Arsenal of Democracy: Myth or Model – Lessons for 21st Century Planning

CIMSEC – A protracted war between the United States and China would demand immense quantities of munitions and would require the industrial base to grow to meet these demands. This is industrial mobilization, a topic the nation has not seriously considered since the end of the Cold War. Given this lapse in focus, it is only natural to look to the nation’s last major mobilization for great power war, World War II, as a model for the future.

North Korea Guided-Missile Destroyer Choe Hyon Moves to Next Phase, Ship Could be Armed with Nuclear Weapons

USNI News – Kim visited destroyer Choe Hyon’s (51) on Monday and was briefed by senior military leaders on the 5,000-ton destroyer’s various systems, a Tuesday report by state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. During the visit, Kim underlined the importance of completing ongoing trials and assessments of Choe Hyon by the scheduled deadlines in August and September to conduct the destroyer’s performance and operational capability assessment in October as planned. KCNA reported the North Korea leader expressed satisfaction that the major tasks for modernizing and arming the destroyer with nuclear weapons is progressing on a stage-by-stage basis as planned. Kim was briefed on the composition of the destroyer’s integrated operations system.

Repurposing the US Navy’s Zumwalt-class destroyers with hypersonic strike capability

Navy Lookout – The US Navy’s Zumwalt-class destroyer programme appeared at one stage to be a technical over-reach leading to an expensive dead end. Instead, they are now being repurposed to carry the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic missile system. Here, we examine the progress, challenges, and strategic implications of equipping these futuristic warships with hypersonic strike capabilities.

China Maritime Report #49: The PLAN Corruption Paradox: Insights from the 1st Destroyer Flotilla

China Maritime Studies Institute – Like all organizations led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the People Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) suffers from endemic corruption, defined as the personal abuse of power for selfish ends…Due to the approaches adopted by units such as the 1st Destroyer Flotilla, individuals in positions of power have less leeway to engage in corrupt behavior, thereby increasing the probability that the most capable officers (commissioned and non-commissioned) will be selected for leadership positions.

Historic F-35 cross-decking between Royal Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force

Navy Lookout – HMS Prince of Wales has concluded a landmark series of joint operations with the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force in the Philippine Sea, the first time a UK jet has landed on a Japanese warship. The exercise, part of Operation HIGHMAST, brought together four powerful multinational task groups.

CMSI Translations #22: Implications of the U.S. Navy’s “Sea Base” Construction for Equipment Support in Cross-Sea Landing Operations

China Maritime Studies Institute – Cross-sea landing operations (跨海登陆作战) is one of the primary forms of warfare for which our military is preparing, both for the present and for a period into the future. How to provide timely, reliable, continuous, and efficient equipment support for cross-sea landing operations is a critical matter requiring urgent research. The U.S. military was the first to propose the operational concept of “seabasing” to enable sea-based logistics and equipment support for forward-deployed task forces, thereby providing critical sustainment for out-of-area military operations. This seabasing initiative has important implications and provides a valuable reference for enhancing our military’s equipment support capabilities for cross-sea landing operations.