Defense News – Estonia’s defense ministry plans to use an uptick in military spending to boost its coastal defenses with sea mines and anti-ship missiles, while looking for neighbors to join the effort.
Navy P-8 Poseidon Flies Mission Armed With Harpoon Missiles In Asia-Pacific Show Of Force
War Zone – The P-8 reportedly flew near the southern tip of Taiwan, over tense waters that have been frequented by the Chinese Navy as of late.
The Navy Is Building A Network Of Drone Submarines And Sensor Buoys In The Arctic
War Zone – As competition in the Arctic heats up, the Navy is looking to drastically increase its awareness of what is going on up there.
Navy Establishes First Squadron To Operate Its Carrier-Based MQ-25 Stingray Tanker Drones
War Zone – The Navy is standing up the unit now to ensure personnel are as prepared as they can be for the arrival of these drones in the coming years.
Crippled Capacity: How Weak Maritime Enforcement Emboldened Answar Al-Sunna
CIMSEC – Two months ago, the insurgent group Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa(“Ansar al-Sunna”) attacked the strategic port of Mocímboa da Praia in Mozambique for the second time in six months. Unlike the day-long siege on March 23rd, Ansar al-Sunna has occupied Mocímboa da Praia since August 13th, indicating a significant escalation in insurgent capabilities.
Arming Without Aiming? Challenges For Japan’s Amphibious Capability
War on the Rocks – A centerpiece in Japan’s defense modernization efforts designed to deter a resurgent China is the development of an amphibious warfare capability.
Unusual Submarine Likely To Increase Threat From North Korea
Naval News – The World’s only operational conventionally powered ballistic missile submarine (SSB) may soon emerge in North Korea. The Romeo-Mod submarine, also known as Sinpo-C, was first revealed on North Korean TV on July 23 2019. It will likely be armed with three Pukguksong-3 missiles which are the hermit kingdom’s best performing. So it will, on paper, pose a serious threat to U.S. and allied targets in the region. But how real is the threat?
War Studies Primer
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Hudson Recommends 581 Ships, New Class of Corvette as Part of Input to Pentagon Fleet Plan
USNI News – The first of three inputs to the Pentagon’s Future Naval Force Study was released this week, the Hudson Institute is calling for a future U.S. Navy fleet of 581 battle force ships through the addition of 80 corvettes, 99 unmanned surface vessels, 40 unmanned submarines and 27 new small amphibious ships
Full report is here: American Sea Power at a Crossroads: A Plan to Restore the US Navy’s Maritime Advantage
Military research ship returns after months on secret Arctic mission
Barents Observer – The ship “Akademik Aleksandrov” is closely linked with testing of Russia’s disruptive nuclear-powered underwater drone and the top-secret Harmony system of underwater sensors.
China launches largest maritime patrol ship amid rising regional tensions
South China Morning Post – China launched a new maritime patrol vessel on Tuesday – the largest and most advanced to join its civilian fleet – as tensions rise between Beijing and its neighbours over the disputed South China Sea.
For the fire-ravaged ship Bonhomme Richard, the US Navy has no good options
Defense News – In deciding how to move forward with the warped and carbonized hulk of the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard, U.S. Navy leaders face a series of choices and all of them are bad.
‘Blue Homeland’ and the Irredentist Future of Turkish Foreign Policy
War on the Rocks – Turkey and Greece, two NATO allies, nearly experienced a full-fledged military conflict in August. Two of their warships collided during a naval standoff over hydrocarbon exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean. This follows a similar naval incident in June between three Turkish vessels and the frigate of another NATO ally, France, prompting an inquiry that the alliance has been trying to keep under wraps to prevent further discord among its ranks. Behind these incidents lies Turkey’s embrace of an assertive naval concept, namely the “blue homeland,” that is poised to disrupt the transatlantic alliance in the years to come.
Aiki in the South China Sea: Fresh Asymmetric Approaches and Sea Lane Vulnerabilities
CIMSEC – Aiki is a fundamental principle in Japanese martial arts philosophy that encapsulates the idea of using minimal exertion and control to negate or redirect an adversary’s strength to achieve advantage. The legitimacy of the CCP’s leadership rests on a core foundation of economic strength and growth, as well as prestige. Due to China’s geography, the principal artery of this economic growth is through the maritime approaches of the SCS. The most direct way to affect CCP behavior is to consider how the free flow of goods and energy at sea through the maritime approaches of the SCS may be altered. And by alternating these maritime flows, further impacts and restructuring of trade-flows and global supply chains may also occur.
Icarus Aerospace Continues Development Of Anti-Submarine Warfare Capability For Their Wasp-M Aircraft
Aviationist – Icarus Aerospace announced last week the partnership with CAE Defence & Security to provide their Wasp-M, the fully militarized version of their OV-10 Bronco-revamp called TAV (Tactical Air Vehicle), with the company’s digital Magnetic Anomaly Detection-Extended Role (MAD-XR) system, designed with reduced size, weight, and power requirements to allow smaller platforms such as unmanned aerial systems (UASs), helicopters and smaller fixed-wing aircraft to carry a MAD sensor for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) missions.
(Thanks to Alain)
Destroyers USS Stout, USS Kidd Wrap Up Long-Haul Deployments
USNI News – Destroyer USS Stout (DDG-55) recently achieved a record-breaking deployment length after operating at sea for more than 200 days, the Navy announced.
How the Tragic Sinking of Two Nuclear Submarines Transformed the U.S. Navy
National Interest – James Holmes writes that the Thresher and Scorpion crews were lost at sea is a tragedy. That the U.S. Navy learned from the disasters and made itself better means they did not die in vain. Machiavelli would nod knowingly at the institutional inertia that preceded the accidents—and salute the learning process that followed.
U.S. Marines Lobbing Cruise Missiles—A Preview Of Pacific War
Forbes – On Sept. 20, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy showed off one tactic that could be critical to the plan. Marines slipped ashore on an uninhabited island near Guam. They picked a target on a military bombing range and relayed the coordinates to a Navy cruiser. Minutes later, a Tomahawk cruise missile slammed onto the range.
Land-Based Anti-Ship Missiles And The U.S. Marine Corps: Options Available
Naval News – Peter Ong reports on the Land-Based Anti-Ship Missile (LBASM) options on the table for the USMC and US Army ground forces to use against threatening enemy ships, with the latest from Virtual Modern Day Marine Expo 2020.
These Are The Pentagon’s Highly Questionable Proposals For A Navy With More Than 500 Ships
War Zone – The U.S. Navy’s forthcoming force structure review may call for a fleet with up to 534 ships and submarines, including various kinds of unmanned vessels. The is far bigger than the existing Congressionally-mandated goal of a 355-ship fleet, which has long proven to be a struggle for the service to achieve. Plans for an even larger force could run into significant budgetary, recruiting, sustainment, and other hurdles.
Don’t Let China Conclude Its Opportunity Is ‘Now or Never’
USNI Proceedings – James Holmes writes that Chinese President Xi Xinping rules at a perilous, turbulent time. History is replete with strategic leaders who saw a window of opportunity and resolved to act before it slammed shut.
How to Succeed in Navy Flight School (By Really Trying)
USNI Proceedings – The learning curve is steep, and the T-6B Texan trainer is complex. An instructor pilot offers advice on how to prepare and perform well in this environment.
Between Scylla and Charybdis: ASEAN and the U.S.-China Contest for the South China Sea
CIMSEC – ASEAN and its members are in an increasingly dangerous dilemma. They are under mounting pressure to choose between the U.S. and China in their competition for political and military preeminence in the region. In response, ASEAN member states are maneuvering to maintain their ‘neutrality’ and pursue ASEAN ‘centrality’ in international affairs affecting the region. Their perspectives and roles in this great power competition merit closer examination, as well as how they are adapting to it, and what—if anything—ASEAN can do.
Don’t Send This Aircraft Carrier to the Persian Gulf
National Interest – That’s James Holme’s advice to senior decisionmakers who appear set on deploying the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower to the Persian Gulf region just six months after the flattop completed an epic seven-month cruise during which the crew broke all records for consecutive days at sea. Crewmembers spent 205 days at sea, enjoying zero R&R time in port as the ship skirted the pandemic.
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