Breaking Defense – Amid confused reports of a drone attack on an Iranian ship in the Mediterranean on its way to Syria, Iran appears to have moved its weapons shipments to Syria and Lebanon from the land — where Israel has regularly tracked and destroyed them — to ships that may be receiving protection from Russian vessels in the Mediterranean.
Russia Tracking First U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Visit to the Black Sea in 12 Years
USNI News – A Coast Guard Cutter is now in the Black Sea, a first for the service since 2008.
Xi Likes Big Boats (Coming Soon to a Reef Near You)
War on the Rocks – When General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Tanmen village in April 2013, he famously urged China’s South China Sea fishers to “build big boats, charge forth on the deep sea, and catch big fish.” As recent scenes from Whitsun Reef reveal, however, very little “charging” is taking place, which means very few “big fish.” But, in one respect, Chinese fishers have clearly obeyed Xi’s command: They have built some very large boats.
Northern Fleet starts removing oldest ballistic missile subs
Barents Observer – Time has come for the Russian navy to withdraw from service the last class of Soviet-era strategic submarines. Phase-out, however, will take time and happen over years until all new modern Borei class submarines are delivered from the shipyard in Severodvinsk.
Navy Patrol Craft Fired Warning Shots At Harassing Iranian Boats In the Persian Gulf
War Zone – The incident took place yesterday and is the second instance of Iranian boats harassing American military vessels in less than a month.
Iran’s Used Its Wacky Catamaran To Cut Off U.S. Coast Guard Ships In The Persian Gulf
War Zone – One of Iran’s oddest ships was used to torment U.S. Coast Guard crews operating in the Persian Gulf.
Is It Time For The U.S. Navy To Build The Drone Carrier Warship?
Naval News – As the Pentagon and Congress grapple on determining what to build to meet the “500-ship U.S. Navy goal,” a couple of years-old ideas and artist renderings may lead to a more flexible future for the U.S. Navy’s global operations.
Top Priority: Marines Want New Loitering Drones
Breaking Defense – The drones would be part of a new multi-domain Mobile Reconnaissance unit that includes unmanned ships and new ground vehicles
Marines Update Force Design 2030 After a Year of Experimentation in the Field
USNI News – After the March 2020 release of Force Design 2030, Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger today released an annual update to the document that lays out the progress already made and the steps still to come, as the service continues to learn more about what it will need to deter evolving threats in the Pacific and around the globe.
British name enormous carrier strike group heading for the Indo-Pacific
Defense News – The largest fleet of Royal Navy warships to deploy internationally since the 1982 Falklands War is heading to the Indo-Pacific region next month as the British government seeks to raise its presence in the Far East.
Ford Carrier Strike Group Maximizes New CVN’s Gear, Design In Final Test Event Before Shock Trials
USNI News – USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and its air wing and strike group had a chance to fully show off their combat capabilities, using a recent at-sea testing period to demonstrate not only that Ford can keep up with its Nimitz-class counterparts but can use its new gear to perform better and faster, leaders in the strike group told USNI News today.
Marines Eyeing New ‘LXX’ Concept As More Lethal Alternative to LPD Flight IIs
USNI News – The first LPD Flight II amphibious warship is still in the early stages of construction, but the Marine Corps is already eyeing a more lethal replacement for the ship.
Explosive-laden ‘drone’ boat targets Saudi port of Yanbu
AP – A remotely piloted boat packed with explosives targeted the Saudi port of Yanbu in the Red Sea on Tuesday, the kingdom said, with the blast sending black smoke into the sky off the coast.
An Unmanned Future For The U.S. Navy And Marine Corps?
1945 – James Holmes writes that the key point of the newly published Unmanned Campaign Framework is to advance a hypothesis, namely that unmanned systems promise to help maritime forces accomplish their mission “through unlocking constraints on manned systems.” It seems the chief virtue of a family of unmanned systems isn’t leap-ahead technology. It’s that they have no crews, and thus are unbound by the demands and resources necessary to field and operate manned aircraft, surface ships, and submarines.
Joint U.S.-Norwegian Bases Are A ‘Tripwire’ Russia Won’t Like
1945 – James Holmes writes that stationing U.S. forces in a country under threat puts them in harm’s way, ensuring that the United States would fight if that country came under assault. The U.S. Army kept a “tripwire” brigade in West Berlin throughout the Cold War to put the Soviet leadership on notice that America would take up arms to defend that Western enclave behind the iron curtain and, by extension, would uphold its treaty commitments across Europe and the globe. Joint U.S.-Norwegian bases will perform a similar function vis-à-vis Russia today.
Israel Continues Development Of New External Fuel Tanks For Its F-35I Adir Jets
Aviationist – A local newspaper reported that the development of external fuel tanks for the F-35 is still ongoing and will possibly be complete in two years.
What is a Navy For?
USNI Proceedings – Strategic purpose is not the same thing as operational necessities.
This Tiny Drone Boat Is Being Tested During The Navy’s Big Manned-Unmanned Teaming Experiment
War Zone – In a possible glimpse of the future of naval warfare, an apparently new type of very small unmanned surface vessel, the ADARO, has been operating with U.S. Navy surface combatants during exercises off the coast of Southern California. The drone boat, which is reminiscent of a waterborne version of a mouse droid from Star Wars, is apparently intended, at least in part, to extend intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) coverage for the fleet when operating in regions close to the coast.
The Baltic Sea is Not Las Vegas: The Mare Balticum in Broader Context
CIMSEC – “The Baltic Sea has grown to a never-seen strategic significance in the past years.” This is how Vice Admiral Andreas Krause, former Chief of the German Navy (2014-2021), described the current situation of what is sometimes referred to as a ‘flooded meadow’ in naval circles.
Marines making big investments in electromagnetic warfare
C4ISRNet – Recognizing the importance electromagnetic warfare will play, the Marine Corps plans to make big investments in new systems.
Indonesian submarine sank off Bali, navy says
BBC – A submarine missing since Wednesday off the coast of Bali with 53 people on board has been lost, the Indonesian navy said on Saturday.
Israeli Vessel Fired On Near UAE
Reuters – A commercial vessel owned by an Israeli firm was targeted near Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates. Minor damage was caused to the vessel but no casualties.
(Thanks to Alain)
3 Submarine Rescue Ships Hunting for Missing Indonesian Submarine
USNI News – Search efforts on Thursday have yet to turn up any sign of the missing Indonesian attack submarine KRI Nanggala (402) and 53 personnel. Meanwhile, submarine rescue ships from three different countries are en route to the scene near Bali.
Here’s what the Corps’ new School of Infantry training looks like
Marine Times – In preparation for a future war where Marine infantry platoons take on the responsibilities currently at the company level, the Corps is launching a new experimental School of Infantry curriculum that will teach aspiring grunts 21 new lessons, or “behaviors.”
Marine Corps Ready to Conduct EABO Experiments with Allies in Indo-Pacific
USNI News – After honing naval integration and then exercising in the Indo-Pacific with the joint force, the Marine Corps is ready to take its new island-hopping campaign concept to the next level by drilling with international allies and partners.
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