USNI News – The U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard say they need to begin acting more assertively to push back against gray-zone operations China is already conducting today. That means having more forward forces to deter, to document malign behaviors and to support partners as they protect their territory, according to service leaders.

USNI News – The Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard released their clearest argument yet for what they need to do to be prepared to take on China – not in a hypothetical future scenario, but in the day-to-day competition happening now on the seas.

The document can be found here.

USNI News – The United States “needs resilient people and resilient equipment” to meet mounting security and economic challenges posed by Russia and China, according to a panel of Arctic security experts.

The Hill – James Holmes writes that war never changes. War changes all the time — sometimes in revolutionary ways. These sentences do not contradict each other. 

Defense News – Repeated failures in the propulsion train on the Freedom-class littoral combat ships Little Rock and Detroit have raised the specter of a class-wide design flaw that could trigger an expensive reworking of a crucial component on 17 of the Navy’s small surface combatants.

USNI News – Operating in the Eastern Pacific with a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment (LEDET) aboard, the USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) interdicted a so-called narco submarine on Dec. 5.

Defense News – The U.S. Navy test-fired its new Block V Tomahawk from the destroyer Chafee in December, introducing the newest generation of the venerable Tomahawk cruise missile to its arsenal.

Defense News – Experts and analysts who reviewed the plan for Defense News were skeptical of the mechanisms that the White House Office of Management and Budget used to pay for the increases, including assuming a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, back office savings and cutting legacy equipment.

War Zone – The U.S. Navy has announced that its Boeing MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aerial vehicles, which will provide aerial refueling from its aircraft carriers, will be operated by warrant officer with a new specialty designation — the Aerial Vehicle Operator.

Forbes – The U.S. Navy has deployed new drones launched from submarines to spy out targets and enable torpedo attacks on ships sailing far beyond the horizon. By acting as the sub’s eyes and ears, the drone can greatly increase its strike range – and keep the submarine well away from any defensive weapons or sensors.

USNI News – The administration today released a long-range Navy shipbuilding plan that is likely to set up a fight for resources between the Navy and its sister services and between the Pentagon and Congress over how quickly to pursue these changes.

War Zone – The U.S. Navy recently announced that it was interested in acquiring unmanned aircraft that its submarines could launch from the three-inch launchers they all have for deploying signal flares and marine markers. At the same time, earlier this year, an Israeli firm unveiled a line of encapsulated drones that can be deployed from 40mm infantry grenade launchers, 66mm grenade launchers on vehicles, as well as underwater launch systems.

Modern War Institute – Today’s topic was the Navy and modern war. Our guest speaker was Rear Adm. Lorin Selby, Chief of Naval Research, United States Navy. He is responsible for the Naval Research Enterprise—the “venture capital” of the Navy and Marine Corps. It’s made up of the Office of Naval Research (ONR), ONR Global, the Naval Research Laboratory, and PMR-51, which is responsible for special projects.

CIMSEC – The story of the treaty cruisers offers lessons for today’s Navy to creatively solve problems around hard constraints and innovate at the fleet level while building up for great power competition.

War Zone – The USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower will have deployed twice in 12 months, which puts immense strain on the ships and their crews.

Naval News – French President Emmanuel Macron today officially green lighted the construction of a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier as part of the PANG program. The future flag ship of the Marine Nationale is intended to replace the existing “Charles de Gaulle” around 2038.

Motley Fool – Who wants to win the contract for one of the Navy’s cheapest warships?

Defense News – The name of the game in the Pacific is stand-off range. But with longer range torpedoes and anti-ship missiles in the arsenal, submariners are looking to a new domain to help them extend their deadly reach: The air.

War Zone – The Pentagon is pushing its naval fleet to the brink and this is manifesting itself in its vessels appearing run-down after sustained operations.

Defense News – The U.S. Navy will have to set up a land-based testing site for the engineering plant destined for its new Constellation-class frigate program, according to a provision in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act on President Trump’s desk.

War Zone – One of Lockheed’s top laser minds tells about the limits of current tech and what is needed to make lasers more prevalent on tomorrow’s battlefield.

USNI News – The Navy and Marine Corps plan to conduct a large scale exercise involving multiple strike groups and multiple numbered fleets next year, after the original plans for a Large Scale Exercise 2020 this year were postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

USNI News – The Marine Corps’ first carrier-capable squadron of F-35C Lightning II jets reached initial operational capability on Tuesday, a key certification ahead of its first deployment on an aircraft carrier.

War Zone – It may sound like a joke, but it actually fits with the Navy’s updated ship naming conventions, and especially for the new class of frigates.

USNI News – The Navy and Marine Corps need to grow their capacity to move people and supplies to and around a contested sea space – using both manned and unmanned ships and aircraft – and the service leaders asked lawmakers today for help in creating a supply chain that can stand up to a peer competitor.