– National Interest – James Holmes writes that Russia is less an enigma than a product of its unique history combined with basic human passions that endure from age to age. These forces shape politics and strategy in Moscow.
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
Research & Debate: Prediction
– US Naval War College Review – Wayne Hughes writes that the predictive power of experts, operations analysis, and the value of information are interwoven subjects that are hard to winnow down to an essence. Prediction is a big subject, so I have limited this article to what I know best: the operational and tactical domains of conventional warfare.
Missiles of China
– CSIS – The People’s Republic of China is in the process of building and deploying a sophisticated and modern missile arsenal, though one shrouded in secrecy due to intentional ambiguity and unwillingness to enter arms control or other transparency agreements.
None of Us Is ‘That Man’ — All Must Aspire to Be
– USNI Proceedings – The SEAL professional ethos serves as a reminder for Naval Special Warfare—and any who aspire to high standards—that excellence must be earned every day, on and off duty.
U.S. 6th Fleet and British navy sail above Arctic Circle for anti-submarine exercise
– Barents Observer – U.S. wants a more visible military footprint in the Arctic. The anti-submarine exercise off the coast of northern Norway on Friday comes amid increased Russian submarine sailings into the North Atlantic.
Taking Notes From Narcos: Semisubmersible Unmanned Ships for Great Power Competition
– CIMSEC – By taking a few notes from the narcos, the United States Navy can develop a class of hard-to-detect semisubmersible Medium Unmanned Surface Vessels that will be combat-effective in the high-end fight against China.
Hospital Ship Comfort Set to Arrive in Norfolk on Saturday After New York Mission
– USNI News – With an escort of water-spraying boats, hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) pulled from a cruise ship terminal pier midday Thursday and departed New York Harbor for a return to its Virginia homeport on Saturday, after treating a total of 182 patients in New York City.
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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Getting the Context of Marine Corps Reform Right
– War on the Rocks – Since reading the commandant’s Force Design report, we, too, have reflected on what the changes will mean for the Marine Corps — and by extension, the Department of the Navy, the joint force, our allies, partners, and most importantly, the American people. Regular War on the Rocks readers likely know that our writing team has, at times, been critical of the Corps’ decisions. In this case, however, we, like T.X. Hammes, are encouraged about the potential future that awaits our naval service.
Marine F/A-18 Hornets Fly Armed With Live Harpoon Anti-Ship Missiles In Japan
– War Zone – The exercise sent a clear signal that Marine Hornets are ready to reach out and counter hostile maritime activities.
The US Navy selects Fincantieri design for next-generation frigate
– Defense News – The U.S. Navy’s newest surface combatant has Italian heritage. In a major win for Wisconsin’s Marinette Marine shipyard, the Navy selected Fincantieri’s so-called FREMM design, an acronym that stands for “European multi-purpose frigate,” in its original Italian.
Damn! Torpedoes!
– USNI Proceedings – The Navy is starting to pay attention to offensive mine warfare again.
Looking beyond the coronavirus, military powers jostle for dominance in Indo-Pacific region
– South China Morning Post – As the Covid-19 global health crisis continues to rage around the world, infecting more than 3 million people and causing more than 210,000 deaths, military manoeuvres are being analysed to see if the pandemic has changed the balance of force in the region.
Japan is working on a hypersonic anti-ship missile that may be a threat to Chinese navy activities
– South China Morning Post – Japan is developing a hypersonic anti-ship missile, a weapon that can cruise at high altitudes and could pose a threat to Chinese aircraft carriers in the East China Sea.
Chinese navy puts two new nuclear submarines into service
– South China Morning Post – Chinese navy puts two new nuclear submarines into service.
PLA expels trespassing US warship from Xisha Islands, urges it to fight COVID-19 at home
– Global Times – The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Tuesday expelled a US warship that trespassed into Chinese territorial waters off the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea as the US’ move could have easily caused an accident, a Chinese military spokesperson said on Tuesday, who also urged the US side to focus on COVID-19 prevention and control at home rather than destabilizing regional security and peace.
China expands Marine Corps’ aerial assault capabilities following Type 075 ship launch
– Global Times – In addition to intensive training, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy is boosting the aerial assault capabilities of its Marine Corps by systematically expanding it with combat-proven former Army units, a timely move to ready personnel in advance to maximize the power of the two recently launched Type 075 amphibious assault ships.
China sends new naval fleet for escort mission
– China Daily – The 35th fleet of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy on Tuesday left the port city of Zhoushan in East China’s Zhejiang province for the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia to escort civilian ships.
Human Intelligence: The Missing Piece to Comprehensive Maritime Domain Awareness
– CIMSEC – To effectively govern the maritime space, states need an accurate picture of what is happening and where in order to establish normal “patterns of life” at sea. With this picture, states can identify suspicious activity and task assets to respond. This ability to collect, analyze, share, and respond to information in the maritime realm is often called maritime domain awareness (MDA).
U.S. Marines Launch Amphibious And Air Assaults On Saudi Islands In The Persian Gulf
– War Zone – The training exercises come amid a new spike in hostility with Iran, which uses its own nearby islands to stage various naval operations.
Navy Readies To Buy New Frigates As Industrial Base Wobbles
– Breaking Defense – The Navy has decided to split the frigate class, recompeting the program after the first 10 ships are under contract, leading to a new award and another bite at the apple for the bidders who lost out the first time around.
The Rest of the Story: Evaluating the US Marine Corps Force Design 2030
– War on the Rocks – While the world is worried about pandemics, trade, and migration, U.S. defense leaders remain laser focused on treating China as the new pacing threat. Each service has marched in step to the 2018 National Defense Strategy and linked their force modernization to great power competition. The focus of the Marine Corps Commandant’s Planning Guidance and new force design report illustrate this trend. Are the concepts and formations called for in these documents flexible enough to respond to other, more likely conflicts?
Dynamic. Distributed. Deadly.
– USNI Proceedings – The Harry S. Truman Strike Group’s April 2018 deployment offers a host of lessons for the Navy as the service renewed the concept of dynamic force employment with today’s fleet.
How China Sees the World
– The Atlantic – And how we should see China according to H.R. McMaster.
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