War Zone – The Royal Canadian Navy’s Victoria class diesel-electric submarine HMCS Corner Brook will be out of commission until at least next summer after a recent leak caused damage to the boat, which has already been undergoing maintenance for some six years. The plight of the Corner Brook in many ways reflects the at best disappointing service career of all four of the Victorias, which Canada first agreed to acquire second-hand from the United Kingdom more than two decades ago and that have spent far more time laid up than at sea.
French Navy’s Upgraded ATL2 MPA Reaches IOC
Naval News – The French Navy Atlantique 2 (ATL2) “Standard 6” maritime has reached initial operational capacity.
Sea Shepherd: The Evolution of an Eco-Vigilante to Legitimized Maritime Capacity Builder
United States Naval War College Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups – This case study focuses on the evolution and development of a non-state group, Sea Shepherd, in the maritime domain. While some might argue that this organization is too small to warrant the attention of the U.S. Navy, others, including the author, argue that its cross-jurisdictional activities and international reach provide important insight into how other groups, or even states, with small maritime capabilities, might challenge international maritime norms.
French Navy Rubis-Class SSN Trains With JMSDF And US Navy In Philippine Sea
Naval News – French Navy Rubis-class nuclear powered submarine (SSN) “Emeraude” continues its long duration deployment in the Pacific region: It recently trained with the JMSDF and U.S. Navy in the Philippine Sea.
Why The Navy Is Looking To End Carrier Qualifications Entirely For Its Pilots In Training
War Zone – The U.S. Navy is looking at ways that a new jet trainer aircraft could help the service to completely overhaul the way it trains its aviators. The planned successor to the current Boeing T-45 Goshawk could be employed across a number of roles in naval aviation — not just training brand new pilots. But above all else, top Navy officers are looking at how the aircraft could facilitate a totally new approach to the way it trains tactical jet pilots.
The Navy’s Wants To Go Back To Flying The C-130 Hercules As Its Next Doomsday Plane
War Zone – The U.S. Navy says it has determined that a modified C-130J-30 Hercules turboprop airlifter is the best available platform to provide airborne command and control support for America’s nuclear deterrent forces, including relaying orders to carry out a nuclear strike or even remotely initiating the launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles from their silos.
Russian Arctic research in high spirits as yard sets the “North Pole” afloat
Barents Observer – Hardly ever before has a ship with such a peculiar shape been rolled out of the Admiralty Yard in St.Petersburg. On the 18th December, the stout 83 meter long vessel made it onto the water of the Neva River. It is met with great expectation by Russia’s increasingly numerous Arctic research community.
U.S. Aircraft Carrier, 2,500 Marines Off the Coast of Somalia as Pentagon Repositions Forces in Africa
USNI News – The U.S. has moved an aircraft carrier and an Amphibious Ready Group embarked with Marines off the coast of Somalia as U.S. Africa Command has begun repositioning troops from Somalia.
Taiwan’s planned submarine fleet could forestall a potential Chinese invasion for decades
CNN – Taiwan has begun building a fleet of state-of-the-art submarines as it looks to further bolster its defensive capabilities, a move analysts say could complicate any potential Chinese military plans to invade the island or install a naval blockade.
French Navy’s Albatros To Set New Maritime Surveillance Standards… Until UAVs Come Into Play
Naval News – On Novembre 19, 2020, the French Minister of the Armed Forces confirmed a contract notification to Dassault Aviation for twelve “Albatros” Maritime Surveillance and Intervention Aircraft (AVSIMAR). Based on the Falcon 2000LXS, the Albatros is set to replace previous generations of maritime surveillance aircraft in service with the French Navy and on the export market. Arriving after 2025, it is likely to operate alongside next generation maritime UAVs.
Advantage at Sea: A Naval Service Strategy That Sticks?
National Interest – James Holmes writes that on Thursday the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard—which have taken to calling themselves the Naval Service, singular—released a “Triservice Maritime Strategy” entitled Advantage at Sea. Let’s look at some noteworthy facets of the strategy, the third in a series reaching back to 2007, when the George W. Bush administration was nearing its end.
The U.S. Marine Corps Wants A Generation Of Free Thinkers
1945 – James Holmes writes that the Marine Corps is about to replace its eight-week Rifleman Course for junior infantrymen with a seventeen-week Infantry Marine Course. Some of that extra time will go to . . . chess!
MCDP 1-4: Competing
US Marines – Western conceptions of the international struggle among nations (and other political actors) often use binary war or peace labels to describe it. The actual truth is more complicated. Actors on the world stage are always trying to create a relative advantage for themselves and for their group. Sometimes this maneuvering leads to violence, but the use of violence to achieve goals is more often the exception than the rule. Instead, most actors use other means in their competitive interactions to achieve their goals. The competition continuum encompasses all of these efforts, including the use of violence.
Command and Control in U.S. Naval Competition with China
RAND – As China pursues its rise as a global power, it is incrementally orienting its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy toward power projection missions. At the same time, the U.S. Navy is working to enhance its capabilities to conduct counter-power projection missions. Command and control (C2) in naval competition presents one lens with which to view these evolving missions. Mission command, a pillar of the U.S. Navy’s culture for centuries, is central to its execution of power projection missions: leaders throughout the command chain are disciplined, apprised of their commander’s intent, and empowered to make decisions and execute actions. Historically, the PLA Navy has utilized a C2 system that reflects the Chinese Communist Party’s authoritarian rule and overall culture, which is fundamentally different from that of the U.S. Navy. The PLA Navy operates under tightly managed C2 — better described as control and command — that allows for little delegation of authority or independent action. The U.S. Navy and the PLA Navy are both likely to face challenges as they shift to new maritime missions unless they adapt their existing concepts of C2.
The World’s Most Important Body of Water
The Atlantic – Daniel Yergin writes that more than most, four men shaped the oft-cited “strategic tensions” over the South China Sea.
China Maritime Report No. 11: Securing China’s Lifelines across the Indian Ocean
Chinese Maritime Studies Institute – How is China thinking about protecting sea lines of communication (SLOCs) and maritime chokepoints in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) in times of crisis or conflict? Relying on Chinese policy documents and writings by Chinese security analysts, this report argues that three critical challenges limit the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN’s) ability to project power into the region and defend access to SLOCs and chokepoints, particularly in times of crisis: (1) the PLAN’s relatively modest presence in the region compared to other powers, (2) its limited air defense and anti-submarine warfare capabilities, and (3) its limited logistics and sustainment infrastructure in the region.
New ‘tri-maritime strategy’ released, but leaders struggle to explain certain key points
Navy Times – A new tri-service maritime strategy for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard released Thursday is the latest Pentagon product to sound the alarm over the increasing military might of a resurgent Russia and an ascendant China…But while the document lays out these challenges in at-times grim terms, leaders of the three services put forth for a call with reporters Thursday struggled to explain what several points mean for rank-and-file personnel and material ship readiness.
JQL Could Be The “Game Changing Force Multiplier” For Small Naval Boats And Littoral Warfare Ships
Naval News – In the ever-changing dynamic arena of Littoral and naval warfare, rapid precision firepower could decide which ships survive and which ships don’t. Lockheed Martin’s Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) Quad Launcher (JQL) adds guided short-range missile firepower that many small boats and fast attack craft lack.
Sea Services: More Assertive Posture Against China Will Require Presence, Strong Alliances
USNI News – The U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard say they need to begin acting more assertively to push back against gray-zone operations China is already conducting today. That means having more forward forces to deter, to document malign behaviors and to support partners as they protect their territory, according to service leaders.
New U.S. Maritime Strategy Sets Sights on China
U.S. Needs ‘Resilient’ Strategy to Counter China, Russia in Arctic, Experts Say
USNI News – The United States “needs resilient people and resilient equipment” to meet mounting security and economic challenges posed by Russia and China, according to a panel of Arctic security experts.
Dutch Marines Prepare For Arctic Warfare With New Machine Gun-Armed Sleds
War Zone – Competition in the Arctic is heating up and the Netherlands, along with other NATO members, is preparing for potential conflict in the region.
Beijing Upgrading Naval Bases To Strengthen Grip On South China Sea
Naval News – New satellite imagery shows progress on a major dry dock, large enough for aircraft carriers.
The more war stays the same, the more it changes
The Hill – James Holmes writes that war never changes. War changes all the time — sometimes in revolutionary ways. These sentences do not contradict each other.
Ukraine Orders Corvettes And UCAVs From Turkey For Ukrainian Navy
Naval News – The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has ordered new Turkish-made corvettes and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) from Turkey. They are being procured for the Ukrainian Navy to enhance security in the Black and Azov Sea regions.
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