Naval News – On February 06, 2025, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ accepted the delivery of the new homegrown drone and helicopter carrier ship Shahid Bahman Bagheri during a ceremony in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas.
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
China’s Vulnerabilities Should Not Breed Complacency
National Interest – James Holmes writes that the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army are unquestionably guilty of self-defeating behavior. But American military planners should not push their positive assessment too far.
What will be the real consequences of axing the Royal Navy’s LPDs?
Navy Lookout – On 20th November 2024, the Defence Secretary announced that HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark would be decommissioned. Here we look at the context, justifications and potential consequences of this decision.
Notes to New Administration Week
CIMSEC – An excellent series of short notes on what the new U.S. administration can consider to strengthen American naval power, reinforce alliances, and compete effectively against great powers. Authors examined a multitude of issues and offered recommendations for reform. From shipbuilding shortfalls to competing with China, to reinforcing alliances and strengthening logistics, the new administration faces many challenges and opportunities in the maritime domain.
Northern Fleet faces wide gap between ambitions and resources, intel report
The Barents Observer – The combat power of the Russian Navy is under pressure and forces the Northern Fleet to choose between solving missions and performing necessary maintenance, the Norwegian Intelligence Service says.
Marines Want New Class of Aviation Support Ships
USNI News – With the impending retirement of the aging Wright-class, the Marine Corps wants a new class of aviation logistics support ships, according to the 2025 aviation plan released this week. The Marines currently have two aviation support ships that serve as floating repair stations with detachments of embarked Marines that can perform up-to-depot-level maintenance on Marine aircraft.
New Unreported Submarine In China Leaves West Guessing
Naval News – China’s incredible naval expansion and modernization continues. The latest surprise is yet another new and unexplained submarine. The boat, whose designation is unknown, has a distinctive ultra-modern layout.
Italian Navy Deploys Marceglia FREMM Frigate to the Indo-Pacific
Naval News – The Italian Navy’s Bergamini-class frigate ITS Antonio Marceglia (F-597) departed from La Spezia on January 20, 2025, en route to Indo-Pacific region to take part in exercises, exhibitions and visit regional countries.
Leidos Eyes Oil Rigs for Logistical Hubs, Faster VLS Reloading
Naval News – Naval News catches up with Ledios Gibbs and Cox on their efforts to enhance logistics in the Indo-Pacific and speed up VLS reloading through the Mobile Depot Platform concept.
French Navy’s new Falcon 2000LXS Albatros aircraft performs maiden flight
Naval News – The French Navy’s first Falcon 2000LXS Albatros maritime surveillance aircraft performed its maiden flight. Designed to replace aging Falcon 50s and Guardians as part of the AVSIMAR program, the new aircraft made its maiden flight in Bordeaux on January 24.
‘Considerable’ effects: How the Osprey groundings hit one Navy wing
Breaking Defense – The three-month grounding of the Pentagon’s V-22 Osprey fleets last year had “considerable” impact on the Navy’s aviators and crews at a time when the service is transitioning to the Osprey as its primary aircraft for ferrying personnel and cargo.
Marine Corps cutting F-35B buy for more F-35Cs: New aviation plan
Breaking Defense – The Marine Corps is shifting the balance of F-35 Joint Strike Fightersit intends to buy, opting to purchase dozens more carrier-based variants in lieu of the short-take-off and vertical landing variant, according to the service’s new 2025 aviation plan.
Is It Sabotage? Unraveling the Mystery of Undersea Cable Breaks
Telegeography – Cable faults were once an aspect of the industry entirely hidden from common view. Nowadays, any cable fault in the Baltic or off the coast of Taiwan is guaranteed to result in a flurry of headlines like “Another Undersea Cable Attacked in the Baltic Sea.”
Severed undersea cables raise legal challenges for NATO
Defense News – The increased frequency of underwater infrastructure damage across Europe has raised legal challenges related to the jurisdiction and ownership of undersea cables, which may limit NATO’s ability to respond.
11 Baltic cables damaged in 15 months, pushing NATO to boost security
Defense News – With its powerful camera, the French Navy surveillance plane scouring the Baltic Sea zoomed in on a cargo ship plowing the waters below — closer, closer and closer still until the camera operator could make out details on the vessel’s front deck and smoke pouring from its chimney.
Royal Navy submarine diplomacy: sending a warning to Russia
Navy Lookout – In this article, we consider in more detail the implications following the revelation that an RN submarine deliberately surfaced close to the Russian spy ship Yantar in November 2024.
USS Gerald R. Ford Was Still Struggling With Its Dual Band Radar Prior To Deployment
The War Zone – The Ford is the only ship to have the full Dual Band Radar suite installed, and the Navy plans to replace it in the future.
The Invasion That Never Was
Naval History – Operation Causeway, the proposed invasion of Formosa, was shelved to clear the way for the invasion of the Philippines. But Causeway’s plans underscored relevant lessons for today’s concerns in the South China Sea.
NATO 2099 – The science fiction anthology
NATO – A collection of FICINT short stories on the future of NATO.
Fighting to Supply the Fight—Assessing Approaches for Overcoming Contested Logistics
Naval War College Review – A potential conflict in the western Pacific would entail the most challenging logistics and resupply task the U.S. Navy has faced in decades, possibly ever. Three possible approaches, making innovative use of new data and artificial intelligence tools, can guide investments and doctrine to prepare the joint force for that potential fight.
Part III: A Maritime Nation by Necessity
Center for Maritime Security – There is a time to pose questions, and there is a time to propose answers. Today requires that we do both in order that America’s non-military maritime industries flourish, for there can be no doubt that American shipbuilding has declined catastrophically since the end of the Korean War. Total output for this period, in terms of tonnage per year, has dropped by more than 85 percent. The reduction in American shipyards capable of building large vessels matches this decay. Without an adequate shipyard base and the maintenance of the myriad of correlated domestic industries, American naval supremacy is certain to be challenged.
The Study and Utility of Naval History
US Naval War College Review – The proper study of military history is essential to being an effective officer, especially at the higher levels of command—but its misuse can lead to disaster.
Neither Fish Nor Fowl: China’s Develoopment of a Nuclear Battery AIP Submarine
CIMSEC – On September 27, 2024, news broke that a previously unreported new type of Chinese nuclear-powered submarine, dubbed the “Type 041,” had suffered a major mishap at its fitting out pier at the Wuchang shipyard in Wuhan, according to unnamed Pentagon sources. Submarine expert Thomas Shugart had previously spotted an unknown submarine with a distinct x-shaped stern at Wuchang Shipyard from satellite imagery taken on 26 April 2024, and days later reported unusual crane activity at the same pier location from June 2024 imagery, speculating that the new boat suffered a serious incident. Even more intriguing and consequential than the question of whether a submarine incident of some sort actually did occur at Wuchang or not, is however another issue: What type of “nuclear-powered submarine” could this new design possibly be?
NATO 2099 graphic novel imagines the future of the Alliance
NATO – An interesting FICINT graphic novel from NATO. The NATO 2099 graphic novel takes place in a world that experienced a devastating series of global maritime attacks throughout the 2050s. During these ‘Sea Wars’, small groups of malicious actors used unmanned technologies to blow up the warships of national navies, hold cruise ships hostage for ransom, and commit terrorist acts against civilians. After working together to defeat the networks of terrorist groups and private militias, the governments of the world signed a treaty that has kept the peace for almost 40 years. But now, in 2099, a new threat emerges in space…
We Went With Marine F-35Bs As They Fought A Mock War From A Pacific Island
The War Zone – F-35Bs and C-17As fighting their way to, from, and out of the island is the best glimpse yet at what Pacific combat may look like for Marine Joint Strike Fighters.
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