Barents Observer – In September, the British Royal Navy led the largest NATO task force into the Barents Sea since the last Cold War. The warships sailed to north of the Kola Peninsula, home to the Russian Northern Fleet’s ballistic missile submarines and surface warships. In what seems like a equivalent retaliation, or tit-for-tat, the powerful guided missile destroyer “Severomorsk” has since last week been sailing back and forth close to British shores just north of the Royal Air Force base Lossiemouth in north-east Scotland.
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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Senkaku Islands: Could the U.S. Military and Japan Really Land Troops?
National Interest – James Holmes writes let’s speculate about what a deployment to the uninhabited islets—which adjoin Japan’s Ryukyu Islands but constitute an archipelago distinct from the Ryukyus—might look like. Start with the extreme case. If troops alighted on the Senkakus, would they build a permanent base? Doubtful—though less doubtful than in the past.
China’s New Aircraft Carrier Killer Is World’s Largest Air-Launched Missile
Naval News – H I Sutton sheds some light on China’s latest aircraft carrier killer: The CH-AS-X-13 air-launched anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM).
As its term winds down, Trump’s White House plots a major naval expansion
CIMSEC – Sitting inside a restaurant just yards from Bath Iron Works shipyard on a blustery October day, President Donald Trump’s top national security aide has two things on his mind: pizza, and the growing menace of Chinese naval expansion in the Western Pacific.
Force Structure Perspectives: Congresswoman Elaine Luria On Getting Congress Involved
CIMSEC – In this conversation, Rep. Luria discusses investing in the industrial base to support the new fleet, carefully developing shipbuilding plans, and how Congress should become more involved with fielding new force structure.
Force Structure Perspectives: Dr. John T. Kuehn On Designing For the Long War
CIMSEC – In this conversation, Dr. Kuehn discusses the pitfalls of designing a fleet around a short war, the historical context behind earlier fleet design efforts, and why naval leadership sometimes needs a push from Defense Secretaries to go in the right direction.
Official Announcement On France’s New Aircraft Carrier Expected Soon
Naval News – An official announcement on the French Navy’s new generation aircraft carrier (PANG) program is expected to be made “soon” by French President Emmanuel Macron, probably by year-end.
A Decisive Flotilla: Assessing The Hudson Fleet Design
CIMSEC – How may the Hudson fleet in particular perform in applying U.S. naval strategy and American grand strategy, and what changes may be needed to employ this new fleet?
Force Structure Perspectives: Capt. Robert Rubel (Ret.) On OSD Seizing Fleet Design
CIMSEC – In this conversation, Capt. Rubel discusses the Navy’s longstanding aversion to distributed force structure elements, why the Office of the Secretary of Defense may have seized the process of fleet design, and how to move the fleet toward move effective strategic and tactical dispersion.
Navy Issues Revision to OFRP Deployment Scheme
USNI News – The Navy fleets signed out a revision to the Optimized Fleet Response Plan Instruction, the first such update since OFRP was introduced in 2014.
Force Structure Perspectives: Col T.X. Hammes (Ret.) On Experimenting For Adaptation
CIMSEC – In this conversation, Col. Hammes discusses whether the Battle Force 2045 fleet can be afforded, how novel warfighting concepts provide a point of departure for experimentation, and how the increasing lethality of modern weaponry is driving changes in fleet design.
Another littoral combat ship breaks down on deployment
Defense News – The littoral combat ship Detroit is limping back to Mayport, Florida from a deployment to South America in a move that marks the latest setback for the Freedom variant’s complicated propulsion system.
Force Structure Perspectives: CDR Phil Pournelle (Ret.) On Chasing Legacy Platforms
CIMSEC – In this conversation, CDR Pournelle discusses getting away from exquisite legacy platforms, getting fresh perspectives in force structure assessment, and adapting the Navy to the National Defense Strategy.
China’s 2nd aircraft carrier Shandong completes testing, training mission, to be combat-ready by year-end
Global Times – China’s first domestically made aircraft carrier, the Shandong, has completed regular testing and training missions at sea that focused on actual combat after serving in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy for 10 months.
DARPA Testing the Limits of Unmanned Ships in New NOMARS Program
USNI News – As the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) explores designs for a ship that could operate without humans aboard, the agency is keeping the Navy involved in the effort to ensure it progresses forward should the program’s work succeed.
As the Navy develops an unmanned campaign plan, its focus is on commonalities
C4ISRNet – The U.S. Navy is developing an campaign plan for unmanned vehicles that will prioritize commonalities across the service’s ever growing portfolio of drones and unmanned vessels.
Force Structure Perspectives: Capt. Sam Tangredi (Ret.) on Shopping for Studies
CIMSEC – In this discussion, Capt. Tangredi discusses uncertainties facing the new fleet design, possible intentions behind the Defense Secretary’s rejection of the Navy’s force structure assessment, and alternative means to revamp the fleet for great power conflict.
Force Structure Perspectives: Capt. Jeff Kline(ret.) on Bringing the Fleet Into the Robotics Age
CIMSEC – In this conversation, Capt. Kline discusses advantages realized by fielding a fleet with greater platform variety, how to mitigate risk to emerging fleet networks, and the impacts of the Robotics Age on naval force structure.
Greek Navy Minesweeper Damaged After Cargo Ship Collision
Associated Press – Greece’s coast guard says a Greek navy minesweeper and a Portuguese-flagged cargo ship have collided outside the country’s main port of Piraeus, leaving two navy crew slightly injured and prompting the evacuation of the severely damaged military vessel.
(Thanks to Alain)
Ambush! The Navy’s New Hammerhead Mine is a Submarine Killer
Popular Mechanics – The U.S. Navy is developing a new sea mine to make the lives of enemy submarines in wartime a lot trickier. The new Hammerhead mine is designed to lie in wait on the seabed floor, listening for the telltale signs of enemy submarines. Once a foe passes over, Hammerhead unleashes a homing torpedo that hunts down and destroys the offending sub.
(Thanks to Alain)
This Is The Elite Unit That Raided The Tanker Threatened By Stowaways Off The UK Coast
War Zone – Whether on land or at sea, Britain’s secretive Special Boat Service has a history of getting the toughest jobs done.
United States Approves Possible FMS Of Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems To Taiwan
Naval News – The United States’ State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Taiwan of up to 100 RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems and related equipment for an estimated cost of $2.37 billion. If confirmed, this procurement would significantly boost the Island’s defense against potential amphibious landings by Chinese forces.
The Royal Navy and U.S. Navy Are Embracing Interchangeability: Could It Backfire?
National Interest – James Holmes writes that commanders and their civilian masters on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean should think ahead about how to disentangle their forces in a hurry in case a diplomatic crisis looms. They should mix a trifle of skepticism into their enthusiasm for interchangeability and ask: what if?
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