Predictable Unpredictability? U.S. Arctic Strategy and Ways of Doing Business in the Region

War on the Rocks – The U.S. Navy approach toward the Arctic appears to be fraught with contradiction. Its new strategic plan for the region, Blue Arctic: a Strategic Plan for the Arctic, was published in January 2021 and calls for a stronger U.S. footprint and greater influence in the region. In line with the tri-service maritime strategy, it highlights an increased urgency to strengthen Arctic deterrence without undermining stability, reducing trust, or triggering conflict. The Navy, however, seems to be pursuing the two main goals — deterrence and stability — with contradictory methods at times.

Tackling Maritime Cyber Threats: A Call For Cross-Stakeholder Cooperation

CIMSEC – Earning serious proficiency in offensive and defensive cyber capabilities will become fundamental. Especially in the maritime domain, with its vast interdependencies, cyber threats must be faced cooperatively to ensure a resilient and reliable cyberspace, which has become indispensable for the functioning of the global maritime commons.

Spain-Based American Destroyers Are Sporting This Unique Electronic Warfare System

War Zone – The U.S. Navy’s quartet of Arleigh Burke class destroyers that are forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, and makeup Destroyer Squadron 60, sport a unique configuration. The most notable alteration is the inclusion of the self-contained SeaRAM Rolling Airframe Missile launcher system on the ships’ rear pedestal mount. This is in addition to the Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systemlocated on their bows. It was installed to beef-up the destroyers’ defenses against advanced anti-ship cruise missiles due to the high-threat areas they would be regularly operating in—especially the Black Sea, which is a nearly land-locked super anti-ship missile engagement zone. They were also among the first to receive an upgraded SEWIP Block II electronic warfare suite. But another unique and so far totally overlooked enhancement involves a far more obscure electronic warfare system, one that, as far as we know, is totally unique to these vessels. 

The Navy tried to cast Capt. Brett Crozier as a villain. New emails reveal how much support he really had

Task and Purpose – The Navy has repeatedly blamed Capt. Brett Crozier for the unprecedented novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt last year, but newly-released emails show several of Crozier’s colleagues instantly recognized that he had put the lives of his crew above his own career.

Why Europe keeps sending warships to South China Sea?

China Mil – A German frigate would set sail for the Indo-Pacific region early August this year and sail through the South China Sea on its way back about six months later, reported the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a German newspaper, on March 2 citing several senior officials at the German foreign and defense ministries. Reuters said it that would be the first German warship crossing the South China Sea since 2002.