USNI Proceedings – China aspires to dominate the Indo-Pacific region—the impact of which would dramatically undermine Americans’ security, freedom, and prosperity. The only workable strategy is to deny China this goal. The naval services will play a central role.
Fighting DMO Part 9: China’s Anti-Ship Firepower and Mass Firing Schemes
CIMSEC – China’s ability to mass fires against warships is a product of a truly historic evolution. China was a third-rate maritime power only two decades ago, but it has transformed into a force that heavily outguns the U.S. Navy in major respects. China has clearly stolen a march on the U.S. when it comes to developing advanced anti-ship firepower, and now the U.S. is racing to close the gap. But it will still be many years before the U.S. has the tools in place to have decent options for massing fires. By then, the Chinese naval arsenal may have become something even more fearsome.
Xi Jinping’s Worst Nightmare: A Potemkin People’s Liberation Army
War on the Rocks – A worst-case Taiwan scenario for Chinese leader Xi Jinping would be a major military operation in which the People’s Liberation Army fails spectacularly or displays shocking incompetence akin to Russia’s in Ukraine. Could this happen?
Hard Truths: The Navy and Marines Need Another #METOO Moment: Part Two
CIMSEC – In Part One we shared our experience and gave some interpretations of the data. In this part we will finish that discussion and proceed to a set of recommendations. In the spirit of the discussion, it is important to understand that the trends are all heading in the wrong direction, indicating that policy and procedure changes are not enough. A culture change is required, starting at the unit level, if these trends are to be reversed.
Hard Truths: The Navy and Marines Need Another #METOO Moment: Part One
CIMSEC – This article is a collaboration between two authors with very different experiences, in the hopes that some combination of their views – one as a former Commanding Officer and the other as a federal agency chief counsel with 30-plus years of Sexual Assault/Harassment (SASH) experience – will resonate and drive tough conversations among mid-grade leaders. The Department of Defense has received over 65,000 reports of sexual assault since 2010 and each of us has a role in holding individuals who commit sexual assault and sexual harassment accountable for past crimes and creating an environment where sexual assault and sexual harassment are not tolerated.
Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters develop surface strike tactics in Norway
Navy Lookout – Exercise Tamber Shield saw four RN Wildcat helicopters deployed in Norway to develop tactics for the use of Martlet and Sea Venom missiles against fast attack craft.
The operational — and political — benefits of Turkey’s new warship
Defense News – The Turkish Navy has received the amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu, its largest vessel ever, from which the military will deploy heavy helicopters, drones and light-attack aircraft, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Fleet Forces chief wants to make a smaller Navy more lethal
Defense News – The head of U.S. Fleet Forces Command operates a fleet smaller than the Navy planned, due to delays in ship and submarine construction and maintenance. But Adm. Daryl Caudle said reducing operations isn’t an option, as Navy forces routinely find themselves in contact with their Russian and Chinese counterparts and demand for their presence is on the rise. So the admiral has put together a four-part plan meant to maximize the fleet’s usefulness.
Iran Seizes Second Oil Tanker in Less Than a Week
USNI News – Iranian forces have seized the second oil tanker in less than a week.
Thermal leak in lithium-ion batteries in submarines
El Snorkel – Currently, batteries play a fundamental role in underwater operations, a role that will only increase in the future. (In Spanish)
(Thanks to Alain)
The submarine “Mozhaisk” of project 06363 was launched
BMPD – On April 27, 2023, a ceremony of launching a large diesel-electric submarine B-608 “Mozhaisk” (fatary number 01618) of project 06363, which is under construction for the Russian Navy, was held in St. Petersburg at JSC Admiralty Shipyardyards (part of JSC (partnery Corporation” – JSC “USCJSC) of project 06363. This is the fifth of six project 06363 submarines under construction for the Pacific Fleet. Its delivery by the Russian Navy is scheduled for the end of the year. (In Russian)
(Thanks to Alain)
Marines want 31 amphibious ships. The Pentagon disagrees. Now what?
Defense News – Today, the Navy has 31 amphibious ships — what the Marine Corps considers the bare minimum it needs — but the Pentagon plans to shrink the fleet below that number in fiscal 2024. As a result, there is anticipation that the Corps will be more challenged to respond to global crises.
Navy’s mine-hunting package gets green light, ready for use on LCS
Breaking Defense – The Navy has given the official green light for its package of capabilities focused on defeating undersea mines to begin operations in the fleet.
The Need to Invest in Long-Range Fires
War on the Rocks – With the advent and adversary deployment of long-range cruise and ballistic missiles, the distances across which belligerents can attack United States and allied forces has grown considerably. We believe that the era of short-ranged ordnance expended in near-peer conflict above the waterline is all but over.
Nord Stream: Report puts Russian navy ships near pipeline blast site
BBC – Russian ships able to perform underwater operations were present near to where explosions later took place on the Nord Stream pipelines, according to an investigative documentary.
Short on amphibs for Turkey, Sudan, the Marines grapple with crisis response ethos
Breaking Defense – “When things like Turkey or [Sudan] come up, and other aspects of the US Joint Force are responding, it’s uncomfortable because [the Marines] look at it as something that historically they have done,” said one analyst.
U.S. Navy Sends Nontraditional Ships to Support Sudan Evacuation
USNI News – Without a carrier strike group or amphibious readiness group currently operating in the Middle East, the U.S. Navy has dispatched two little-known ship classes to help the State Department evacuate people from Sudan.
The US Navy is Putting its Submarines on Rare Public Display in a Message to Russia’s Growing Undersea Force
Business Insider – The US Navy rarely reveals where its submarines are, but it is making those subs more visible in the North Atlantic, demonstrating their presence as US officials warn that Russian submarines are more active and carrying new weapons closer to US shores.
Coast Guard modernization must be prioritized
Manila Times – Rarely has there been such a stark depiction of the disadvantage of the Philippines in the face of Chinese bullying in the West Philippine Sea: in a photo snapped by a reporter from Agence France-Presse on April 23 and published on the front page of The Manila Times yesterday, a large, well-armed China Coast Guard ship was shown blocking the path of a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) patrol boat half its size, in an incident that nearly caused a collision.
Russian navy ship photographed near Nord Stream pipelines before blasts
Guardian – A Russian navy vessel specialising in submarine operations was photographed near the sabotaged Nord Stream gas pipelines just prior to the mysterious September blasts, according to the Danish daily newspaper Information.
Iranian Naval Forces Seize Tanker Advantage Sweet in Gulf of Oman
USNI News – Iranian naval forces seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, U.S. 5th Fleet announced.
Tense face-off: Philippines confronts China over sea claims
Defense News – A Chinese coast guard ship blocked a Philippine patrol vessel steaming into a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, causing a frightening near-collision in the latest act of Beijing’s aggression in the strategic waterway.
How A Not-Yet-Commissioned Frigate Played A Key Role In Sudan Evacuation Operations
Naval News – In what is rather unusual (but not a first), French frigate Lorraine, which is yet to be commissioned, took part in the evacuation operations in Sudan.
Chinese warships set out for joint drills with Singapore, promoting openness, understandings in the South China Sea
Global Times – Warships of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy have set out for Singapore to participate in the upcoming bilateral joint military drills and an international defense expo, with analysts saying on Wednesday that the events reflect pragmatic cooperation between the Chinese and Singaporean militaries and promote military openness and understanding in the South China Sea.
PLA Navy succeeds in evacuating nationals from Sudan
China Daily – The People’s Liberation Army Navy has helped evacuate nearly 700 Chinese and foreign nationals from the conflict-plagued African nation of Sudan on Thursday, according to the Navy.
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