National Interest – Mounting a standing presence in America’s backyard could pay handsome returns on a modest Chinese investment.
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
CETUS – the Royal Navy’s first uncrewed submarine launched
Navy Lookout – CETUS, first Extra Large Underwater Autonomous Vehicle (XLUAV) technology demonstrator to be owned by the RN was launched in Plymouth this week.
Black Sea Conflict Informing U.S. Navy Unmanned Systems, Says Admiral
USNI News – The Black Sea has become the Navy’s laboratory for rehearsing and operationalizing the best ways to tie unmanned, robotic systems’ effects with the crewed fleet’s combat power and electronic warfare capabilities, the U.S.’s senior officer supporting Ukraine’s maritime operations said.
Protecting Undersea Cables: Innovative Solutions to Safeguard American Security
Center for Maritime Security – As U.S. policymakers seek to secure critical infrastructure, they must build resiliency in the undersea cable networks that underpin America’s national security.
Could the Royal Navy be expanded if there was the political will?
Navy Lookout – In this guest article, Mark Scott argues that significantly growing the RN is not an insurmountable challenge. The rationale for a stronger force is not the main focus of the piece, instead, the emphasis remains on the methodology required to achieve such an expansion.
Chinese Navy penetrates deep into the Tasman Sea
Naval News – In February a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) task group – comprising the Type 055 cruiser Zunyi, Type 054A frigate Hengyang and Type 903 replenishment ship Weishanhu – sailed deep into the Tasman Sea, the body of water separating Australia and New Zealand. As the warships fired live rounds and caused commercial jetliners to divert, alarm rippled through the corridors of power in Australia and New Zealand.
Commander Submarines NATO, Rear Admiral Bret Grabbe, talks to Naval News
Naval News – Commander Submarines NATO (COMSUBNATO) operates within Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) based in Northwood, UK, and serves alongside peer commands NATO Maritime Air and NATO Surface Forces to form the operational backbone of NATO maritime activities.
Chinese Warships, Fighters Hold Snap Live Fire Drills 40 Miles Off Taiwan
USNI News – China carried out a “joint combat readiness patrol” drill on Wednesday in an area 40 nautical miles off Taiwan that included live fire drills, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, which condemned the drills and dispatched military forces to monitor the drills.
Canadian submarine returns to sea 14 years after collision
CTV – A Canadian military submarine that was heavily damaged when it ran aground off British Columbia in 2011 is back at sea for the first time since the collision, now undergoing mechanical trials near Victoria.
(Thanks to Alain)
Three tankers damaged by blasts in Mediterranean in the last month, causes unknown, sources say
Reuters – Three oil tankers have been damaged by blasts in the last month in separate incidents around the Mediterranean, with the causes unknown, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday.
(Thanks to Alain)
Belgian Louise-Marie Frigate Joins NATO Mission for Maritime Security
The Defence Post – The Belgian frigate Louise-Marie has joined a NATO mission to boost maritime security.
(Thanks to Alain)
French Carrier Drills With Philippine Armed Forces, Cobra Gold Kicks off This Week
USNI News – Aircraft carrier FS Charles De Gaulle (R91) made a port visit to the Philippines on Friday and Saturday after conducting drills in the South China Sea with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
China Drills Near Taiwan are ‘Rehearsals’ for Forced Reunification, Paparo Says
USNI News – China’s escalating military demonstrations of force toward Taiwan are “not exercises; they are rehearsals” for forced reunification with the mainland, the United States’ top military commander in the Indo-Pacific warned last week.
Drone-Equipped U.S. Marines Now Helping Protect Baltic Sea Submarine Cables
The War Zone – The deployment is part of NATO’s Baltic Sentry mission that was created after several suspected cable sabotage incidents.
Peregrine RWUAS deployed operationally by the Royal Navy for first time
Navy Lookout – The Peregrine Rotary Wing Uncrewed Air System (RWUAS) has been deployed from HMS Lancaster for the first time during live operations in the Middle East.
Planes diverted as China conducts rare military drill near Australia
BBC – Planes flying between Australia and New Zealand have been diverted as China conducts a closely-scrutinised military exercise in nearby waters that may involve live fire.
CMSI Note #12: Finally, A PLA Navy Missile Gap?
China Maritime Studies Institute – This month a PRC government-owned defense magazine published a special report on one of the U.S. Navy’s newer missiles, calling it a “huge threat” and predicting it will “massively change” the future of naval warfare. The missile? The AIM-174B, an air launched variant of the Navy’s Standard Missile 6 (SM-6). What is it about this weapon that warranted a special report by PRC experts?
Naval Group charges rival ThyssenKrupp with selling out submarine tech
Defense News – France’s Naval Group has criticized Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems for hurting European submarine vendors by transferring technology to countries that later managed to build their own boats for export.
Do US super-carriers make sense anymore? The BBC goes on board one
BBC – Even after years of rapid advances in Chinese military capabilities, the United States is still unrivalled in its capacity to project force anywhere around the world with its fleet of 11 super-carriers. But does a $13bn (£10bn) aircraft carrier which the latest Chinese missiles could sink in a matter of minutes make sense anymore – particularly in the age of Donald Trump?
Putin’s secret weapon: The threat to the UK lurking on our sea beds
BBC – How the West handles the threat of sabotage of undersea cables is just one of the many fronts on which it is attempting to deal with Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Is Trident really necessary? – answering common objections
Navy Lookout – In this article, we refute some of the arguments frequently presented by those campaigning for the UK to abandon its nuclear deterrent.
Startup Saronic to build ‘Port Alpha,’ next-gen shipyard focused on autonomous vessels
Breaking Defense – Off the back of a $600 million Series C funding round, Saronic, the Texas-based defense startup company, announced today it plans to build a “next-generation shipyard” focused on producing unmanned and autonomous vessels, dubbed “Port Alpha.”
Russian military moves to revive secret Soviet submarine base
The Ukrainian Weekly – As Russia’s war against Ukraine enters its fourth year, Ukraine’s growing offensive capabilities have forced the Russian military to work harder to protect its assets, including its battered Black Sea Fleet. Media reports indicate that Russia is now reviving “Object 825GTS” (“Объект 825ГТС”), a Soviet-era underground submarine base in Balaklava, Crimea. Built during the Soviet era from 1953 to 1961 to house and repair diesel-electric submarines, the facility was designed to shelter submarines from aerial and nuclear attacks.
(Thanks to Alain)
UK sets out Project CABOT ambition to deploy autonomous ASW screen in the North Atlantic
Naval News – The UK Royal Navy (RN) has outlined plans to exploit developments in remotely-operated and uncrewed/autonomous systems to deliver a deployable and persistent wide area anti-submarine warfare (ASW) search capability in the North Atlantic.
Germany investigates the possible sabotage of a warship just completed
Le Marin – According to several German media, the “Emden” corvette, which was to leave the Luerssen shipyard in Hamburg, was damaged in its propulsion system. The latter would have been filled with “tens of kilos of metal chips”.
(In French)
Thanks to Alain
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