– USNI News – The head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command told reporters today he wants the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system to bolster the defense of Guam from Chinese missiles.
Reagan CSG Drilling with Australian, Japanese Ships in Philippine Sea
– USNI News – The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is now operating alongside Australian and Japanese forces in the Philippine Sea in a large trilateral exercise involving nine ships, a carrier air wing and other aircraft.
“Cocaine Logistics” For the Marine Corps
– War on the Rocks – In a future conflict with China, how would the Marine Corps supply small units deep inside enemy controlled areas, hundreds or even thousands of miles from their logistics bases?
US Navy to develop drone deployment strategy
– Defense News – The U.S. Navy’s top officer has ordered his staff to develop a comprehensive strategy to field unmanned systems in the air, on the water and under the sea over the coming years.
US Navy takes delivery of new, more powerful radar
– Defense News – The U.S. Navy has taken delivery of the first AN/SPY-6 radar array for the Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Jack Lucas, which was designed and built specifically to accommodate the upgraded air and missile defense radar.
U.S.-Ukraine Sea Breeze Exercise Starts as Russian Black Sea Fleet Holds Snap Drills
– USNI News – Naval drills led by the U.S. and Ukraine kicked off today in the Black Sea, while Russia called for a series of nearby snap naval drills.
Carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Operating in Red Sea, Nimitz Exercising with Indian Navy
– USNI News – Admiral James Kirk is in the Indian Ocean…
Rethinking the U.S. Navy’s Carrier Fleet
– War on the Rocks – There has never been a better moment for a fundamental reassessment of the country’s naval posture. In the words of one analyst, “If the fleet were designed today, with the technologies now available and the threats now emerging, it likely would look very different from the way it actually looks now.”
Unauthorized Flags: A Threat to The Global Maritime Regime
– CIMSEC – The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) specifies that all ships “have the nationality of the State whose flag they are entitled to fly.” Consequently, flag states exercise jurisdiction over their flagged vessels. A recent and quickly growing phenomenon, however, has put this basic tenet of the law of the sea in question: unauthorized flag use.
Controlling Chaos
– USNI Proceedings – How should modern Fleet Marine Forces look in terms of technology, platforms, and manpower?
A week after major naval drills, a surprise inspection brings 20 Northern Fleet vessel back to sea
– Barents Observer – The naval force that now sets out to the Barents Sea includes a powerful landing unit that is likely to engage in training near Norwegian shores.
CNO Gilday Promises ‘Thorough’ Investigation After Seeing Fire Damaged USS Bonhomme Richard
– USNI News – The Navy’s top officer met with firefighters Friday morning and inspected the damaged decks and spaces inside USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6), six days after a devastating fire spread through the warship.
Two U.S. Carriers Return to South China Sea After State Dept. Formally Rejects Chinese Claims
– USNI News – Days after the State Department publicly rejected China’s claims to much of the South China Sea, two carrier strike groups resumed operating in tandem in the region.
Foggo: Russia Seeking More Control of Black Sea, Mediterranean, Arctic
– USNI News – A retiring admiral who has spent a lifetime supporting NATO is warning that the U.S. Navy and the alliance need to do more to push back against Russia, or else waters in the Euro-Atlantic region may be lost to Russian anti-access tactics and weapons.
China Wants Ownership of the South China Sea. Here’s Why That Can’t Happen
– National Interest – James Holmes writes that surrendering the South China Sea would embolden other coastal states to repeal the law of the sea by fiat if they felt strongly about offshore seas and possessed sufficient physical might to enforce their will.
The US Navy’s top officer wants answers on the Bonhomme Richard fire
– Defense News – The uniformed head of the U.S. Navy is preparing to depart Washington and visit the stricken amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard, after crews took more than four days to extinguish a major conflagration that has gutted the ship.
Fire Chief Details Battling USS Bonhomme Richard Blaze as Investigations Begin
– USNI News – On midday Thursday, Navy officials declared all known fires aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) had been extinguished after more than four days of battling the blaze that was sparked on Sunday.
Force From the Sea: Australia’s Amphibious Capability – An Update
– The Cove – This paper describes Australia’s current amphibious capability. The Australian Amphibious Force is able to employ a landing force of up to battalion-group strength over the spectrum of operations, from the provision of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to high-end war fighting.
Lifting the Veil on the Lightly Manned Surface Combatant
– CIMSEC – As the U.S. Navy moves into the unmanned age and implements Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO), there is a need for small, lightly manned warships to streamline that transition and fill roles which require a human crew. Congress has expressed concerns about unmanned vessels on a number of fronts and highlighted the need for a class of ships to bridge the gap. The Naval Postgraduate School’s Lightly Manned Autonomous Combat Capability program (LMACC) has designed a warship to meet this need.
How Iran’s Oil Infrastructure Gambit Could Imperil the Strait of Hormuz
– War on the Rocks – On June 25, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani announced a possible game-changer — that by March 2021, his country would upgrade its energy infrastructure to bypass entirely the Strait of Hormuz when it exports its oil. These upgrades would include a new pipeline and port facilities in the southern coast bordering the Gulf of Oman. And the recently announced comprehensive between Iran and China, a 25-year agreement that would cover energy, infrastructure, and military cooperation among other things, appears to stipulate the development of parts of this plan with support from Beijing. The deal also provides for the development of a new port that would rest comfortably in Chinese control. Rouhani’s ambitious new plan would allow Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz without losing its ability to export oil and forfeiting corresponding revenues. It would also allow Iran to sustain energy supplies to China, thus avoiding the political backlash that might come from taking more offensive actions in the Strait of Hormuz. Through this action, which seems to have been missed by many in the United States, Iran may be signaling its calculus is changing.
Firefighters Evacuated From Still Burning USS Bonhomme Richard After It Lists Towards Pier
– War Zone – As the fire aboard the ship approaches the four-day mark, its stability has shifted, prompting an evacuation of the vessel and its pier.
The Taiwan missile tech aimed at keeping a PLA attack at bay
– South China Morning Post – Taiwan has a stockpile of missiles that by some estimates is the world’s biggest in terms of number per unit of area.
How Significant Is the New U.S. South China Sea Policy?
– CSIS – The statement marks a significant clarification of prior U.S. positions but not a radical break from past policy. It makes explicit things that had been implied by previous administrations. And in that, it sets the stage for more effective diplomatic messaging and stronger responses to China’s harassment of its neighbors.
More Than Just a Fire: The Implications of the BonHomme Richard Catastrophe
– War on the Rocks – One thing is clear: The ship will likely be, at best, out of action for years or, at worst, stricken from Navy rolls. In either case, there will be considerable impact to ongoing naval operations, force development efforts, and naval integration initiatives. While navalists tend to judge navies by the number of ships that comprise them, the plain truth is that not all ships are created equal. The loss of some ships is much worse than others. That is what Americans are watching happen before their eyes. Confidence in the Navy is shaken.
Captain Andrew Carlson on Commanding the USS Zumwalt Stealth Destroyer
– CIMSEC – CIMSEC had the opportunity to discuss commanding the USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) stealth destroyer with commanding officer Captain Andrew Carlson.
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