– The Diplomat – Journalist and geopolitical analyst Robert Kaplan on the South China Sea, China and Asia’s future.
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
U.S., U.K Planning For ‘Closer and Stronger’ Naval Alliance
– USNI News – The Royal Navy is embarking on a fresh maritime renaissance that will see it deliver enhanced capabilities in partnership with its most enduring ally. That, at least, was the message delivered by the Royal Navy’s First Sea Lord Adm. George Zambellas and his American counterpart at a joint seminar in London.
F-35Bs, Aviation Combat Elements Have ‘Tremendous Capability for Growth’
– USNI News – When the time comes for the Marines’ first F-35B Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs) to deploy on an amphibious assault ship, the six aircraft on the float will bring more strike, sensing and communications capabilities than the three platforms they replace, the deputy commandant for aviation said.
China Commissions First MLP-Like Logistics Ship, Headed For South Sea Fleet
– USNI News – China commissioned its first semi-submersible logistics ship for the People’s Liberation Army – Navy (PLAN) in a July 10 ceremony at the PLAN’s Zhanjiang Naval Base in Guangdong Province.
From remote outpost, India looks to check China’s Indian Ocean thrust
– Reuters – The arrival of Indian warships at Port Blair earlier this month symbolizes how an island chain better known for its beaches and diving is quietly becoming a key plank in New Delhi’s strategy to counter China’s growing naval presence in the Indian Ocean.
Egypt navy ship ‘hit by Sinai militants’ missile’
– BBC – Islamic State-affiliated militants in Sinai say they have carried out a missile attack on an Egyptian naval vessel in the Mediterranean Sea.
Russia, Middle East Will Define NATO’s Emerging Maritime Century
– USNI – NATO may be best known for its protracted counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan, or for its current efforts to shore up defenses in Eastern Europe with air and ground exercises. But moving forward NATO must also consider its role in the global maritime domain, as it is central to the twin security challenges of an increasingly aggressive Russia and a crumbling Middle East order that the Alliance faces right now.
USS Kauffman Returns from Final U.S. Frigate Deployment
– USNI News – The last Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate deployment ended on Sunday when USS Kauffman (FFG-59) returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Va. following six months in U.S. Southern Command.
Littoral Combat Vessel: The U.S. Navy’s Great Relearning
– National Interest – Has the U.S. Navy become the Haight-Ashbury of sea power? In a way.
China’s Submarine Solution for the Taiwan Strait
– USNI News – The Taiwan issue is reflected in the PLA Navy’s (PLAN) undersea force structure, which in recent years has heavily prioritized the construction of Type-39A Yuan-class conventional submarines (SSK). According to Naval War College professor and PLAN watcher Lyle Goldstein, the Yuan is “one of the sharpest spears in China’s maritime arsenal.”
Behind That F-35 Air Combat Report
– Aviation Week – Bill Sweetman writes that last week’s leak of a report by a test pilot on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) team would have raised much less of a ruckus had it not been for earlier statements from program people.
Italy Issues $1.2B Contract for New Big Deck Amphib
– USNI News – The Italian Navy has issued a contract for a big deck amphibious warship in a $1.1 billion ship deal announced last week. The 22,000-ton landing helicopter dock (LHD) will feature a welldeck for amphibious landing craft, takeoff and landing spots for five helicopters and room for up to 1,000 personnel.
Four NATO Ships Enter Black Sea for Annual Exercise, Russian Activity on Rise in the Region
– USNI News – Guided missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG-78) entered the Black Sea on Sunday — following three other NATO ships in the last several days — marking a noticeable uptick in activity in the region ahead of military exercises in Bulgaria.
India’s master plan for the Indian Ocean
– Asian Times – On a March 2015 trip to Seychelles and Mauritius, Narendra Modi outlined a bold framework that overturned the political approach that India had taken towards the Indian Ocean for half a century.
Aegis Ambivalence: Navy, Hill Grapple Over Missile Defense Mission
– Breaking Defense – Sometimes success is its own punishment. Shooting down ballistic missiles is one of the Navy’s most high-tech, high-profile capabilities — and it’s one of the most popular with Congress as well. But as demand for missile defense increases at what the Chief of Naval Operations has called an “unsustainable” pace, it’s an ever-greater burden on a fleet that has plenty of other missions.
Unheeded Warnings
– Navy Times – The Navy ignored years of alarming reports – and two pilots paid the price.
America’s Got Useful Ships Just Lying Around
– War is Boring – U.S. Navy mulls putting aviation logistics ships to work.
East Asian Security in the Age of the Chinese Mega-Cutter
– CIMSEC – Zhongguo Haijing, or China Coast Guard (CCG) 2901, was not built to fight wars. At over 10,000 metric tons, it is by far the world’s largest constabulary vessel, a class of ship operating at the vanguard of China’s peacetime expansion in maritime East Asia. When it is commissioned sometime in the coming weeks, it will provide a huge advantage to China in the battle of wills taking place along its maritime periphery.
The Agency
– New York Times Magazine – From a nondescript office building in St. Petersburg, Russia, an army of well-paid “trolls” has tried to wreak havoc all around the Internet — and in real-life American communities.
JPO counters media report that F-35 cannot dogfight
– Jane’s – The Joint Program Office (JPO) for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) has taken the unusual step of publicly defending the aircraft’s air-to-air capabilities following a damning media report that called into question its ability to ‘dogfight’ with even today’s generation of jets.
U.S. Navy’s Worst Nightmare: Submarines May No Longer Be Stealthy
– National Interest – New technology might just dampen the awesome capabilities of one of America’s most lethal weapons. What can the Navy do about it?
New Pacific Russian Nuclear Missile Submarine Facility Could Open by October
– USNI News – Upgrades to the Russian Navy’s ballistic nuclear missile submarine (SSBN) base in the Pacific could be completed by October.
The Pentagon’s Fight Over Fighting China
– Politico – The Joint Chiefs keep ordering up ambitious new war plans. But their biggest battle might be with each other.
Marines Must Fundamentally Rethink Deployment Strategies, Training
– USNI News – Marines will have to continue to be adaptable to meet growing threats with limited resources by fundamentally rethinking how the Marine Corps organizes and operates.
Maritime Mavericks
– Aviation Week – After more than three decades Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden finally has what he’s always wanted – a Top Gun school for surface warfare officers.
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