Naval News – ‘Hellscape’ is the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s future asymmetric battlefield. What does it look like and what does it involve?
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
Mare Nostrum Revisited: Maritime Competition in the Mediterranean
War on the Rocks – Today, with the return of great-power competition and the corresponding activities of revisionist actors in the wider Mediterranean region, the Mediterranean has come roaring back as a contested body of water. Following Russia’s invasions of Ukraine and the war in Gaza, this sea is once again what it has been for millennia: a zone of competition.
Will Russia’s Navy get the 50 ships it expects this year?
Defense News – The Russian Navy will receive about 50 ships of various classes this year, compared to 32 last year, according to the deputy minister of industry and trade.
Philippines Builds First BrahMos Anti-Ship Missile Base Facing South China Sea
Naval News – According to recently released satellite imagery, the Philippines’ first BrahMos anti-ship missile base is taking shape at a naval installation facing the South China Sea.
Think China can already take Taiwan easily? Think again.
Atlantic Council – By broadcasting the truth of Chinese vulnerabilities and Taiwanese strengths across multiple channels, Taiwan’s allies and partners can blunt the potency of Chinese propaganda and pave the way for a more informed and resilient approach to supporting Taiwan’s security, as well as stability across the Indo-Pacific.
Contested Seas: European Security and the Fragmentation of the Maritime Order
ISPI – Recent crises have demonstrated that maritime security is essential for international stability and Europe’s prosperity. This dossier examines the challenges to the maritime order and the governance and capabilities needed to address them, emphasizing the role of both state and non-state actors in shaping the global order at sea.
Are we sure China views sea power the same way the West does?
Defense News – Strategists are right to ask if the U.S. — or more broadly the West — understands the extent to which China values sea power as an enabler for grand strategy. Are we mirroring or projecting our reasonable and rational expectations onto Beijing?
Battles in the Black Sea Changing the Character of Naval Warfare, Experts Say
USNI News – The future of naval warfare is happening in the Black Sea.
Russia Rushes To Complete Huge New Defenses Of Kerch Bridge
Naval News – Russia continues to bulk up its defenses of the vital Crimean bridge in Kerch. The bridge has been attacked twice already, and is undoubtedly high on Ukraine’s target list. With such importance, it appears unlikely that these new defenses will be sufficient.
Strike from the sea – developing the UK Commando Force
Navy Lookout – The Royal Marines have been undergoing a rapid transformation in the last 5 years. Here we take an overview of their new operating concepts and the enablers that will be needed to ensure future credibility.
V-22 Ospreys barred from full mission capability until ‘mid-2025’: NAVAIR boss
Breaking Defense – Although the tiltrotor aircraft is back in the skies, it’s restricted to flying within 30 minutes of an airfield. And now, a senior official revealed today it likely won’t resume its full mission profile until mid-2025.
Unprecedented corrosion discovered on Collins Class submarines, half of fleet to remain out of service this year
ABC – Half of Australia’s Collins Class submarine fleet will remain out of the water for the rest of the year with unprecedented corrosion problems discovered on two of the ageing boats.
(Thanks to Alain)
The Future of the Navy’s Underwater Component (2025-2050)
Ad Analisidifesa – On the occasion of the Combined Naval Event (CNE) 2024, an important conference-exhibition on the naval sector that is now held annually in Great Britain (Farnborough) in May, and this year particularly focused on the underwater, the Italian Navy has provided more details on the future plans of its underwater component.
(In Italian)
(Thanks to Alain)
Houthi Drone Boat Strikes Ship For First Time Since Red Sea Crisis Erupted
The War Zone – A Liberian-flagged bulk carrier is taking on water and not under the command of its crew after being hit by a Houthi drone boat.
First Look At The US Navy’s Orca XLUUV With Massive Payload Module
Naval News – Images have surfaced showing, for the first time, the U.S. Navy’s Orca Extra Large Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) fitted with a payload section.
Bill aims to strengthen contested logistics strategy in Pacific
Defense News – As the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Pacific face down an increasingly aggressive China, a bi[artisan bill introduced in the Senate aims to strengthen the relationship between the U.S. and key countries in the region in order to better protect supply lines and ensure sustained operations, should a conflict occur.
Russian Nuclear Sub, Frigate with Long Range Land Attack Missiles Operating Off East Coast
USNI News – A nuclear Russian submarine carrying guided missiles with a range of 1,000 nautical miles is operating off the East Coast as part of Russian missile drills in the Atlantic.
Kazan, a Yasen-M-class guided missile submarine, is part of a naval action group the Russian Ministry of Defense deployed to the Atlantic. The group is bound for the Caribbean as part of military drills ordered by the Kremlin against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, according to the MoD.
Denial is the Worst Except For All the Others: Getting the U.S. Theory of Victory Right For a War With China
War on the Rocks – A denial theory of victory does not guarantee success, but it offers the best chance to strike an effective balance between the desire to win the war and the imperative to manage escalation.
Philippines To Restore Subic Bay Airfield For South China Sea Ops
Naval News – The new Philippine Air Force forward operating base is set to host the service’s maritime patrol assets dedicated for the South China Sea.
The 50 Year Dilemma in Aircraft Carrier Design and the Future of American Naval Aviation
CIMSEC – The fifty-year dilemma of today’s aircraft carriers and airwings is how to embrace various technological developments in unmanned platforms, long-range weapons, and new methods of processing massive amounts of targeting data. Wartime experience in the Pacific clarifies that getting this right is never assured. Building flexibility and adaptability is paramount for today’s aircraft carriers and airwing.
A Chinese Economic Blockade of Taiwan Would Fail or Launch a War
War on the Rocks – Having spent years conducting extensive wargames with senior U.S. and allied government officials on the various cross-strait threat scenarios, I am confident, as I write in my recently released book World on the Brink, that an economic blockade in lieu of a full-scale military invasion has a low probability of success and, therefore, Beijing is unlikely to pursue such an operation and, indeed, hasn’t attempted it yet even though it has had the capability to do so for decades. In fact, an attempted economic blockade would almost inevitably lead to war or a humiliating defeat by China.
Italian Carrier Strike Group Starts Five-Month Deployment To The Indo-Pacific
Naval News – The Italian Navy’s Carrier Strike Group based on the Cavour (CVH 550) STOVL aircraft carrier escorted by the Alpino (F 594) Bergamini-class frigate has left the Taranto naval base on 1st June for a five-month operational campaign across the Indo-Pacific region.
A Concept of Operations For the U.S. Navy’s Hybrid Fleet
CIMSEC – The concept of operations proposed is to marry various size unmanned surface, subsurface and aerial unmanned vehicles to perform missions that the U.S. Navy has—and will continue to have—as the Navy-After-Next evolves. Simply put, the Navy can use the evolving large, unmanned surface vehicle as a “truck” to move smaller USVs, UUVs and UAVs into the battle space in the contested littoral and expeditionary environment.
Russian Submarine Hit By Missiles Now In New Hiding Place In Sevastopol
Naval News – The Russian Navy Kilo Class submarine which was hit by Storm Shadow / SCALP cruise missiles has been moved. The Rostov on Don is now in a new hiding place further inside the Crimean port of Sevastopol. It is camouflaged but has not gone unnoticed.
Australia to move forward with Collins-class life extension, but scales back upgrades
Breaking Defense – Australia is moving forward with its plan to conduct a $4 to $5 billion life extension on its Collins-class submarines, with HMAS Farncomb (SSG-74) first in line, but has scaled back previously planned upgrades, the government announced today.
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