The War Zone – Ukraine hopes to raise enough money to build 100 of these unmanned surface vessels to counter Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
The Exoskeleton Force: The Royal Navy in the Indo-Pacific Tilt
RUSI – An important feature of the UK’s 2021 Integrated Review was the tilt towards the Indo-Pacific. The announcement that the UK would seek to maintain a forward and persistently engaged presence in the region was of particular significance to the Royal Navy, given the region’s maritime character. The key question for the service to contemplate as it seeks to meet the objectives set by the Integrated Review is how to deliver strategic effect without mass.
Are torpedo-killing torpedoes ready for prime time?
Defense News – Manufacturers are pitching new products for neutralizing torpedoes, the most dogged enemy of surface ships, as those weapons are becoming smart enough to tip the balance of power in naval battles.
(Thanks to Alain)
Turkey unveils MIR naval surface drone for fighting submarines
Defense News – The Turkish government’s defense industrial-policy office, the Defense Industries Presidency SSB, has unveiled the MIR, an unmanned naval vehicle designed to fight submarines from the surface.
(Thanks to Alain)
How The U.S. Navy Can Compete With China In The Gray-Zone
1945 – U.S. political and military magnates must make the conscious strategic choice to compete with China in the gray zone. That means mounting a standing presence in the South China Sea in the form of U.S. Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard seafarers, ships, and planes. In other words, it means setting aside the past practice of showing up once in a while and then steaming away.
Nuclear-armed Navy submarine aborted top secret mission due to life-or-death fire beneath the waves
The Sun – A nuclear-armed Navy submarine had to abort a top secret mission because of a life-or-death fire beneath the waves.
(Thanks to Alain)
Relative Dominance: Russian Naval Power in the Black Sea
War On the Rocks – Russia’s naval strategy in the Black Sea cannot be divorced from its wider military objectives. A major defeat of Russia’s forces on Ukrainian territory is likely to force the Kremlin into its Black Sea bastion, from where it can seek to use its relative naval strength to maintain a military status quo, lock in a frozen conflict or buy enough time to rearm for future attacks on Ukraine. Russia still feels as though it has some degree of strategic depth in the Black Sea.
Cantiere Navale Vittoria, the 75 meters Offshore Patrol Vessel transferred to the Armed Forces of Malta
European Defence Review – The unit, a 75-meter long OPV, built in Italy will therefore be the new flagship of the Armed Forces of Malta and will be used in coastal surveillance operations, extended patrols on the high seas and Search and Rescue operations.
(Thanks to Alain)
Pentagon Adds 40 Armored Patrol Boats to Latest Ukraine Military Aid Package
USNI News – The United States will send 40 armored riverine boats to Ukraine as part of the latest assistance package.
Russian Navy Pulls Warships from Black Sea into Port After Attacks
USNI News – The Russian Navy still outnumbers and outguns the Ukrainians in the northern Black Sea. Despite the dominance on paper, the Russian Navy is on its back foot after several successful attacks from the smaller Ukrainian forces.
HII unveils next undersea drone, the Remus 620
Breaking Defense – HII today is unveiling its newest unmanned undersea vehicle, dubbed the Remus 620, the company’s latest play in an ongoing push to angle its product line towards the US Navy’s strategy for unmanned and autonomous systems.
Considering the implications of the attack on the Russian fleet in Sevastopol
Navy Lookout – On 29th October an attack was mounted on Russian Black Sea Fleet units using uncrewed boats and aircraft. Here we examine what is known about the events, the implications for the war in Ukraine and more widely for other navies.
Incubators of Sea Power: Vessel Training Centers and the Modernization of the PLAN Surface Fleet
Chinese Maritime Studies Institute – The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is building modern surface combatants faster than any other navy in the world. Before these new ships can be deployed, however, their crews must learn how to effectively operate them across the range of missions for which they were designed. In the PLAN, this “basic training” largely occurs at specialized organizations called Vessel Training Centers (VTCs). Since their creation in 1980, VTCs have played a key role in generating combat power for the fleet. But as China’s naval ambitions have grown, the VTCs have been forced to adapt. Since the early 2000s, and especially since 2012, they have faced tremendous pressure to keep pace with the rapid expansion and modernization of the PLAN surface fleet and its growing mission set, improve the standards and quality of vessel training, and uphold the integrity of training evaluations. This report argues that the PLAN’s VTCs have generally risen to the challenge, ensuring that new and recently-repaired ships can quickly reach operational units in a fairly high state of readiness.
BAE Systems unveils the Adaptable Strike Frigate
European Defence Review – During Euronaval 2022 BAE Systems publicly displayed the Adaptable Strike Frigate (ASF) warship concept design. Based on the need for adaptable capacity to enable navies to respond “at the speed of relevance whilst operating at range for extended period,” the ASF has been designed “to embrace system of systems modularity to deliver a mission-ready, digitally enable platform.”
Invest in Tactical Shiphandling For Crisis and Combat
CIMSEC – Tactical shiphandling is fundamentally different from merchant shiphandling – and navies need to teach both skills. Naval shiphandling curriculums currently tend to focus on safety of navigation and Rules of the Road situations, and for good reason. It is crucial that we are expert at this sort of foundational shiphandling…Unlike merchant mariners, naval officers also need to be able to handle their ships in both crisis and combat.
Japan’s hope of reclaiming Kuril Islands sinks as Russia’s war in Ukraine raises animosity in the Pacific
The Globe and Mail – Since the Soviets invaded this archipelago in 1945, Moscow and Tokyo have struggled to agree on who controls what. Now, seeing the militarization of their former home, ex-islanders and their descendants in Japan fear for the future.
Navy Expanding Attack Submarine Presence on Guam as a Hedge Against Growing Chinese Fleet
USNI News – Amid strategic competition with China, the United States plans to augment its ability to operate submarines out of Guam.
Developing Technical and Tactical Skill For Warfighters
CIMSEC – Navies must be both technically and tactically proficient so they can understand their systems, adapt their warfighting methods, and dominate any adversary in a conflict.
New Torpedo Tube-launched Drones Will Turn U.S. Attack Sub Fleet into ‘UUV Motherships’
USNI News – In the near future, the U.S. nuclear attack submarine fleet will be able to launch and recover an underwater robot from a torpedo tube.
Make Wargaming Central to Naval War College Education Again
CIMSEC – The Navy badly needs for the Naval War College command and staff course to become a year-long classified wargame-centric warfighting course.
Navy Details Hypersonic Missiles on Zumwalt Destroyers, Virginia Submarines
USNI News – The trio of Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyers could each field up to a dozen hypersonic missiles, with the first ship ready for testing in 2025
Navy ‘scoping study’ to examine shipyard capacity, potential for a new yard
Breaking Defense – Within the next year the US Navy wants to initiate a “scoping study” aimed at determining if the service needs to establish a fifth public shipyard to support future submarine maintenance.
Preventing Wars is as Important as Winning Them: Lessons From Past Naval Strategies
War on the Rocks – Across two centuries, the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard have balanced the distinct missions of preparing for war while simultaneously managing the global responsibilities of peace. While some might wish away half of that historic pair of missions, the reality is that the nation needs sea services that can do both.
When Russia finishes testing the small missile ship “Askold”
ferra.ru – The ship Askold, armed with Caliber missiles and the marine version of the Pantsir complex, will complete sea trials in December and will start the state tests in early 2023. (In Russian)
(Thanks to Alain)
Starting With a Step: Creating Professional Incentives for Continuous Tactical Learning
CIMSEC – A culture of constant learning according to the practicing naval tacticians’ own analysis of necessity of deeper research, learning, and exploration of the aspects of warfare will naturally lead to a stronger understanding and application of tactics as a whole in the Navy.
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
You must be logged in to post a comment.