CIMSEC – This is Part IV of our conversation series with General Anthony Zinni, USMC (ret.) on leadership, strategy, learning, and the art and science of warfighting. In this iteration, we focus on how the decline in strategic thinking following the end of the Cold War, which we discussed in Part I, helped lead to the situation in Ukraine, how to construct credible red lines, and what integrated deterrence may mean.
‘Narco-drones’ are the newest form of drug trafficking. Our laws aren’t yet ready to combat them
The Conversation – Drugs are clandestinely shipped to Australia with traffickers attempting a variety of methods. It’s only a matter of time before Australian Border Force is confronted with these “maritime autonomous vehicles” being used to smuggle contraband into the country. These are ships or underwater vehicles that are remotely controlled or autonomous and don’t have humans on board. Both international and Australian laws need to catch up.
(Thanks to Alain)
Fleet of nuclear submarines will be sent by Britain to Australia as a warning to China
Daily Mail – Britain is to send a fleet of nuclear submarines to the Pacific in a decisive move to thwart Chinese aggression in the region.The dramatic decision could see UK subs based in Australia until 2040, operating within striking distance of China.
(Thanks to Alain)
Royal Navy takes delivery of new experimental vessel
Navy Lookout – The XV Patrick Blackett arrived in Portsmouth today. She has been bought for use by the NavyX programme as a platform for trials and experimentation with new technologies.
South Koreans offer Aussies new subs in 7 years to close Collins gap
Breaking Defense – At a large dinner here attended by its ambassador and a host of senior acquisition officials, South Korea made clear its eagerness to deepen defense ties with Australia, making the bold offer of building advanced conventional attack submarines in “seven years from signature to delivery.”
(Thanks to Alain)
Buy More Ships And Renovate The Culture: The Navy’s New Plan To Prepare For War
1945 – Today the chief of naval operations, Admiral Mike Gilday, released an updated “Navigation Plan” for 2022. In effect, the Navigation Plan represents Admiral Gilday’s instructions to the service on how to execute the Triservice Maritime Strategy (2020), along with higher-order directives such as the National Defense Strategy and the interim National Security Strategy. Several things are worthy of note in the Navigation Plan, some of them head-scratchers.
Navy’s Force Design 2045 Plans for 373 Ship Fleet, 150 Unmanned Vessels
USNI News – The latest plan to design a future force calls for a fleet of 373 manned ships, buttressed by about 150 unmanned surface and underwater vehicles by 2045, according to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday’s update to his Navigation Plan for the Navy.
Chinese Military Actions Against Foreign Ships, Aircraft Are No Accidents — They’re Policy
USNI News – The increasingly frequent aggressive actions by the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force like “chaffing” an Australian patrol aircraft in international waters and causing a Canadian patrol aircraft to alter its course to avoid a collision off North Korea “look like a pattern and policy” dictated by Beijing rather than random acts by pilots, the Pentagon’s senior official on Indo-Pacific security said Tuesday.
You Go to War With the Watercraft You Have
War on the Rocks – The challenge of logistics in the Pacific theater is different than those associated with land movements across a shared border in Europe. Failure in the Indo-Pacific theater might not be represented by lines of stalled vehicles, but rather troops and equipment far removed from the battle and without adequate intra-theater lift to move them across the ocean. Though the Army and Marine Corps (via the Navy), each have plans to acquire intra-theater watercraft, without coordination and a significant increase in scale, U.S. forces could find themselves without adequate numbers of watercraft or a joint logistics concept that captures the dynamic changes of force design and modernization that each of the services has embarked upon.
Our First Clear Look At China’s KJ-600 Carrier-Based Radar Plane’s Nose
War Zone – China’s E-2 Hawkeye-like KJ-600 is moving deeper into flight testing in preparation for joining the Type 003’s enhanced carrier air wing.
Ukraine Faces Hurdles Before Grain Exports Can Start Under New Deal with Russia, Expert Says
USNI News – Ukraine still faces hurdles in grain exportation despite an agreement with Russia, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, to allow shipments of the food stuff to leave the country.
Note From Nimitz: You Need Lots Of Ships To Take Risks In War
1945 – Niccolò Machiavelli, meet Chester Nimitz. In his Discourses on Roman history the Renaissance Florentine philosopher-statesman claimed that human beings do not relish change. In fact, he verges on saying people can’tchange as the times and surroundings change around them. They get stuck as events march on. Thankfully for World War II America, Fleet Admiral Nimitz was an exception to the Machiavellian rule.
Inside the Pentagon slugfest over the future of the fleet
Politico – No one can agree on how many ships the Navy needs, and Congress isn’t pleased.
China’s Nuclear Powered Super Long-Range Torpedo Concept Fits Concerning Pattern
War Zone – Imagine low-cost nuclear-powered torpedoes that can travel largely undetected in a swarm across the Pacific Ocean and strike U.S. targets in about a week. To a group of researchers in Beijing, that’s not just a fever dream, it’s a concept they believe they can turn into reality. And an ambition U.S. State Department officials have been warning about.
French Navy Plans Aircraft Carrier Mission To The Pacific In 2025
Naval News – The French Navy is working towards a Pacific Region deployment for its Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group in 2025.
Royal Navy tracks two Russian submarines in North Sea
BBC – A Royal Navy warship has tracked two Russian submarines in the North Sea.
The Role of Stand-in Forces in Maritime COIN
USNI Proceedings – The U.S. government and its regional partners must harmonize proven COIN strategies with modern military capabilities to defend and maintain the accepted international order.
Build a Fleet That Contests Every Inch
USNI Proceedings – Disaggregated forces would provide U.S. Navy commanders with more options to deter China.
The Case for U.S. Coast Guard Cutters in American Samoa
CIMSEC – Compared to the marquee U.S. military installations at Diego Garcia, Yokosuka, or Guam, American Samoa is a U.S. territory that evokes images of idyllic island life rather than strategic competition. However, by considering American Samoa through the lens of strategic competition, a military installation manned by the U.S. Coast Guard is an easy step to demonstrate commitment in the region that makes imminent sense for several reasons. Due to the sheer distances involved in the Pacific — the closest Coast Guard installations are from Hawaii (2,260 nautical miles) and Guam (3,120 nautical miles) — current sustained operations in region are necessarily expeditionary.
Romania wants to buy French Scorpene class submarines and helicopters
Navy Recognition – The Romanian Minister of Defense, Vasile Dincu, said during an interview that he has signed a letter of intent to buy French-made Scorpene class submarines and helicopters.
(Thanks to Alain)
The oldest ship in the Royal Naval Service to become the new Littoral Strike Ship
Navy Lookout – Following the news RFA Argus will be extended in service beyond 2030 it has been confirmed she will be upgraded to perform in the Littoral Strike Ship role (LSS). Here we look at the background to the decision and consider the pros and cons of the conversion.
France can help Albanese fix AUKUS
The Interpreter – The Australian Labor Party faces a dilemma over nuclear-powered subs and the non-proliferation regime. An old partner might offer an answer.
(Thanks to Alain)
New Navy Fleet Study Calls for 373 Ship Battle Force, Details are Classified
USNI News – The Navy quietly slipped a new, classified assessment on the number of ships the service needs to meet its missions around the world to Congress earlier this month. The report calls for a battle force of 373 ships – 75 more than in the current fleet.
All You Need Is A Landing Craft
CIMSEC – Amphibious and transport operations can play a vital role at all levels of war, but landing craft can do much more than just move things – they can also shoot. The global growth of anti-access/area denial capabilities favors smaller, harder to find, more numerous, and attritable vessels. At the same time, the potent evolution of missiles can be combined with the open cargo area on small and medium landing craft to shoot back against both sea and land targets. Civilian offshore support vessels suggest what tomorrow’s landing craft might look like, while the missions they could fulfill are only limited by the imagination.
Why The U.S. Navy Needs To Be In The South China Sea
1945 – James Holmes says that a contender has to take the field of competition and stay there in order to compete.
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