War on the Rocks – When people look at maps of the Indo-Pacific region, often they see a lot of blue and very little green. They see the massive Pacific Ocean with tiny islands speckled throughout. Closer to the Asian continent, they see archipelagos and island chains with large seas and bays with strategic straits cutting throughout. When national security professionals view the region in this way, they tend to discount landpower in favor of air and sea. While those domains are central to Indo-Pacific security, we see the region through a different lens.
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
All of One Company: The Need to Forge a Stronger Bond Between Navies and Commercial Shipping
CIMSEC – As the world’s navies dramatically shrink relative to the ever growing fleets of commercial shipping cousins, they should take time to understand their fellow maritime stakeholders and make themselves “all of one company.” Major powers are never going to be able to significantly alter the ratio of warships to commercial vessels, so they must seriously revisit the strategy for how the protection of trade is conducted in peace and in conflict.
Marines Retooling Infantry Training for Complex Warfare in Pacific
USNI News – After 20 years of counterinsurgency and low-end conflict in the Middle East, the Marines are rapidly retooling for a different kind of fight.
5 Years Of Submarine Secrecy: India’s Unique Arihant Class Is Still In Hiding
Naval News – 5 years after she was commissioned in 2016, the Indian Navy’s INS Arihant remains something of an enigma. Her existence is no secret, in fact it is a proud achievement of Indian industry. But photographs are very few. And nearly all those you will find on the internet are many years old. It is a very secretive submarine program.
The China model: why is the West imitating Beijing?
The Spectator – Niall Ferguson states that “It is one thing to compete with China. I firmly believe we need to do that in every domain, from artificial intelligence to Covid vaccines. But the minute we start copying China, we are on the path to perdition.”
Canada To Procure Two Polar Iceabreakers To Enhance Arctic Presence
Naval News – The Canadian Coast Guard announced on 6 May 2021 that two Polar icebreakers will join its fleet to enhance Canada’s Arctic presence and provide critical services to Canadians.
The Ship That Launched 1,000 Memes and Nearly Destroyed 12 Percent of World Trade
CIMSEC – Behind the veneer of memes and jokes the grounding of Ever Given exposed the fragile nature of global trade and the maritime infrastructure that supports it.
Russian Navy To Receive About 30 Project 12700 Minehunters Through 2050
Naval News – The Russian Navy is reinforcing its mine countermeasures (MCM) capabilities.
How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously
New Yorker – For decades, flying saucers were a punch line. Then the U.S. government got over the taboo.
U.K. Committed to Operate More in Indo-Pacific with U.S., Allies
USNI News – The U.K. plans to have a greater British presence in the Indo-Pacific region, as it adheres to a recent security assessment that calls for a pivot to Asia, the top admiral in the Royal Navy said on Wednesday.
Elaine Luria Says Navy Needs to Build ‘Battle Force 2025’ Instead of Divesting to Prepare for a 2045 Fight
USNI News – The vice-chair of the House Armed Services Committee does not support the Navy’s “divest to invest” strategy of ridding the fleet of aging and expensive-to-maintain ships and systems to free up money for the development of unmanned platforms and other new technology, saying the sea service needs to focus on getting ready for a near-term battle instead of looking too far out into the future.
China’s new nuclear submarine missiles expand range in US
South China Morning Post – China’s newly commissioned nuclear-powered submarine is armed with the country’s most powerful submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) capable of hitting the US mainland.
China’s newly commissioned amphibious landing ship joins exercises, ‘to form powerful partnership with amphibious assault ship’
Global Times – China’s eighth Type 071 amphibious landing ship recently made its first publicly known maritime exercise appearance, and it has gained operational capabilities in troops delivery, air defense, anti-ship and land attack after entering service with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy late last year.
Investments in Global Maritime Infrastructure: Implications for Port Access
CIMSEC – The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has embarked on a massive investment spree and established a meaningful stake in the control of global maritime infrastructure. These investments include the construction of new ports, the expansion and modernization of cargo handling facilities, the purchase of port management rights, and the establishment of control over the operations of petroleum storage and transshipment depots. Much of the capital is formally sourced from the PRC’s One Belt One Road Initiative, but major investments are also being made directly by state-owned, PLA-linked, and other Chinese enterprises. The scope of control over global maritime infrastructure has become sufficiently large to be of concern. The U.S. Navy’s 2021 Chief of Navy Operations NAVPLAN warns that China is, “extending their infrastructure across the globe to control access to critical waterways.“
Northern Fleet gets first Yasen-M class submarine
Barents Observer – Kazan is the first of eight modern nuclear-powered cruise missile submarines to be delivered from the shipyard in Severodvinsk.
UK Royal Navy ships patrolling Jersey amid fishing row with France
BBC – Two Royal Navy ships are patrolling waters around Jersey and a French patrol vessel is nearby, as fishermen protest over their post-Brexit rights.
Report to Congress on Hypersonic Weapons
USNI News – The following is the April 26, 2021 Congressional Research Service report, Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress.
(Thanks to Alain)
Marines Seeking Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle Prototypes After Unsuccessful Attempts to Replace LAV
USNI News – The Marine Corps has collected proposals to design and build a prototype Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle, meant to far surpass the capabilities of the legacy Light Armored Vehicle and help reconnaissance Marines observe their surroundings, find targets and even take out threats on their own.
Heavy nuclear missile cruiser “Admiral Lazarev” set aside for scrapping
BMPD – As reported, on April 30, 2021, the heavy nuclear missile cruiser Admiral Lazarev (formerly Frunze, serial number 801) of project 11442 , decommissioned from the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy, was towed from the place of its long stay at a layover in Fokino (Abrek Bay, Strelok Bay ) for recycling at JSC “30th ship repair plant” (Danube village, Primorsky Territory). (In Russian)
(Thanks to Alain)
Chinese Navy to Help with Recovery of Indonesian Sub Wreck
USNI News – China has dispatched three ships to Indonesia to assist in the salvaging of the Indonesian attack submarine KRI Nanggala (402). Two ships – the People’s Liberation Army Navy Ocean Tug Nantuo-195and PLAN Ocean Salvage and Rescue Ship Yongxing Dao-863 – arrived on scene May 3 and the third ship, scientific research vessel Tan Suo 2, is expected to arrive today.
Russian submarine Kazan to be delivered on May 7
Navy Recognition – According to information published by Tass on May 3, 2021, the lead Project 885M Kazan nuclear-powered submarine will be provisionally turned over to the Russian Navy on May 7.
(Thanks to Alain)
Surface Navy to Kick Off Program to Track, Assess Sailors Combat Skills
USNI News – The surface navy community is rolling out a new way to track and assess sailors’ experience and proficiency in combat skills – with the promise that commanders could tailor future training and build better watch bills – through a new Surface Warfare Combat Training Continuum (SWCTC) effort that is wrapping up a pilot program and will hit the fleet this summer.
How the Decarbonization Dilemma Will Impact Shipbuilding and Great Power Competition
CMISEC – The security-related risks of the United States pursuing decarbonization merit further scrutiny, especially with respect to decarbonization’s impact on the shipbuilding industrial base and its ability to contribute in a protracted great power conflict. Examples abound of the American decline in relative industrial strength and that of western nations generally. But unique to this point in time are the defense risks brought on by the proposed path to decarbonization and its likelihood to accelerate these trends.
Does the U.S. Navy Have a Strategy Problem?
National Interest – James Holmes writes that over at the Wall Street Journal last week, former deputy undersecretary of the navy and current Hudson Institute analyst Seth Cropsey aims a broadside at the U.S. sea services’ latest maritime strategy, titled Advantage at Sea. Cropsey’s broadside sails well wide of the mark. Let’s inspect—and see if we can correct—the fall of shot.
Soft Cyber Law Makes Port Facilities Soft Cyber Targets
CIMSEC – There is widespread recognition that cybersecurity vulnerabilities make the maritime transportation system a soft target…Despite the widespread recognition of these vulnerabilities, international port cybersecurity laws remain soft—unenforceable and discretionary. The international community should take steps to harden these laws and therefore harden the targets.
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