Defense News – As ship maintenance metrics improve from a recent low, but remain inadequate, according to naval officials — the sea service is poised to establish “surface groups” meant to renew the Navy’s focus on maintenance and training.
Europeans wade into fighting seabed threats with drones and sensors
Defense News – Shaken by an underwater explosion that ripped through the Nord Stream pipelines in September, European nations are waking up to the task of securing the ocean floors that house the continent’s arteries of wealth. But protecting the vast network of energy pipelines and communications cables that line the surrounding bodies of water comes down to a familiar question: Who’s in charge?
The Royal Navy’s Astute class submarines: Part 1 – development and delivery
Navy Lookout – In the first of a series of articles focussing on the Astute class SSNs, we look at the programme’s history and how decisions made decades ago continue to impact today’s fleet.
Facing US lawmaker concerns, Australian prime minister defends AUKUS sub efforts
Breaking Defense – A letter from key US lawmakers has raised concerns about the AUKUS plan down under.
The First Battle of the Next War: Wargaming a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan
CSIS – CSIS developed a wargame for a Chinese amphibious invasion of Taiwan and ran it 24 times. In most scenarios, the United States/Taiwan/Japan defeated a conventional amphibious invasion by China and maintained an autonomous Taiwan. However, this defense came at high cost. The United States and its allies lost dozens of ships, hundreds of aircraft, and tens of thousands of servicemembers. Taiwan saw its economy devastated. Further, the high losses damaged the U.S. global position for many years. China also lost heavily, and failure to occupy Taiwan might destabilize Chinese Communist Party rule. Victory is therefore not enough. The United States needs to strengthen deterrence immediately.
How the Weak Can Beat the Strong in War at Sea
US Naval War College Review – Modern asymmetric naval technologies have not erased the effects of geography. As fortress fleets evolved from dominating harbors to dominating near-sea expanses, weaker naval powers continued to blend the land with the sea to overcome their relative weakness. In response, the stronger naval power must stand ready to win command of the sea through an equally blended strategy.
Bigger Fleets Win
USNI Proceedings – In naval warfare, a smaller fleet of superior quality ships is not a way to victory. The side with the most ships almost always wins.
Raytheon To Supply NSM Coastal Defense System To Romania
Naval News – Raytheon Technologies will supply Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defense System to the Romanian government.
Chinese Lessons From the Pacific War: Implications for PLA Warfighting
CBSA – Toshi Yoshihara surveys Chinese histories of the Pacific War to discern lessons that mainland analysts have drawn from the ocean-spanning struggle. He examines the extensive Chinese-language literature on the great battles at Midway, Guadalcanal, and Okinawa and pinpoints the operational insights that Chinese strategists have gleaned from them. The selected campaigns involved warfighting that will feature prominently in a future Sino-American conflict: carrier air warfare, contested amphibious landings, expeditionary logistics, and electronic warfare.
Yoshihara finds that Chinese analysts, including those affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), have scrutinized the Pacific War. Their historical accounts of the war at sea explicitly draw lessons for the future of Chinese warfighting, including warfare in the information age, modern amphibious operations, land-based maritime strike, and expeditionary logistics. Yoshihara uncovers in these analyses tantalizing hints of the PLA’s deeply held beliefs about warfare, and of the PLA’s enduring weaknesses that it is seeking to reverse. By looking at the Pacific War through Chinese eyes, Yoshihara argues, the policy community can better appraise Beijing’s evolving views of potential great power wars in the Indo-Pacific.
The combat system of the Spanish Submarine S-80 (Part 1)
El Snorkel – The Integrated Combat System of the S-80 Plus class submarines is the true “heart of the warrior.” (In Spanish)
(Thanks to Alain)
How the New Zealand Navy plans to fix its sailor and ship shortfalls
Defense News – A third of Royal New Zealand Navy ships are docked due to a shortage of sailors, causing a loss of “significant flexibility.”
1st locally built submarine prototype to be tested in September
Focus Taiwan – A prototype of Taiwan’s first locally built submarine is set to be completed for testing in September, marking a milestone in the nation’s Indigenous Defense Submarine program.
(Thanks to Alain)
Russia’s Zircon Hypersonic Missiles Now Deployed On Frigate Officials Claim
War Zone – If true, Admiral Gorshkov’s deployment armed with Zircon hypersonic missiles is significant, but questions remain about this new capability.
Turkey OKs First ULAQ Unmanned Vessel Procurement Deal
The Defense Post – The Turkish Navy is inching closer to deploying its first ULAQ unmanned surface vessels (USVs).
(Thanks to Alain)
War Studies Primer
We invite you to try War Studies Primer – an introductory course on the study of war and military history. Its purpose is to provide an introduction to the study of war.
War Studies Primer is presented as a lecture curriculum at the university level. It is a free, non-credit, self-study course that consists of 28 topics and over 1,900 slides and is updated on a yearly basis.
Look at slides 2 and 3 in the War Studies Primer for its Table of Contents, and then choose a lecture to read and enjoy.
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Nuclear icebreakers’ operation hits Post-Soviet peak
Barents Observer – Seven Russian nuclear-powered icebreakers are in the first days of January crushing ice along the western sector of the Northern Sea Route and the outlets of the rivers Ob and Yenisei.
Sharpening Surface Force Lethality: The Latest in Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training
CIMSEC – CIMSEC had the opportunity to ask Warfare Tactics Instructors (WTIs) of the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) about the evolution of the Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) events. These events are some of the most advanced combat training events surface units experience, and play a critical role in preparing units for high-end operations. In this discussion, the WTIs highlight how SWATT events are becoming more advanced, what core principles undergird the learning experience, and how Sailors and WTIs are growing from these events.
Japan To Increase The Number Of Aegis Destroyers
Naval News – On December 16, 2022, the Japanese government approved three security-related documents, including a new national security strategy by Cabinet decision.
Iran Building Drone Aircraft Carrier from Converted Merchant Ship
USNI News – In a dry dock near the entrance to the Persian Gulf, Iran’s sectarian naval force is converting a former merchant container ship into a drone aircraft carrier.
Japanese Fighters Intercept China’s High-Flying WZ-7 Drone For First Time
War Zone – Chinese WZ-7 surveillance drones have appeared for two days in a row over the East China Sea, prompting Japanese fighter jets to scramble to intercept them on both occasions. This is the first time that the Japanese authorities have reported intercepts of the WZ-7, one of the most advanced drones in Chinese service, and it could be connected with the recent movements of the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and its supporting task force in the same area.
Russian Navy Commissions 2 Warships And 1 SSBN Before The End Of 2022
Naval News – On December 29, 2022, the Russian Navy commissioned three new vessels (Project 955A Borey-A class submarine Generalissimus Suvorov, Project 12700 Alexandrit-class MCM ship Anatoliy Shlemov, Project 21631 Buyan-M class Grad).
U.S. Maritime Strategy in the Arctic—Past, Present, and Future
US Naval War College Review – Warming waters and melting sea ice will create new challenges off our northern shores, and the Navy and Marine Corps must be prepared to provide a presence in the Arctic that will ensure peace and prosperity in the face of aggressive Russian militarization and expanding Chinese interest. Lessons from America’s Arctic past can illuminate what needs to be done.
U.S. Building Advanced Over-The-Horizon Radar On Palau
War Zone – The long-range radar could be critical for keeping an eye on Chinese activities and is another sign of growing U.S. vigilance in the Pacific.
2022 World Naval Operational News Highlights
The ten most significant naval news stories / trends / themes this year included:
- The Russian Navy’s overall poor performance in the war with Ukraine in the Black Sea, which was on par with the poor performance of the Russian Army and Air Force. Is the Russian Navy a Potemkin fleet?
- The Ukrainian Navy’s adaptable and creative performance against the Russian Navy in the Black Sea. What additional indigenous weapons will the New Year bring to the Ukrainian Navy?
- The further democratization of commercial space services (communications, imaging, etc.) for military purposes as evidenced in the lead-up to and throughout the conflict in the Ukraine. How will this affect naval warfare in the future?
- The threats to undersea infrastructure with undersea cables to Svalbard and the Shetland Islands cut and the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines cut. What will be an efficient and effective technique for protecting such infrastructure going forward?
- China’s new alliance with Papua New Guinea, which sits astride the U.S. – Australian sea line of communication. Will China build an anti-access area-denial base there?
- Taiwan beginning to reluctantly adopt an anti-invasion porcupine strategy, encouraged in part by events in the Ukraine. With such a strategy could Taiwan survive an invasion by China?
- Stepped up joint Chinese-Russian naval patrols around Japan. Is this the straw that finally broke the camel’s back and led to Japan procuring long range cruise missiles to provide its Self Defense Force with an offensive capability if attacked?
- Lots of nuclear signaling with Western ballistic missile submarines to counter Russia’s nuclear signaling over the Ukraine. Did the West’s message get through?
- The decommissioning of littoral combat ships from the US Navy almost as soon as they are commissioned. Is this the final, inglorious end of the LCS program?
- Pausing of unmanned surface vehicle (USV) work in the U.S. Navy, which has decided to focus on USV technology maturation before USV procurement. Will perfect become the enemy of good enough?
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