Defense News – After making do for so long — including spending 20 years on a series of mini-projects to consolidate work — the yard, which now specializes in repairing and modernizing Los Angeles- and Virginia-class attack submarines, is finally getting a chance to more thoroughly revamp how people and materials flow through it. The service will undertake the effort through its Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, dubbed SIOP.

War on the Rocks – The U.S. Navy is moving forward with its plans for a more distributed fleet in which intelligent unmanned or autonomous platforms will play a significant role. Unfortunately, many of the details about these novel systems are left to the imagination — often a poor substitute for filling in the blanks. 

CIMSEC – According to the services’ operating concepts, the Navy and Marine Corps intend to operate together seamlessly in a future naval campaign. Since one of the main arguments for these concepts is the creation of a network of sensors to inform decision-makers, the services’ intelligence and information warfare communities are vital to this effort—these communities can lead through deliberate structural change to involve the other service in its enterprise. 

War on the Rocks – Claude Berube asks the question…

CIMSEC – While SSN(X) will carry both unmanned aircraft and unmanned undersea vehicles (UUV), it is assumed that UUV optimization will lead the unmanned priority list. Acting as a mothership, SSN(X) will be able to deploy these UUVs to perform a variety of tasks, including gaining a greater awareness of the battlespace, targeting, active deception and other classified missions. To fulfill its destiny, UUV employment must be a consideration in every frame of SSN(X) and subjected to rigorous analysis.

CIMSEC – In his book Fleet Tactics and Naval Operations, Capt.(ret) Wayne Hughes states: “At sea the essence of tactical success has been the first application of effective offensive force.” Capt. Hughes’ warfighting axiom – applying offensive force first – is the distinct advantage information warfare intends to deliver, and it is predicated on sound battlespace awareness. Given the advances in the speed, precision, and destructive power of modern naval weapons, finding and fixing the adversary remains indispensable.

Breaking Defense – Upgrading the P-8’s offensive capabilities could add confusion to any Chinese planning, but the Pentagon has struggled to integrate LRASM onto other aircraft.