and to counter peer nations’ threats.
The Roadmap For Naval Electrification
Breaking Defense – The US Navy answers questions about its roadmap for employing electric and battery power for lasers, radars, and propulsion over the next two decades.
Pushing or Overstepping? Legal Boundaries in the Fight Against Maritime Drug Smuggling Part 1
CIMSEC – Every day, U.S. Coast Guard cutters patrol the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea for drug smuggling vessels, seizing more cocaine than all other American law enforcement agencies combined. Federal prosecutors then bring charges against the detained smugglers under a controversial and confusing legal regime. By analyzing the lifecycle of a case – from interdiction to detention to prosecution – this two-part article explores (1) the extraterritorial jurisdiction established by the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA); (2) the practice of detaining suspected smugglers aboard Coast Guard cutters for weeks without formal arrest; and (3) the interaction between intelligence gathering and the trial penalty. In each of these instances, a different branch of the federal government is pushing against – if not overstepping – legal constraints in order to empower the Coast Guard in the fight against maritime drug smuggling. This is a fragile system, however, and should one of these government branches become squeamish, the whole apparatus could collapse.
China Builds Missile Targets Shaped Like U.S. Aircraft Carrier, Destroyers in Remote Desert
USNI News – The Chinese military has built targets in the shape of an American aircraft carrier and other U.S. warships in the Taklamakan desert as part of a new target range complex.
Winning the Fight Taiwan Cannot Afford to Lose
National Defense University Press – Taiwan has begun to embrace a new asymmetric defense approach focused on fighting in the littoral with smaller, more survivable systems. This is key to defeating a Chinese invasion. Support from President Tsai Ingwen has been high but there is resistance from some senior members of Taiwan’s defense establishment who favor more expensive conventional systems.
Japan, Germany expand military ties as German warship sails through region
Defense News – Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Friday the country will step up military cooperation with Germany in the Indo-Pacific region as he welcomed a port call by the first German warship to visit Japan in about 20 years.
HMS Queen Elizabeth: Life on board Royal Navy aircraft carrier
BBC – Watch Able Rating William Augustine, who deals with the ship’s payroll, as he takes the BBC around to show us what life is like on board.
Britain tracked Chinese submarines and was ready to intercept jets in South China Sea, officers reveal
Sky News – Frigates and helicopters operating with HMS Queen Elizabeth were able to locate Chinese submarines, allowing the UK’s largest warship to steer clear.
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