– The Diplomat – What does the U.S. Navy’s first freedom of navigation operation near a Chinese man-made island really mean?

– Reuters – While the U.S. Navy is expected to keep its technological edge in Asia for decades, China’s potential trump card is sheer weight of numbers, with dozens of naval and coastguard vessels routinely deployed in the South China Sea.

– BBC – A US Navy ship has sailed close to artificial islands built by China in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, US defence officials have said. Guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen breached the 12-nautical mile zone China claims around Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago.

– USNI News – The new director of undersea warfare (OPNAV N97) is looking to extend the Navy’s asymmetrical advantage by investing in longer-range targeting, electromagnetic warfare tools and other capabilities to help submarine forces operate effectively into the future.

– USNI News – The Navy is investigating adding an anti-ship missile to its submarine force — bringing it inline with the majority of the world naval submarines.

– Reuters – The U.S. military and eight allied countries on Tuesday worked together to simultaneously intercept dummy ballistic and cruise missiles off the coast of Scotland, the U.S. Navy said, calling the test an important first demonstration of that capability in Europe.

– USNI News – Whereas a high sprint speed was a driving factor in designing the Littoral Combat Ship, the follow-on frigate will instead be optimized for lethality and survivability.

– Jane’s – In a sign that the annual ‘Malabar’ naval exercise is growing in scope and complexity, the US Navy (USN) is introducing the concept of a composite rotary wing detachment element for the first time. The detachment, which comprises one Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopter and one Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle, is being operated out of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Fort Worth (LCS 3).

– Daily Telegraph – US Navy recruits to learn how to navigate using the stars as America grows increasingly worried about possible hacking of computer navigation systems

– National Interest – While the requirement for a carrier-based long-range strike capability is a frequent subject of discussion around Washington, the U.S. Navy’s need for improved air superiority capabilities is often neglected.

– Breaking Defense – At $4.7 billion over budget, Ford-class aircraft carriers have taken a beating in Congress. This morning, though, the House Seapower subcommittee chairman will roll out a report from the conservative Hudson Institute that’s a ringing defense of the carrier — but which also contains a stinging indictment of the aircraft that fly from it. The report calls for upgrading current multi-mission planes for longer range and building multiple new types of more specialized aircraft, potentially including two different models of UCLASS drone.

– Stars and Stripes – The USS Theodore Roosevelt exited the Persian Gulf on Friday, a Navy spokesman said, marking the first time since 2007 the U.S. hasn’t had an aircraft carrier deployed there.

– USNI News – The Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit departed Oct. 6 from the East Coast for a deployment to the Middle East.

– War is Boring – The Government Accountability Office has slammed the U.S. Navy for badly managing its plans to buy new Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers. Too late to do anything about delays and soaring costs, the top government watchdog hopes the boondoggle will at least be a teachable moment.

– USNI News – Guided missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG-64) arrived at Naval Station Rota, Spain on Friday completing the forward deployment of four ballistic missile defense (BMD) destroyers as part of the U.S. European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) to BMD.

– Los Angeles Times – America’s most advanced nuclear submarine was slicing through the water off Hawaii last month, 400 feet under the surface, when a sonar operator suddenly detected an ominous noise on his headphones. It was a faint thump … thump … thump — the distinctive sound of a spinning, seven-bladed propeller on a Chinese attack submarine called a Shang by the Pentagon and its allies.

– Washington Post – The USS Theodore Roosevelt, whose homeport is San Diego, is a key element of the U.S.-led coalition known as Operation Inherent Resolve that is targeting the militants in Syria and Iraq. This island of steel in the Persian Gulf, some 1,090 feet (330 meters) long, is home to some 5,000 U.S. Navy aviators, sailors and Marine pilots, carrying about 70 aircraft involved in the fight.

– UPI – The U.S. Navy reports that its Pacific Submarine Force has successfully demonstrated its capability at clandestinely deploying mines.

– USNI – The four ballistic missile defense destroyers patrolling 6th Fleet will get a self-protection upgrade beginning this year, as the Navy integrates Raytheon’s Sea Rolling Airframe Missile (SeaRAM) onto its Aegis-equipped Arleigh Burke-class destroyers (DDG-51) for the first time.

– CBC – The U.S. Navy agreed to limit its use of sonar and other training that inadvertently harms whales, dolphins and other marine mammals off Hawaii and California in a settlement with environmental groups approved Monday.

– USNI News – The Obama administration is considering conducting more freedom of navigation missions in the South China Sea as a partial counter to China’s rapid artificial island expansion in the region, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs told a Senate panel on Thursday.

– USNI News – Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and the Maine congressional delegation have thrown their support behind finishing the third Zumwalt-class guided missile destroyer — one that the Department of Defense is studying canceling.

– USNI News – The Navy’s newest aircraft carrier may see a two-year delay in its maiden deployment, after Pentagon officials announced last month it would be put through shock trials before being allowed overseas.

– USNI News – The Navy is nine months into its new deployment model – the Optimized Fleet Response Plan (OFRP) – designed to keep carrier strike groups from unexpectedly long deployments and allow time for needed ship upkeep. The plan promises to make life more predictable for sailors and maintainers, but service officials are already running into roadblocks that, if not addressed by Navy leadership and Congress, could exacerbate gaps in overseas carrier presence and further burden the maintenance community.

– USNI News – Navy Secretary Ray Mabus redesignated three new ship classes to give them more traditional three-letter names.