News in English – A unique underwater observatory in strategic waters off the coast of Northern Norway has been knocked out of service, after more than 4.3 kilometers of its specially designed offshore fiberoptic and electric cables were cut and then disappeared. Sabotage suspicions are rising, and the damage has been reported to both the military and state police intelligence agency PST.
Metallurgist admits faking steel test results for US Navy subs
BBC – A metallurgist in the US state of Washington has pleaded guilty to fraud after she spent decades faking the results of strength tests on steel that was being used to make Navy submarines.
(Thanks to Alain)
2021 China Military Power Report: Everything You Need To Know
1945 – Richard Holmes comments on the Pentagon’s latest report on Chinese military power.
Pakistan receives new Chinese-made frigate. How will it fare against India’s Navy?
Defense News – Pakistan on Monday commissioned the first of four Type 054A/P frigates during a ceremony at the Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding yard in Shanghai, China.
Second U.S. Aircraft Carrier Missile Target Spotted in Chinese Desert
USNI News – A second suspected missile target in the shape of a U.S. aircraft carrier has been spotted in a rural Chinese desert.
Beyond Competition: Why the US Must Cooperate With China and Russia For Maritime Stability
CIMSEC – Challenging threats to the rules-based order, no matter where they originate, is vitally important; but the United States also must cooperate with its adversaries, especially China and Russia, to secure the global commons and tackle other transnational threats, such as climate change and global pandemics.
T-DAY: The Battle For Taiwan
Reuters – China’s quest to rule Taiwan has already begun with a campaign of “gray-zone” warfare. Here is how military strategists believe the struggle might play out.
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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LUSV As An Anti-Air And Anti-Ship Missiles Platform
Naval News – For purely hypothetical and speculative analysis discussion purposes, Naval News will explore the possibility of other armed and functional roles for the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) according to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps current and future desires, challenges, and to counter peer nations’ threats.
The Roadmap For Naval Electrification
Breaking Defense – The US Navy answers questions about its roadmap for employing electric and battery power for lasers, radars, and propulsion over the next two decades.
Pushing or Overstepping? Legal Boundaries in the Fight Against Maritime Drug Smuggling Part 1
CIMSEC – Every day, U.S. Coast Guard cutters patrol the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea for drug smuggling vessels, seizing more cocaine than all other American law enforcement agencies combined. Federal prosecutors then bring charges against the detained smugglers under a controversial and confusing legal regime. By analyzing the lifecycle of a case – from interdiction to detention to prosecution – this two-part article explores (1) the extraterritorial jurisdiction established by the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA); (2) the practice of detaining suspected smugglers aboard Coast Guard cutters for weeks without formal arrest; and (3) the interaction between intelligence gathering and the trial penalty. In each of these instances, a different branch of the federal government is pushing against – if not overstepping – legal constraints in order to empower the Coast Guard in the fight against maritime drug smuggling. This is a fragile system, however, and should one of these government branches become squeamish, the whole apparatus could collapse.
China Builds Missile Targets Shaped Like U.S. Aircraft Carrier, Destroyers in Remote Desert
USNI News – The Chinese military has built targets in the shape of an American aircraft carrier and other U.S. warships in the Taklamakan desert as part of a new target range complex.
Winning the Fight Taiwan Cannot Afford to Lose
National Defense University Press – Taiwan has begun to embrace a new asymmetric defense approach focused on fighting in the littoral with smaller, more survivable systems. This is key to defeating a Chinese invasion. Support from President Tsai Ingwen has been high but there is resistance from some senior members of Taiwan’s defense establishment who favor more expensive conventional systems.
Japan, Germany expand military ties as German warship sails through region
Defense News – Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Friday the country will step up military cooperation with Germany in the Indo-Pacific region as he welcomed a port call by the first German warship to visit Japan in about 20 years.
HMS Queen Elizabeth: Life on board Royal Navy aircraft carrier
BBC – Watch Able Rating William Augustine, who deals with the ship’s payroll, as he takes the BBC around to show us what life is like on board.
Britain tracked Chinese submarines and was ready to intercept jets in South China Sea, officers reveal
Sky News – Frigates and helicopters operating with HMS Queen Elizabeth were able to locate Chinese submarines, allowing the UK’s largest warship to steer clear.
China’s New Ballistic Missile Subs Could Strike The U.S. Without Sailing Into The Pacific
War Zone – The ability to launch their ballistic missiles from the South China Sea or Bohai Sea would be a huge capability increase for China’s SSBN force.
A Gnawing Hunger: Food Policy and Great Power Conflict, A U.S.-China Case Study
The Strategy Bridge – While much analysis has focused on how fishing and other related maritime resource disputes play into great power competition and the national security implications for the U.S., comparatively little analysis has focused on the impacts of any disruption of not only the Chinese fishing fleet but China’s international food imports in the event of a Pacific conflict. Although China remains more vulnerable than the U.S. to food disruption in such a scenario, the ripple effects of a Pacific war will force China, regional actors, and even the U.S. to carefully manage national food policies, with drastic consequences should their attempts fail. In a future Pacific conflict, food policy and management by all parties is, to paraphrase Sir Michael Howard, a likely root of either victory or defeat for any unprepared participants.
A Japanese Seaplane Could Be The Difference-Maker For the US Military
War On The Rocks – As the United States increasingly focuses on competition in the Indo-Pacific, and as elements of the U.S. military look specifically to amphibious aircraft, it would do well to consider acquiring handy Japanese seaplanes.
Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2021
Office of the Secretary of Defense – Annual Report to Congress.
First Submarine To Use New Stealth Technology
Naval News – The Royal Navy’s new Dreadnought Class submarine promises to be the stealthiest yet. The first two boats, HMS Dreadnought and HMS Valiant, are already under construction. They are destined to take over Britain’s nuclear deterrent from the 2030s. They incorporate significant changes in the design compared to other types.
Extending That ‘Loving Feeling’ To Undersea Warfare
War on the Rocks – The Hollywood blockbuster “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise was a potent recruiting advertisement for aviators. One of its most memorable scenes was of a chorus of pilots at the bar of an Officer’s Club singing “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling” to a bemused Kelly McGillis…It is time to extend that “loving feeling” to submarine warfare — including, and perhaps especially, to the submarine forces of U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
Delivering a stronger Navy, faster
Australian Strategic Policy Institute – Serious risks are being realised in the Royal Australian Navy’s twin transitions in its surface combatant and submarine fleets. As Australia’s strategic circumstances become more dangerous, Defence needs to adopt hedging measures to actively address the capability risks in its acquisition plans.
(Thanks to Alain)
The Implications of Simultaneous Conflicts in South Korea and Taiwan
CIMSEC – Although the United States was able to deter China from invading Taiwan in 1950 despite its concurrent commitment of forces to defend South Korea against North Korean aggression, it may not be so successful today or in the near future given the current trend in the balance of military power.
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