Side Stepping Turkey: Using Minesweepers to Increase Allied Presence in the Black Sea

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War on the Rocks – It is in America’s interests to explore other ways to export grain from Ukraine. A new alternative route that excludes Russia would minimize — to the extent possible — Russian leverage over global food prices. The need to ensure the safe passage of ships through this second grain corridor also creates an opportunity to bolster U.S. and allied presence in the Black Sea, without running afoul of Turkish neutrality. The United States should work with European allies to transfer minesweepers to Romania — a NATO member and Black Sea nation that Turkey has close relations with — to establish this new route. To account for drifting mines, the United States and its European allies should consider assisting Romania with clearance divers or loaning clearance diving equipment to the Romanian navy. Minesweepers are purely defensive and do not pose a threat to the Russian navy. They are also needed to remove moored mines and assist in removing drifting mines, which both threaten commercial shipping.

Revisiting the Hedge Strategy With Renewed Urgency

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War on the Rocks – Deterring China in the Indo-Pacific requires a different set of U.S. capabilities than wars in the Middle East or Ukraine. The vast maritime expanse and China’s buildup across the South China Sea would make it difficult for U.S. forces to operate within the first and second island chains. Most of America’s major weapon systems are 30 years old and many of the new major systems for a high-end conflict won’t be operational until the 2030s…The United States should implement a hedge strategy across all domains. This strategy would require developing and purchasing small and low-cost, unmanned, many, and smarter weapons and designs to complement existing exquisite (costly, complex, massive, and few) weapon systems. The hedge strategy should leverage emerging technologies with an emphasis on adopting these technologies at scale within the next three years.

Stealthy Submarines: Spanish Navantia Offers S-80 Isaac Peral Subs To The Philippines To Fend-Off China

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Eurasian Times – The Philippines is the only Southeast Asian country embroiled in a territorial dispute with China that doesn’t operate a submarine. As of 2012, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia were already operating submarines, with Vietnam following suit. Even Myanmar has its submarines.

(Thanks to Alain)

China’s Submarine Activities In Bay Of Bengal: Considerations For India

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Eurasia Review – Sino-Indian competition has been one of the defining features of the Bay of Bengal’s strategic resurgence in recent years, as India tries to retain its prominence as a resident power, in the face of China’s deepening footprint in the region. In a future riddled with energy uncertainty, the lure of the Bay is undeniable for Beijing, as not only is the maritime space home to a vast repository of hydrocarbons, but it is also traversed by important sea lanes of communication, that are used to ferry critical energy imports from the Middle East to the countries of East Asia.

(Thanks to Alain)

Chinese scientists look to 6G to hunt submarines, testing device small enough to fit on drone

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South China Morning Post – Defence researchers say sensors can identify extremely small surface vibrations produced by a low-frequency sound source in the open sea. A UAV-mounted platform could work in concert with other submarine detection methods such as a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD), microwave radar or laser.

(Thanks to Alain)

Radioactive Tsunamis: Nuclear Torpedo Drones and Their Legality in War

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CIMSEC – Russia and North Korea are both fielding a novel type of naval weapon – nuclear-armed torpedo drones. These new weapons introduce a variety of strategic and operational challenges that further complicate a worsening threat environment. They also pose critical legal questions about whether their intended concepts of operation are lawful. These weapons have a fearsome potential to weaponize the maritime environment, and precise questions of their legality should be resolved in order to dissuade their proliferation.