Naval News – RADM Skoog Haslum discussed the situation in the Black Sea, the expected impact of the increase in the Swedish defense budget (2% of GDP), current and future programs of the Royal Swedish Navy (future surface combatants, upgrade of Visby-class corvettes, Blekinge-class submarines), sustaining the know-how regarding submarine production, seabed warfare and recent incidents in the Baltic Sea, and the reasons for her visit to Australia.
On board HMS Diamond as it faces Houthi attacks
BBC – From the first shout of “fireball” the crew of HMS Diamond have just two minutes to react. In that time they have to work out whether the missile, travelling at more than three times the speed of sound, poses a direct threat to their ship and nearby merchant vessels.
Chinese Tanker Hit with Houthi Missile in the Red Sea
USNI News – The Houthis launched five anti-ship ballistic missiles at a Chinese-owned and operated oil tanker
China in Sub-Saharan Africa: Sanction-Proof Supply Lines and Dual-Use Ports
RUSI – Chinese development financing in sub-Saharan Africa has sought, among other aims, to bolster Beijing’s supply chain resilience and dual port maritime strength. While this may enhance its ability to raise geopolitical tensions or conduct territorial expansion, complications remain around the execution of such a strategy.
Littoral Naval Operations: Australia’s Experiences
Center for Maritime Strategy – Once again, as the current Houthi-attacks on merchant shipping in the confines of the Red Sea show, navies must be able to effectively operate in littoral waters. Late last year two former Royal Australian Navy officers Commander Jen Parker and Vice Admiral Peter Jones wrote an Occasional Paper for the Australian Naval Institute on the RAN’s experience in the littoral and what lessons can be drawn from it. Here is a précis of that paper.
French Frigate Prairial At San Diego
Naval News – Surveillance frigate arrived spoofing a commercial vessel and hiding her pennant number…
China Attacks Philippine Ship, Injures Crew in Latest Escalation of South China Sea Standoff
USNI News – Chinese ships blasted water cannons at ships on Manila’s latest resupply mission to the South China Sea outpost on Second Thomas Shoal today, resulting in an unspecified number of injuries and heavy damage onboard one of the Philippine vessels.
Ukraine war: Two Russian landing ships hit off Crimea, officials say
BBC – Ukraine says it has hit two landing ships, a communications centre and other infrastructure used by Russia’s Black Sea fleet off annexed Crimea.
How the Royal Navy provides support to merchant shipping under threat around the world
Navy Lookout – The RN-led UK Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO) coordinates the flow of information around commercial shipping sailing in dangerous waters. Here we look at how this valuable service provides reassurance to mariners, improves safety of life at sea and helps reduce their risk of exposure to piracy or attack.
There will be no ‘short, sharp’ war. A fight between the US and China would likely go on for years.
Atlantic Council – Large-scale war disrupts societies and technology in profound and often unexpected ways. But because of this feature and not in spite of it, US policymakers and military leaders must rigorously study and plan for a broad range of implications of a years-long war with China.
It looks like Pakistan bought a Chinese spy ship. What does it do?
Defense News – It appears Pakistan’s Navy has acquired a Chinese-built spy ship.
Delay, Disrupt, Degrade: Mine Warfare in Taiwan’s Porcupine Defense
War on the Rocks – In October 1884, as part of the wider Sino-French War, a contingent of heavily armed French warships sailed toward the harbor of Tamsui, in northern Taiwan. When the fleet approached the estuary of the Tamsui River, nine naval mines and boats loaded with stones blocked its path. Prevented from sailing into Taipei, French commanders dispatched their marines, but they fared little better. After several hours of fighting on land they were driven back into the sea. Today, Taiwan again faces the threat of invasion — this time from China. As Taiwan’s leaders consider their defensive options, the Battle of Tamsui may also hold answers.
French Navy Air Defense FREMM Intercepts 3 Ballistic Missiles
Naval News – A French Navy FREMM frigate successfully intercepted three ballistic missiles in the Red Sea.
US Navy making Aegis updates, training changes based on Houthi attacks
Defense News – The U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin have developed and fielded software updates for destroyers shooting down Houthi missiles and drones in the Red Sea, thanks to a team of technical experts that mined data from all the shootdown events since October.
Navy 30-year shipbuilding plan relies on more money, industry capacity
Defense News – The U.S. Navy sets a fleet goal of 381 ships, up from 373, in a new long-range shipbuilding plan.
Russian Submarines Now Appear To Be Getting Anti-Drone “Cope Cages”
The War Zone – An apparent counter-drone screen on the ballistic missile submarine Tula’s conning tower speaks to growing drone threats Russia is facing.
Submarine Decoy Appears On Russian Naval Base Pier
The War Zone – A painted submarine silhouette with an actual conning tower structure follows a trend first seen at Russian strategic bomber bases.
Revisiting the Tanker War
War on the Rocks – Looking back at the “Tanker War,” the Iran-Iraq war at sea, is interesting to provide lessons for current operations in the Red Sea but also for how to think about contingencies in other parts of the world.
New Navy Long-Range Shipbuilding Plan Details 19 Ship Decommissionings in FY 2025
USNI News – The latest 30-year shipbuilding plan narrows the range of options the Navy will consider for its future force and provides more details on the service’s plan to decommission 19 ships from the fleet. The Navy’s Long-Range Shipbuilding Plan sketches out two paths to get to a larger fleet – one bounded by flat budgets and a second one that seeks to build the ships the Navy needs to reach its goal of 381 ships the service says it needs to meet its obligation to the Pentagon’s National Defense Strategy.
The U.S. Military’s New Defense Budget Makes No Sense
National Interest – James Holmes writes that last week the Biden Pentagon submitted its budget request for fiscal year 2025. If executed as written, the request would shrink the U.S. armed forces at a time when grave dangers—and thus the demands on the armed forces—are surging around maritime Eurasia.
Russia is considering withdrawal from the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in the Arctic
Barents Observer – The treaty, which is a key pillar to regulate international cooperation in the sea, is seen by the Russian authorities as “detrimental”.
China’s quantum grand strategy
ET – Thomas P. M. Barnett says we think of grand strategy as superpowers fighting over the world’s continents, like who can dominate Eurasia. But what if, in our hyper-connected world, that struggle is best pursued on a subnational scale: first splitting, then transmuting, and finally capturing the core identities of individual citizens?
Searching For Lost Submarines: An Overview of Forensic Underwater Methodologies
CIMSEC – How does one find an object not meant to be found? Forensic maritime investigators in 2017 stumbled across this question when searching for the disappeared ARA San Juan (S-42) – an Argentinian submarine whose mission centered around stealth. Despite the environmental challenges and the restrictions imposed by the profile of submarines, several complementary forensic tools have emerged as authoritative standards and best practices for underwater search operations. These include: (1) optimization of preliminary search boxes through Bayesian probabilities, with updates for posterior probabilities throughout the search; (2) side-scanning sonar systems; and (3) unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) for imagery, access, and identity verification. In explaining the efficacies and drawbacks of such methods, this analysis highlights the importance and evolving future of search optimization strategies.
US officials say pact with strategically key Pacific island nations underscores American commitment
AP – U.S. officials stressed Tuesday that newly-approved legislation providing billions of dollars in funding for three strategically important Pacific island nations is an important sign of American commitment, which comes amid warnings China is actively trying to pry them away from Washington’s sphere of influence.
Royal Navy plays a leading role in largest NATO exercise for more than 35 years
Navy Lookout – Steadfast Defender 2024 (STDE24) is the largest military exercise staged by NATO since the alliance conducted ‘Reforger’ in 1988. In this photo essay, we cover the RN’s participation in the maritime elements of the exercise.
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
You must be logged in to post a comment.