– National Interest – On October 27, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency released a slideshow showing what the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) touted as the country’s first nuclear ballistic-missile submarine (SSBN). Though the “unveiling” of China’s Type 092 Xia-class SSBN comes as no surprise, Beijing’s open display of the submarine, coupled with technical improvements to the Chinese JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), raises the question of whether China is approaching a credible sea-based nuclear deterrent.
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
US Navy – America’s Undersea Advantage is Eroding
– The Diplomat – With the U.S. Navy’s diminishing submarines and outdated armaments, the undersea balance in Asia is changing.
Iranian Navy – Iran Launches New Submarine Class
– USNI News – Iran has launched a new class of indigenous submarine. The construction of the 500-ton submarine demonstrates an improvement in Iran’s ability to produce military hardware despite the ongoing sanctions on the country.
US Navy – Full Speed Ahead
– Aviation Week – The Joint High-Speed Vessel (JHSV) program is certainly getting a lot of attention these days.
Iranian Navy – Iran deploys warships after overhaul
– AP – Iran’s official news agency says the country has redeployed two warships after refitting them with new anti-ship missiles.
US Navy – Syrian chemical arms ‘to be destroyed on US Navy ship’
– BBC – The body charged with overseeing the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons has confirmed some will be “neutralised” aboard a US Navy ship.
Operations Other Than War – China’s Hospital Ship Helps Out in The Philippines—America’s Stays Home
– War is Boing – The Chinese navy’s giant hospital ship Peace Ark has begun search-and-rescue operations in The Philippines, some three weeks after one of history’s biggest recorded typhoons smashed into the archipelago nation and killed thousands of people. Meanwhile America’s own Pacific Ocean hospital ship, the much larger Mercy, remains in port in California—Washington having determined that, nearly a month after the storm, Manila no longer needs the vessel’s expansive, cutting-edge facilities.
US Navy – China’s presence looms amid massive U.S.-Japanese AnnualEx war games
– CNN – The deafening roar of state-of-the-art warplanes being catapulted into the air from its huge flight deck signaled that the USS George Washington was back in combat mode after its recent detour to the Philippines to take part in the aid effort in the wake of Super Typhoon Haiyan…
Afghanistan – How Is Hamid Karzai Still Standing?
– New York Times Magazine – Enemies left, enemies right, and then there’s his family. Building an Afghan legacy is even more complicated than it appears.
Indian Navy – India’s Emerging Blue-Water Navy
– The Diplomat – Delivery of a new aircraft carrier caps a mostly impressive year for the Indian Navy.
Operations Other Than War – HMS Illustrious crew miss Christmas to deliver aid
– BBC – When the decision was taken to deploy HMS Illustrious to the Philippines it was patrolling for pirates off the coast of Somalia.
US Navy – US B-52 bombers challenge disputed China air zone
– BBC – The US has flown two B-52 bombers over disputed islands in the East China Sea in defiance of new Chinese air defence rules, officials say.
Operations Other Than War – Marines wield soft power in Pacific
– San Diego Union Tribune – Disaster response and buildup of forces key to Asia rebalance.
Chinese Navy – Watch This Space: China’s New Air Defense Zone
– Wall Street Journal – Effective 10 a.m. on Nov. 23, Beijing declared an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) covering a significant portion of the East China Sea. The Chinese air force soon conducted its first patrol in the zone, with two large reconnaissance aircraft monitoring the area, early warning aircraft supporting and fighters providing cover.
Chinese Navy – China’s Air-Sea Battle Plan for the South China Sea
– The Diplomat – Last week a senior PLA officer detailed China’s plans for establishing air and sea control over the South China Sea.
Chinese Navy – China establishes ‘air-defence zone’ over East China Sea
– BBC – China has demarcated an “air-defence identification zone” over an area of the East China Sea, covering islands that are also claimed by Japan.
Canadian Navy – The Future of Canada’s Navy
– Real Clear Defense – Maritime power is hardly the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of Canada. Yet, Canada’s coastline is the longest in the world, amounting to 243,000 kilometres. With access to three oceans – Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific – the world’s waterways are certainly integral to Canadian security. That the Royal Canadian Navy has been neglected in the budgets of successive Canadian governments has played some part in building the perception of the country as a non-actor in maritime affairs. But the tide may be turning.
Geopolitics / Energy – Pipelines Of Empire
– Forbes – Robert D. Kaplan writes that “To understand the current pressures upon Europe from the east it is necessary to draw a map of energy pipelines.”
US Navy – Navy Shifts Plans to Acquire a Tougher UCLASS
– USNI News – The U.S. Navy appears to have shifted its position on the requirements for its next generation carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Instead of developing the planned Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) to only conduct operations in uncontested airspace, the service will instead pursue a design that can be adapted over time to operating against higher threat levels.
Operations Other Than War – In the Disaster Zone, Marine V-22s Finally Deliver on Tiltrotor Promise
– War is Boring – Controversial tiltrotors revamping their reputation in The Philippines.
Miscellaneous – Asia’s Submarine Race
– USNI News – Last week’s delivery of the improved Kilo-class submarine Ha Noi to the government of Vietnam was just the latest undersea-vessel acquisition of Asian navies. Asia is in the midst of a submarine buying spree, with most of the major powers planning substantial fleet increases over the next two decades.
Indian Navy – Indian Navy Commissions New Carrier
– USNI News – The Indian Navy has commissioned its Russian-built aircraft carrier in a Saturday ceremony.
Chinese Navy – 1st Sub-launched Nuke Missile Among China’s Recent Strides
– Defense News – For the first time in the country’s history, China’s sea-based nuclear deterrent nears initial operational capability (IOC), according to a forthcoming report by a US congressional commission on China. China’s JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile could reach IOC later this year, according to an early draft of the report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
Russian Navy – Russia’s Future Subs Could Be Smaller, Quieter, Cheaper—And Totally Unsuitable
– War is Boring – In coming decades, the Russian navy could replace its nuclear-powered submarines with battery-powered models that are smaller, harder to detect and cheaper to build. But the non-nuclear approach to future subs is risky, particularly for under-ice Arctic operations. It’s not for no reason that the world’s leading undersea power, the United States, is committed to an all-nuke sub fleet.
Operations Other Than War – HMS Daring arrives in Philippines to aid Typhoon Haiyan victims
– BBC – British warship HMS Daring has docked in the Philippines to help the UK’s emergency response to Typhoon Haiyan.
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