Naval News – France’s future maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) must deliver multi-mission capability and greater capacity. The new MPA must also be in service by 2035, according to a French naval maritime patrol officer and subject matter expert.
U.S. Still Developing Gaza Pier Details as Crews Work to Prepare Components
USNI News – Two weeks after President Joe Biden ordered the Pentagon to build a pier to ferry humanitarian aid to the war-torn residents of Gaza, the steel chunks that will make up the promised lifeline have been coming together in Newport News, Va.
US Navy aircraft carrier faces relentless battle against Houthi attacks
BBC – It’s not just merchant ships being targeted by the Houthis in the Red Sea. The US carrier strike group trying to protect them has also been under constant threat too.
Admiral Raoul Castex: The Naval Strategist for Non-Hegemons
War on the Rocks – French Navy Adm. Raoul Castex (1878–1968) is the greatest naval strategist you probably never heard of.
Indian Navy seizes ship from Somali pirates and rescues 17 crew
Reuters – Indian naval forces including special commandos seized a cargo vessel that had been hijacked by Somali pirates, rescuing 17 crew members.
China to unveil fourth aircraft carrier soon: PLA Navy political commissar
Global Times – China will unveil its fourth aircraft carrier soon and answer the question as to whether it will be nuclear-powered, said the political commissar of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy at the ongoing two sessions in Beijing.
Navy delays next-generation submarine start to early 2040s
Defense News – The U.S. Navy is pushing back the start of construction on its next-generation attack submarine by nearly a decade, citing tight budgets and a need to fund current and near-term operations.
Houthis Threaten to Target Merchant Ships in Indian Ocean
USNI News – The Houthis plan to attack ships in the Indian Ocean, as they travel toward the Cape of Good Hope, the group announced on Thursday.
Super-secret nuclear submarine Losharik soon back in service
Barents Observer – The notorious special purpose sub that was badly damaged in a fire in 2019 will start sea trials in June-July this year, a source connected with the Russian shipbuilding industry says to the state news agency.
Russia, China and Iran Finish Drills in Gulf of Oman
USNI News – Russia, China and Iran completed the at-sea phase of the Sea Security Belt 2024 exercise on Thursday near the Gulf of Oman and carried out a shore phase along with a debriefing in the Iranian city of Chabahar, with the drills scheduled to end on Friday.
Japan’s Mogami-Class Frigates Will Start Getting VLS In FY 2024
Naval News – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will start delivering the Mk 41 vertical launching system for a planned fleet of 12 Mogami-class multirole frigate for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in fiscal year 2024.
New Images Of China’s J-35 Naval Stealth Fighter, Could Depict Third Example
The War Zone – The images come amid indications that the navalized fighter could operate aboard China’s first two aircraft carriers, as well as its third.
Lessons From Ukraine: Taiwan Eyes 200 ‘Multipurpose’ Drone Boats That Can Swarm Chinese Warships
Eurasian Times – The Taiwanese military is considering purchasing 200 units of an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) that can be used for multiple purposes. These range from a target drone to one armed with interchangeable modules for reconnaissance, surveillance, electronic intelligence (ELINT), and warheads for attack purposes.
What we now know about the Marine Corps’ plans for Medium Landing Ship
Breaking Defense – The inclusion of the Medium Landing Ship in the fiscal year 2025 shipbuilding request is a major win for the Marine Corps, which faced significant amphibious shipbuilding cuts last year.
It’s time to appreciate energy’s influence upon sea power
Defense News – There is no more valued attribute, as famed naval tactician Wayne Hughes declared, than “the number of ships … a fleet can have.” But ships must be sustained — something the naval officer Alfred Thayer Mahan recognized nearly a century earlier when he wrote: “Fuel stands first in importance of the resources necessary to a fleet.”
Army Watercraft Depart for Gaza Port Mission, Navy Preparing East Coast Reserve Ship to Sail
USNI News – More pieces of the extensive Pentagon effort to build a pier and establish a sea route for humanitarian aid to Gaza departed from the East Coast this week.
Construction of corvettes for the Ukrainian Navy in Turkey
BMPD – It is reported that on March 8, 2024, during his visit to Turkey, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the RMK Marine shipyard in Tuzla (the southern outskirts of the Asian part of Istanbul), where he got acquainted with the construction of two Turkish-type corvettes Ada (MILGEM) for the Ukrainian Navy.
(In Russian)
(Thanks to Alain)
Marine Corps budget would add range, lethality to Force Design tools
Defense News – The U.S. Marine Corps plans to upgrade systems it already fielded during its Force Design modernization effort, with its fiscal 2025 budget request looking to boost sensing and striking capabilities.
The Russian Navy’s Commander-in-Chief Has Been Removed and Replaced
The Maritime Executive – Russian state media has confirmed the dismissal of the Russian Navy’s top officer, Adm. Nikolai Evmenov. He has been removed and replaced by the commander of the Northern Fleet, Adm. Aleksandr Moiseev.
(Thanks to Alain)
The U.S. Navy’s Real China Problem Won’t Be Easy to Fix
National Interest – In short, Secretary Del Toro has taken on an unenviable task: persuading Asian business leaders to invest in the U.S. shipbuilding complex to take on China at a time when domestic political headwinds are fierce. Profit, risk, time. Let’s wish him well.
Russian Navy’s Deceptive Camouflage In Black Sea Not Effective Against Infrared
Covert Shores – Some observers have speculated that the black paint may be intended to confuse drones or missiles using infrared sensors to locate and identify the targeted ship. This detects heat, and infrared absorbing paint is often black. The comparison suggests that this is not the case.
(Thanks to Alain)
Navy postpones several modernization programs to pay for operations
Defense News – The U.S. Navy will postpone most of its planned development and purchases of large unmanned systems and next-generation ships and planes in fiscal 2025, citing spending caps.
US Navy nixed a Virginia sub amid spending frenzy to support suppliers
Defense News – The U.S. Navy’s fiscal 2025 budget request includes money for one Virginia-class attack submarine instead of the planned two, but still represents “a prioritization and very significant investment in undersea warfare capabilities,” the service’s undersecretary said Friday, arguing this is not contradictory.
New Navy Budget Seeks 6 Battle Force Ships, Decommission 19 Hulls in FY 2025
USNI News – The Navy wants to buy six battle force ships and decommission 19 ships in the next fiscal year, according to the service’s latest budget request.
Focus on the Fundamentals: The Siren Song of Technology in Maritime Security
CIMSEC – Instead of being wooed by “game-changing” technologies, maritime security professionals should focus on ensuring their organizations can perform critical functions first. Similarly, professionals who partner with chronically under-resourced organizations should focus on assisting with basic functions instead of dangling “silver bullets” that promise to solve all their woes.
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
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