Breaking Defense – With the fast approach of the Davidson Window, which sets the date for a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan as soon as 2027, much attention has been focused on Beijing’s aircraft carriers and how they could come into play. In the following analysis, Ben Ho of IISS looks at two prevailing theories about how effective the carriers may be in an invasion, before raising a new way of looking at the issue.
French Navy receives first new supply ship under program with Italy
Naval News – The French Navy has taken delivery of the LSS Jacques Chevallier, the first of a new class of supply ships meant to replace the service’s aging fleet tankers.
NATO’s latest moves could bottle up much of Russia’s naval power
CBC – Russia’s famous Black Sea and Baltic fleets risk being confined to port — or worse.
US Navy ‘operationalizes’ drones in 4th Fleet exercise
Defense News – The U.S. Navy leveraged air and surface drones throughout its two-week UNITAS 2023 naval exercise near Latin America, the first major event since service leadership announced the region would host the sea service’s second unmanned operations hub.
Our First Glimpse Of The Navy’s Orca Unmanned Submarine At Sea
War Zone – Built by Boeing, the 85-foot unmanned submarine was accompanied by a pod of dolphins as it conducted underwater testing.
U.S. Sending Marines, More Warships to Middle East Over Iranian Threats
USNI News – The U.S. is sending two amphibious warships and thousands of Marines to the Middle East to bolster regional security after Iranian forces threatened commerce in and out of the Persian Gulf, the Pentagon announced Thursday.
Buying Time: Logistics for a New American Way of War
CNAS – In this report, the author asserts that despite the critical role of logistics in military operations, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has systemically underinvested in logistics in terms of money, mental energy, physical assets, and personnel. To overcome these challenges, the author argues that the DoD must start developing an adaptive concept for joint logistics—one in which methods of support shift in response to threats, operational demands, and the availability of information.
Russia may attack civilian ships in Black Sea and blame Ukraine, US warns
The Guardian – Russia may attack civilian ships on the Black Sea and then put the blame on Ukrainian forces, a senior White House official has said, hours after Moscow warned it would consider all ships sailing in the area to Ukrainian ports potential military targets.
Navy Raises Battle Force Goal to 381 Ships in Classified Report to Congress
USNI News – The Navy is now more than 80 ships short of the latest estimate of what the sea service thinks it needs to fulfill the Biden administration’s national security strategy.
USS Kentucky Make Port Call in South Korea, First SSBN Visit in 40 Years
USNI News – Ohio-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine USS Kentucky (SSBN-737) arrived in Busan, South Korea, the first visit by a U.S. SSBN in four decades
USMC Adds Loitering Munitions To Its LRUSV Naval Drones
Naval News – The U.S. Marine Corps has added eight Hero-120 loitering munitions to the Long-Range Unmanned Surface Vessel built by Metal Shark. The LRUSV is intended to contribute to long-range precision fires for the USMC and conduct recon for distributed maritime operations and distributed lethality in the Marine’s Force Design 2030 plan.
China’s Shipbuilding Capability: A Threat To The U.S. Navy?
1945 – James Holmes writes: I think a zombie has been slain. Zombie in this context meaning an idea that’s hard to kill. You shoot it down coming from one commentator or institution and ten or a hundred others repeat it anyway. It shambles on despite the headshot. This particular ghoul is the fallacy that a navy’s combined tonnage—the amount of water its hulls displace—is somehow the decisive factor in naval warfare. The number of ships in the inventory somehow doesn’t matter much.
Ukraine’s New Maritime Drone Is A Jet Ski
Covert Shores – Video footage shared by Russian sources of one of the USV involved on the July 16 attack appears to show a modified jet ski design.
(Thanks to Alain)
A New Strategy for the Black Sea
Lawfare – With a little help from its friends, Ukraine can guard its maritime security in the Black Sea and protect its critical grain exports.
South Korea Completes Hyunmoo-V Ballistic Missile Development
Naval News – South Korea’s new Hyunmoo-V ballistic missile development is complete according to official sources. The missile is expected to be fitted on a future arsenal ship known as “Joint Strike Ship”, currently being designed for the Republic of Korea Navy.
U.S. Sending Destroyer, F-35s, F-16s to Protect Merchant Ships in Middle East
USNI News – The U.S. is sending a mix of Air Force fighters and a guided-missile destroyer to escort ships in and out of the Persian Gulf.
Understanding the timeframe for the AUKUS submarine programme
Navy Lookout – Since the formal announcement in March that Australia would partner with the RN to design and build a new class of SSNs, further details have emerged about how the AUKUS submarine programme will be structured.
Drone Boats Used In Kerch Bridge Strike
War Zone – A Ukrainian drone boat attack nearly 400 miles from the closest shore Kyiv controls would mark a new level of capability.
New Details On Poland’s Miecznik Class Frigates
Naval News – The PGZ-MIECZNIK consortium has unveiled new details regarding the weapons and sensor systems of the three Project 106 Miecznik frigates being designed for the Polish Navy.
This 60-Year-Old Plane is Moving the Marine Corps’ Warfighting Strategy Into the Future
Sandboxx – Late last year, Marine Corps F-35C Joint Strike Fighters launched from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA, on a journey of more than 2,500 miles across the Pacific to Hawaii. This journey, already a feat for tactical aircraft, was made more impressive in that it was the first time in some four decades that the Marine Corps had conducted such an air transit without support from Air Force tankers. The Corps’ own KC-130Js refueled the 5th-generation fighters, said Lt. Col. Courtney O’Brien, squadron commander of VMGR-352, to which the tanker aircraft belong.
China’s New Type 054B Frigates Break Cover At Two Shipyards
Naval News – New imagery confirms that production of the next generation frigate for the Chinese Navy is now underway at both Hudong in Shanghai and Huangpu Wenchong in Guangzhou.
The US military revives an idea for stealthy sea power
BBC – Now, 30 years after the movie The Hunt for Red October, Darpa is working on a marine propulsion system similar to the “caterpillar drive” described in the movie.
Badly Damaged Nuclear Submarine USS Connecticut Seen In New Images
War Zone – The Navy has posted new pictures of its Seawolf class nuclear fast attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22), which was badly damaged when it struck a seamount while on patrol in the South China Sea on October 2nd, 2021. The Connecticut is currently in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, undergoing a long series of repairs that will last until 2026, at the soonest.
India Clears The Way For Naval Rafale Fighter Purchase
War Zone – The French carrier-based Rafale fighter appears to have emerged victorious in India, being selected ahead of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Senegal receives its first ship against air attacks
Sputnik News – On July 7, Senegal received its first missile warship whose particularity is to be able to operate in depth and deal with air attacks. (In French)
(Thanks to Alain)
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
You must be logged in to post a comment.