Norway Faces a New Era of Russian Newpolitik in the Arctic

CIMSEC – This writing discusses the deteriorating strategic environment that will challenge Norwegian security again in the coming decades, and the necessary responses to them. The Norwegian National Security Strategy must address these challenges by refocusing NATO, enhancing bilateral partnerships, and strengthening the Norwegian Armed Forces.

The Navy’s new normal: What a modern deployment looks like aboard the USS Truman

Virginian Pilot – This is what a modern deployment looks like for Norfolk-based ships in an era of a resurgent Russia and with the U.S. determined to operate wherever it wants in an effort to crush the Islamic State group. No ship illustrates that more than the aircraft carrier USS Truman as it nears the end of an eight-month deployment.

How does China’s first aircraft carrier stack up?

CSIS – The entry of China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, into service with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) attracted considerable attention from both the Chinese press and military observers around the world. For some, the Liaoning was a symbol of China’s global power; for others, it represented a significant first step toward a more muscular and assertive Chinese navy.

Aussies Lead Pacific Pack In Amphib Ops

Breaking Defense – America’s Pacific partners are building up their amphibious forces, but they can’t storm a beach against a high-tech adversary like China. Even the most advanced allies — Australia, Japan, and South Korea — would need US support for a raid against a well-armed terrorist group, especially in command & control, logistics, and helicopters.

The 1974 Paracels Sea Battle: A Campaign Appraisal

US Naval War College Review – On 19 January 1974, the Chinese and South Vietnamese navies clashed near the disputed Paracel Islands. The short but intense battle left China in control of seemingly unremarkable spits of land and surrounding waters in the South China Sea. The skirmish involved small, secondhand combatants armed with outdated weaponry. The fighting lasted for several hours, producing modest casualties in ships and men. The incident merited little public attention, especially when compared with past titanic struggles at sea, such as those of the two world wars. Unsurprisingly, the battle remains an understudied, if not forgotten, episode in naval history. But its obscurity is undeserved. Newly available Chinese-language sources reveal a far more complex naval operation than is commonly depicted in Western scholarship…

Who’s At The Helm? The Past, Present and Future Leaders of China’s Navy

US Naval War College Review – China’s navy is undergoing a leadership transition not seen in a generation. Between late 2014 and the time of this writing (spring 2015), the upper echelons of leadership within the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy, or PLAN) began experiencing substantial change in personnel, with eleven of the fourteen positions on the navy’s Party Committee Standing Committee (referred to below as the PLAN Standing Committee)—the navy’s highest decision- making body—turning over.