CIMSEC – The Coast Guard is facing a looming afloat officer shortage with no good options on the table. With roughly 3.5%* of all CG officer billets currently gapped, and a particular shortfall impacting mid-grade (O3/O4) officers the Coast Guard needs to explore creative solutions to address the pending crisis.
TASS learned about the write-off of a non-nuclear submarine due to expensive repairs
RBC – The lead non-nuclear submarine “St. Petersburg” is planned to be written off due to expensive repairs. (In Russian)
(Thanks to Alain)
Navy’s Intelligence Directorate gets four more ice-classed spy ships for seafloor operations
Barents Observer – Russia boosts its subsea mapping and sabotage capability amid growing concerns in northern Europe over safety for seafloor infrastructure.
New Fateh-class submarines to join Army’s naval fleet ‘in near future’
PressTV – Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani says two new types of the domestically-designed Fateh (Conqueror)-class submarine will join the force “in the near future.”
(Thanks to Alain)
Navy Wants To Sell-Off Six Nearly New Littoral Combat Ships
War Zone – The U.S. Navy plans to make six Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs), two Independence class vessels and four Freedom class vessels, available for sale through its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program in the next two years. The oldest and youngest of the ships intended to be sold have been in service for just under eight years and just under three years, respectively.
Repairs to HMS Prince of Wales will not prevent return to operations this summer
Navy Lookout – HMS Prince of Wales’s unfortunate breakdown in August 2022 requiring extended repair work has not enhanced the RN’s image and provided perfect fodder for mainstream media always keen to exaggerate problems with aircraft carriers. Here we provide a brief summary of the situation and the ship’s future programme.
Why the US Navy needs dedicated command ships
Defense News – When there is talk of flat budgets and ship reductions, the U.S. Navy inevitably suggests the retirement of its dedicated command ships.
The potential end of China’s ‘Period of Strategic Opportunity,’ and what it means militarily
Breaking Defense – For the second year in a row, China is poised to increase its defense budget at a higher rate than its national economy is expected to grow. That is an obvious reason for concern if you are one of the many nations worried about China’s global footprint, but it also raises important questions about the strategic thinking in Beijing. In a new analysis below, Dean Cheng, an expert on the Chinese military, picks apart just what is happening in Beijing and what it might mean for China’s many neighbors.
U.S. Navy Sea Base To Reposition Off Sudan For Evacuation Contingency
War Zone – The U.S. Navy’s Expeditionary Sea Base ship USS Lewis B. Puller is on its way to take up a position off the coast of Sudan where it could support evacuation efforts if required.
New Defenses Show Russia On Defensive In Sevastopol As Ukraine Attacks
Naval News – Today’s attack on Sevastopol harbor by Ukrainian maritime drones (uncrewed surface vessels armed with explosives) will make headlines. And rightly so. Yet there is an aspect which could easily be overlooked; this time none of Ukraine’s drone’s appeared to penetrate the harbor. The attack comes as Russia undertakes a massive effort to increase the harbor’s protection against these attacks.
Russian spy ships mapping undersea infrastructure in the North Sea
Navy Lookout – Investigations by Danish media have discovered that in the past year multiple Russian civilian vessels have been conducting a detailed reconnaissance of offshore wind farms, gas pipes and power cables in the Baltic and North Sea. Here we summarise what is known and the implications.
How To Get Americans To Support A Bigger Navy
1945 – James Holmes says it is sad to say, but rhetoric alone is not enough. It seems things must get worse in the commercial world before they get better for a U.S. naval buildup.
Taiwan Strait: top EU diplomat calls for European navy patrols
The Guardian – European navies should patrol the disputed Taiwan Strait, the EU foreign policy chief has said, echoing earlier comments stressing how crucial Taiwan is to Europe.
Sustaining Distributed Forces in a Conflict With China
War on the Rocks – Washington should embrace global positioning to achieve logistics endurance that will better sustain forces in a highly distributed and undeveloped theater. This means rethinking how equipment and supplies are positioned to support operating forces and incorporating the air, land, and maritime domains. Currently, most of the equipment and supplies needed to support operating forces are either co-located at the home station of the unit or afloat on a prepositioned vessel. This model places a tremendous amount of stress on strategic lift platforms during a crisis when the joint force collectively will require these assets to position strategic deterrence capabilities. Global positioning would expand relationships with allies and partners to place equipment and supplies ashore and afloat, and drastically reduce the force closure window.
Japan’s Converted F-35B Carrier Leaves Dock Sporting New Bow
War Zone – Leaving the dock where conversion work has been underway represents a big step forward in turning the JS Kaga into an F-35B carrier.
Cocaine-smuggling submarine reveals Europe’s drug crisis
BBC – A look at how “narco-subs” bring cocaine from South America to Europe.
Prized Ohio Guided Missile Submarines Will Be Gone From Navy By 2028
War Zone – The last of the Navy’s heavily in demand Ohio guided missile submarines in just five years with replacements decades away.
U.S. Navy To Get New Unique Submarine: Virginia SSW
Naval News – The USS Jimmy Carter is widely regarded as the most secretive submarine in the U.S. Navy. It is especially equipped for Seabed Warfare, unreported missions deep below the waves. Now a new seabed warfare submarine, using a Virginia Class hull, is planned.
The cable ship capacity crunch
Data Center Dynamics – Demand for cable continues to increase, but the fleet laying and maintaining them is small and aging.
China Is Practicing How to Sever Taiwan’s Internet
Foreign Policy – As the United States was watching the skies in the aftermath of the spy balloon incident, China may have been acting at sea. In early February, maritime vessels disabled the two undersea cables connecting Taiwan’s Matsu Islands, a tiny archipelago just 10 nautical miles off China’s coast, to the internet. Now residents of the islands face highly reduced internet connectivity until the cables are repaired. The activity looks like targeted harassment by Beijing—or an exercise in preparation for cutting off the whole of Taiwan.
Navy long-range plan shows minimal growth in many warship programs
Defense News – The U.S. Navy’s fleet would never reach the statutorily required 355 ships under two of the three scenarios outlined in the service’s latest long-range shipbuilding plan.
Ukraine war: The Russian ships accused of North Sea sabotage
BBC – Russia has a programme to sabotage wind farms and communication cables in the North Sea, according to new allegations.
Romania Seeks Acquisition of First Submarines in 20 Years
The Maritime Executive – With most NATO members committed to increasing defense spending in light of Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine, Romania is seeking to modernize its navy. Among the elements planned is the acquisition of the country’s first submarines in nearly 20 years.
(Thanks to Alain)
Fighting DMO Part 7: The Future of the Aircraft Carrier in Distributed Warfighting
CIMSEC – The aircraft carrier has been the main striking arm of the U.S. Navy for decades, but distributed warfighting demands something new. Anti-ship missile firepower is proliferating across the force structure of both friendly and competitor forces, creating larger demands for the tactical information required to leverage these long-range weapons. Massed fires heavily depend on information to work, and air superiority is a powerful enabler of information superiority. By focusing on a set of critical information functions and fleet air defense, the aircraft carrier can serve as a powerful enabler and force multiplier for distributed fleets and massed fires. These roles foreshadow how nations who engage in naval salvo warfare without naval aviation will be at a sore disadvantage.
Netherlands Selects Tomahawk To Arm Frigate And Submarines
Naval News – According to an article published by the Dutch Ministry of Defense, the Dutch Navy plans to strengthen the De Zeven Provinciën-class (LCF) air defense and command frigates and submarines with Tomahawk land-attack missiles.
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