– China Sign Post – China is now laying the diplomatic and legal foundations for a long-term naval presence in Djibouti, with a range of recent media reports alleging that Beijing is negotiating for naval access in the country. The facilities would likely be located at Obock, on Djibouti’s northern coast. While China will not formally call the facilities a “base” anytime soon, it will likely function in a manner that brings it awfully close to being one in all but name.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
U.S., Japan naval exercises make ‘big step forward’
– Reuters – The U.S. and Japanese navies established a new level of cooperation to resupply each others vessels during joint exercises in the seas south of Japan last week.
Royal Navy To Reduce Frigate Buy, Design Lighter Warship
– Defense News – The Royal Navy has cut plans to build 13 Type 26 frigates to eight and will launch a concept phase to design a new class of lighter warships to fill the gap.
Tokyo on guard after ‘peculiar’ Chinese naval ship sails near islets
– Nikkei Asian Review – Japanese officials are pondering the meaning of a Chinese navy spy ship’s passage near disputed East China Sea islets, a move some think is connected with Beijing’s self-declared air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over that body of water.
Bulava Trials: Russia’s Newest Intercontinental Missile Missed Target
– Mil.Today – Multiple launch of R-30 Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles from the K-551 Vladimir Monomakh nuclear submarine on November 14, 2015 ended with a partial failure. One out of two missiles failed to hit assigned targets on the Kura Range, Kamchatka.
U.K. To Buy 138 F-35s, Will Boost Fighter Squadrons
– Aviation Week – The Royal Navy was perhaps the biggest loser in this year’s defense review. Although both of the new carriers will be retained, the government has decided to only build eight of the new Type 26 Global Combat Ships rather than the expected 13.
France launches anti-IS strikes from carrier
– BBC – France has launched its first missions against Islamic State (IS) militants from its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
RAF search after ‘Russian submarine spotted off Scotland’
– BBC – An RAF plane is “conducting activity” off the Scottish coast, the Ministry of Defence says, amid reports of a Russian submarine being spotted in the area.
The Real Threat to America’s Military (And It’s Not China, Russia or Iran)
– National Interest – We can reallocate resources within services, or allocate resources away from the military, but we cannot reallocate resources across services.
Navy Warships to Sail by Mischief Reef
– Washington Free Beacon – Navy warships will sail close to a second disputed Chinese island in the South China Sea soon in a further challenge to Beijing’s military buildup and maritime control.
The Doomsday Scam
– New York Times Magazine – C.J. Chivers writes that for decades, aspiring bomb makers — including ISIS — have desperately tried to get their hands on a lethal substance called red mercury. There’s a reason that they never have.
Russian Ship Enters Red Sea on Anti-Piracy Mission
– Mil.Today – The Russian Northern Fleet’s large anti-submarine warfare ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov has passed through the Suez Canal and entered the Red Sea as part of its long-distance mission.
The Chinese Navy and the Quest for Access
– National Interest – In a quiet but undoubtedly significant event, Admiral Wu Shengli (吴胜利), commander of the People’s Liberation Army Navy and a member of the PRC’s Central Military Commission recently visited Malaysia with an entourage of 10 senior officials. During his visit, Admiral Wu secured agreement from the Malaysian Navy for the ships of the PLA Navy to use the port of Kota Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo as a “stopover location” to “strengthen defence ties between the two countries.”
Marine Corps Aviation Must Adapt To Become More ‘Value-Added’ to Naval Force
– USNI News – The Navy and Marine Corps should explore ways to make Marine aircraft a more useful part of the naval battle force – using alternate mixes of aircraft types on amphibious ship flight decks, finding additional missions for those aircraft, and pursuing increased connectivity to the rest of the naval fleet.
U.S. Navy, PLA Plan Exercise as South China Sea Gets Less Focus
– Bloomberg – The U.S. navy will participate in an exercise with a People’s Liberation Army vessel during its visit to China as increased tensions in the disputed South China Sea haven’t set back a “cordial” relationship.
China’s Submarine Solution for the Taiwan Strait
– USNI News – The Taiwan issue is reflected in the PLA Navy’s (PLAN) undersea force structure, which in recent years has heavily prioritized the construction of Type-39A Yuan-class conventional submarines (SSK). According to Naval War College professor and PLAN watcher Lyle Goldstein, the Yuan is “one of the sharpest spears in China’s maritime arsenal.”
Marines Testing Operating from Foreign Ships, Near-Forgotten Platforms to Bring Units Back to Sea
– USNI News – The Marine Corps is experimenting with the interoperability of its Marine Air Ground Task Forces (MAGTFs) with various non-traditional platforms, including rarely-used 1980s logistics ships and foreign navies’ amphibious ships, to help get its land-based units back out to sea.
An Imperative to Engage
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – The United States must realistically assess what we can (and can’t) get from working with the Chinese navy.
Essex Amphibious Ready Group, 15th MEU Set to Deploy Today from San Diego
– USNI News – The three-ship Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) will deploy today from Naval Station San Diego, Calif. for a deployment to the Western Pacific and the Middle East.
The US Navy Doesn’t Need an Expensive Aircraft Carrier Drone
– Defense One – UCLASS advocates say the plane has to be both survivable and armed to the teeth, but the Navy could use a simpler model.
Navy jets with extra fuel can’t be launched off new carrier
– Bloomberg – The U.S. Navy’s top warplanes can’t be launched off its newest aircraft carrier if they’re carrying fuel tanks needed to extend their flight range because the ship’s high-tech catapults cause too much wear.
US Navy – Navy Moving Two Additional BMD Destroyers To Japan
– USNI News – Two guided missile destroyers with the U.S. Navy’s latest ballistic missile defense (BMD) systems will be added to the service’s forward deployed forces in Japan by 2017.
US Navy – Maintaining the Relevance of the Future Carrier Air Wing
– National Interest – Why the UCLASS debate matters.
Chinese Navy – Chinese and Russian Radars On Track To See Through U.S. Stealth
– USNI News – A growing trend in Russian and Chinese radar could make U.S. stealth fighters easier to see and — more importantly — easier to target for potential adversaries.
US Navy – U.S Cruiser Returns to Black Sea ‘To Promote Peace And Stability’
– USNI News – The U.S. has sent a guided missile cruiser into the Black Sea on Wednesday as part of an ongoing presence mission following the Russian seizure of Crimea.
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