– National Interest – James Holmes writes: “Do not content yourself with improving on existing boats, or even on long-cherished ideas about what a submarine is or how it ought to do business.”

– CIMSEC – By harnessing unmanned systems and machine learning, the U.S. Navy can bridge the gap between its own mine countermeasures capability and the growing mine warfare threat.

– War Zone – The system being moved represents a big leap in ship-based directed energy capabilities and is slated to be tested aboard USS Portland.

– Defense and Aerospace Report – Chris Cavas writes that the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is the most expensive ship ever built by the US government, and quite possibly by any government…The ship is a long way from being ready to take to the seas in defense of the nation.

– War on the Rocks – Claude Berube writes that for the Navy’s intelligence community, the most appropriate historical precedent isn’t Pearl Harbor — it’s the Battle of Jutland. A cyber Pearl Harbor suggests a surprise attack. The United States is already in the midst of a great power competition with China and Russia, and the pieces are already moving on the ocean’s chessboard. Jutland was a famous WWI naval clash where capable British forces were hamstrung by tradition and conservatism, and ultimately proved unable to strike a decisive victory over the German High Seas Fleet. Today’s naval intelligence faces a similar set of challenges.

– War on the Rocks – It may be time to demote Mahan’s masterpiece to the second rung, in favor of paying increased attention to Julian Corbett — particularly his tour de force, Some Principles of Maritime Strategy — whose writings demonstrate a better awareness of complex geostrategic environments than Mahan typically contemplated.

– USNI News – The Navy wrapped up sea trials on its newest Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB), the future Miguel Keith (ESB-5), after a 2018 shipyard accident and damage to the hull.

– CIMSEC – CIMSEC had the opportunity to discuss with Admiral James Stavridis (ret.) his latest book, Sailing True North: Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character. In this book Adm. Stavridis profiles ten historical admirals, revealing their character traits, leadership skills, and what their life accomplishments can teach modern Sailors and society.

– Defense News – After years of talk of divestiture, the U.S. Army may be resigning itself to recapitalizing its watercraft fleet, which would be used to unload supplies and gear from ships in areas with destroyed or unimproved ports.

– Breaking Defense – The Navy faces huge hurdles in trying to get to 355 ships – but a new shipbuilding plan due in coming weeks could change the whole calculus.

– USNI Blog – It is well known that the current, largely homogeneous, surface combatant fleet is not an affordable force structure for the future…One potential solution to this problem is to go beyond the current high-low framework to a three-tier, high-medium-low fleet.

– Air and Space – Farewell to the Grumman C-2 Greyhound, which has been running supplies at sea for more than 50 years.

– War Zone – The Navy’s primary task for this unmanned aircraft will be aerial refueling, but it’s clear that there is interest in expanding its mission set.

– USNI News – The head of Naval Forces Europe is making a pitch for more ships to provide presence, training and crisis response capability in his area of the world, even as tensions are rising globally.

– CIMSEC – It is an oft-repeated axiom of international law that vessels which serve as auxiliaries to a state’s armed forces may not lawfully commit a belligerent act in an international armed conflict.

– National Interest – If the U.S. Navy projects a slovenly appearance while, say, China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy shows up in a foreign harbor looking spick-and-span, guess who seems like the trustworthy friend and fearsome foe? Advantage: China.

– War Zone – It’s easy to overlook the WALL-E-looking turret atop these ships, but it provides key targeting and situational awareness information to the crew.

– CIMSEC – While the rest of the fleet is shifting to the high-end fight, it’s time for the CNO to radically change the ways the Navy sources, trains, equips, and sends out reserve Sailors to sea-going mobilizations.

– CIMSEC – To become more competitive in the new geopolitical reality the U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations can enhance the U.S. Navy’s relationship with the small and medium-sized navies of the “Third Border.” The U.S. Strategy for Engagement in the Caribbean names as the “Third Border” 26 countries that are part of the Great Caribbean Region.

– CIMSEC – Every day, the majority of the U.S. Navy is spending its time on shore duty.

– CIMSEC – For all the talk of being in great power competition, the OPNAV staff is not acting like it…Meanwhile, our adversaries are outpacing us in many areas.

– CIMSEC – Our Navy Reserve is crying out for attention. However, high retention may lull Navy leaders into thinking the system is working and Sailors are well-cared for, when in reality they are gritting their teeth to make it to 20 years of service.

– CIMSEC – Right now, the U.S Navy is suffering under a suffocating personnel and administrative structure.

– CIMSEC – Senior leaders in the Navy are currently working with a partial dataset, one that is missing an untapped information source: aggregated input from junior personnel.

– Breaking Defense – Two Navy warships that left port in Virginia earlier this month have sprinted north, and are currently operating in the Arctic in an ambitious test of the Navy’s desire to deploy faster, leaner, and with more flexibility.