War Zone – The Russian Navy says that a former commander of the now-decommissioned Sovremenny class destroyer Bespokoynyy conspired with others and stole the ship’s two bronze propellers while it was in dry dock being converted into a floating museum. The alleged caper sounds like it was ripped straight from the plot of a comedic Hollywood heist movie, with the thieves reportedly swapping out the pair of screws, each weighing approximately 13 tons, for ones made out of a cheaper metal.
Destination Unknown 2.5
Krulak Center for Innovation & Creativity – Fictional short stories about near-future US Marine operations.
Italian Navy Aircraft Carrier Cavour To Start F-35B Qualification Next Month
Naval News – The Italian Navy aircraft carrier ITS Cavour is set to reach Naval Station Norfolk in mid-February to start F-35B STOVL aircraft qualifications with the U.S. Marine Corps.
Message from Joint Chiefs on U.S. Capitol Riot
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff – This. Is. Extraordinary.
Marines, Navy Moving Quickly on Light Amphib, Anti-Ship Missiles to Create More Warfighting Options
USNI News – The Navy and Marine Corps are quickly seeking new ideas that allow Marines to support the Navy in sea control and other maritime missions, including the rapid acquisition of a light amphibious ship and a movement toward using Marine weapons while at sea.
CNO Gilday’s New Guidance Sets Clear Goals to Bring Lethality to Surface Force
USNI News – The head of the Navy warned the surface force there is little time to waste in designing and fielding key technologies it will need for a lethal and distributed future fleet.
French Navy’s 2020 Report On Worldwide Maritime Piracy And Robbery
Naval News – The Maritime Information Cooperation and Awareness Center of the French Navy released its 2020 annual report on maritime piracy and robbery acts that impacted worldwide maritime security.
Unclear on unmanned, Part 3: A New Year’s resolution to slow down
Defense News – This is the final installment of a three-part series on the Navy’s struggles to develop unmanned ships and systems.
The Navy’s $13 billion supercarrier still can’t do the one thing it’s absolutely required to do
Task and Purpose – What good is an aircraft carrier that can’t reliably launch and land aircraft?
Eight Surface Combatants And Two Submarines Were Delivered To Russian Navy In 2020
Naval News – The Russian shipbuilding industry properly performed in 2020 and supplied eight warships and two submarines to the Navy. In 2019, which was free of coronavirus problems, the Navy received six warships and one submarine
Navy Envisions Containerized Weapon System to Arm Amphibious Ships
Sea Power – The U.S. Marine Corps general in charge of the U.S. Navy’s expeditionary warfare directorate said the Navy is looking at options to increase the lethality of its amphibious warfare ships with a containerized weapon system.
Study Pushing Further Changes to LCS, Informing Frigate Manning Plans
USNI News – The Navy in the next few weeks will release a further refinement of how to operate and maintain the Littoral Combat Ships that today make up the small surface combatant fleet. In parallel, though, the service is working hard to take lessons learned from years of struggles with the LCS and ensure the upcoming frigate program can hit the ground running.
Unclear on Unmanned, Pt. 2: On Capitol Hill, the U.S. Navy has a credibility problem
Defense News – The Navy wants a suite of unmanned systems to reduce the cost of owning and operating its fleet, while boosting the missile capacity and sensor distribution of its manned ships. But this idea for less expensive sea power depends on the Navy’s record for rapidly maturing technologies. Congress is skeptical of that history and intentionally tried to slow the Navy down. Now, lawmakers have made evident a new plan for development. Instead of rushing out half-baked systems, they want the Navy to go fast by getting the program right the first time.
Unclear on unmanned, Pt.1: The US Navy’s plans for robot ships are on the rocks
Defense News – After a bruising, year-long fight with Congress, part of the Navy’s plan to field unmanned ships appears to be on life support, making 2021 a crucial year for plotting a path forward.
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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The American Sea Power Project
USNI Proceedings – A new series of articles in Proceedings encourages vigorous debate on the future of the US Navy.
Saab to build underwater robots for French-British naval countermine program
Defense News – Swedish vendor Saab has received a contract to deliver underwater vehicles for blowing up sea mines to an Anglo-French program.
The IMO’s 2021 Cyber Guidelines and the Work That Remains to Secure Ports
CIMSEC – The IMO’s guidelines for managing cyber risks on vessels are a key development for the shipping industry. Flag States and shipping companies worldwide now have an industry-sponsored framework from which to recurringly assess cyber safeguards on ships. There is more work to be done, however, to appropriately protect the rest of the maritime transportation system.
Moscow wants more tourists to northernmost archipelago
Barents Observer – Government developers call for the building of Russian cruise vessels that can bring wealthy travelers to the far northern Franz Josef Land.
The U.S. Navy Needs More Firepower On The Cheap
1945 – James Holmes says you can get it by buying preowned freighters for low, low prices.
Indonesia’s PT PAL Launches BRS Hospital Ship For TNI AL
Naval News – Indonesian state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL launched a new hospital ship for the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) on 7 January 2021. The “Wahidin Soedirohusodo” is based on the existing Makassar-class of Landing Platform Dock (LPD).
Spate of Attacks on Ships In Middle East Points to Iran-Backed Group
USNI News – The Middle East remains a volatile area for merchant shipping into the new year, according to the analysis of attacks on ships in the region.
China as a Composite Land-Sea Power: A Geostrategic Concept
CIMSEC – In this study, Senior Fellow Toshi Yoshihara and Research Fellow Jack Bianchi argue that a deep study of China’s weaknesses as they relate to its worldwide ambitions is required to formulate an effective allied response. These weaknesses offer insights into the costs that Beijing will have to pay to go global. Importantly, the United States and its close allies enjoy agency over certain Chinese weaknesses, furnishing them leverage that, if exercised, could yield strategic dividends. The report concludes with a range of allied options that exploit China’s weaknesses to constrain and complicate the PLA’s global expansion.
By air and sea: China’s two-pronged strategy to grind Japan down over disputed islands
South China Morning Post – Beijing has ramped up its military and coastguard presence near the islands to get Tokyo to acquiesce on the disputed chain, analysts say
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