China Maritime Report #49: The PLAN Corruption Paradox: Insights from the 1st Destroyer Flotilla

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China Maritime Studies Institute – Like all organizations led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the People Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) suffers from endemic corruption, defined as the personal abuse of power for selfish ends…Due to the approaches adopted by units such as the 1st Destroyer Flotilla, individuals in positions of power have less leeway to engage in corrupt behavior, thereby increasing the probability that the most capable officers (commissioned and non-commissioned) will be selected for leadership positions.

Historic F-35 cross-decking between Royal Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force

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Navy Lookout – HMS Prince of Wales has concluded a landmark series of joint operations with the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force in the Philippine Sea, the first time a UK jet has landed on a Japanese warship. The exercise, part of Operation HIGHMAST, brought together four powerful multinational task groups.

CMSI Translations #22: Implications of the U.S. Navy’s “Sea Base” Construction for Equipment Support in Cross-Sea Landing Operations

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China Maritime Studies Institute – Cross-sea landing operations (跨海登陆作战) is one of the primary forms of warfare for which our military is preparing, both for the present and for a period into the future. How to provide timely, reliable, continuous, and efficient equipment support for cross-sea landing operations is a critical matter requiring urgent research. The U.S. military was the first to propose the operational concept of “seabasing” to enable sea-based logistics and equipment support for forward-deployed task forces, thereby providing critical sustainment for out-of-area military operations. This seabasing initiative has important implications and provides a valuable reference for enhancing our military’s equipment support capabilities for cross-sea landing operations.

Unprecedented Chinese Icebreaker Deployment Off Alaska Being Monitored By U.S.

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The War Zone – The U.S. military and Coast Guard are monitoring the simultaneous appearance of five Chinese icebreaking vessels in the Arctic region near Alaska. That unprecedented presence represents two and a half times the number of icebreakers currently capable of being operated in the entire Arctic region by the U.S. Coast Guard. Another is scheduled to be commissioned on Sundayand plans are underway to build dozens more.

US Navy steps in to support Royal Navy with solid stores replenishment

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Navy Lookout – HMS Prince of Wales has completed a double replenishment at sea in the Philippine Sea, receiving fuel, ammunition, and stores from a US supply ship while continuing fast jet and helicopter operations. The evolution highlights RN reliance on allied logistics support amid the absence of a dedicated solid stores replenishment ship.

Ukraine Has Innovated Naval Warfare​

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Center for Maritime Strategy – One of Ukraine’s most significant achievements during the war has been its campaign in the Black Sea. Ukraine has successfully crippled Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. In addition, a report by Business Insider estimated that nearly half of Russia’s naval force on the Black Sea has been damaged or destroyed by Ukraine, a country without a navy. How did Ukraine achieve this success? What does Ukraine’s Black Sea strategy mean for naval warfare?

The Fragile High Mast of Empire; British Royal Navy Cruising Strategy; Then and Now​

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Center for Maritime Strategy – The ongoing deployment of the British carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific, named Operation High Mast,” was in the news this week for both regular and unusual reasons. The strike group is  participating in the semi-annual Pacific exercise Talisman Sabre but it also came under fire from American Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, who purportedly commented that the United States did not want the U.K. naval group in the Pacific and preferred that it instead cover Britain’s own near abroad, perhaps in the North Atlantic or Mediterranean Sea. Opinions differ on where and when U.S. allies should deploy in support of U.S. operations, but Operation High Mast is not a new concept. It is a scaled down version of the early twentieth century global voyage of the U.S. Great White Fleet. This concept, with the modern label of a “cruising strategy,” has been employed by the U.K. Royal Navy on numerous occasions; from the largely successful Empire Cruise of 1923-1924, and the disastrous mission of Force Z, which included the namesake of the present HMS Prince of Wales currently conducting Operation Highmast. A cruising strategy is a good way for a power with limited resources to “show the flag” with its arguable best ships in support of wider geostrategy. It does however have significant limitations in that the cruising force might not be in the right place at the right time to directly impact national policy.