– 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.
Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, 26th MEU Return From 7-Month Deployment
– USNI News – The more than 4,000 sailors and Marines of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit wrapped up a seven-month deployment to Europe and the Middle East.
High stakes in a Himalayan hotspot
– ABC – In the language of geopolitics it’s known as salami slicing, a tactic used to covertly snatch disputed lands, sliver by territorial sliver. And on the border between China and India in the remote reaches of the Himalayas, that’s exactly what Beijing stands accused of doing — incrementally extending its footprint.
Chinese Ships Intruded into Malaysian Waters 89 Times in Four Years
– Marine Link – Chinese coastguard and navy ships intruded into Malaysian waters in the disputed South China Sea 89 times between 2016 to 2019, and often remained in the area even after being turned away by the Malaysian navy, the government said in a report on Tuesday.
Navy Awards Contract for First Vessel In Its Family of Unmanned Surface Vehicles
– USNI News – The Navy has awarded a contract for the first unmanned surface vessel it will design and build on its own, a key milestone for the eventual family of unmanned systems that will be a key component of the future surface fleet.
Pakistan Inducts Newest Warship, PNS Yarmook
– Naval News – On July 13 the Pakistani Navy held a ceremony in Karachi to mark the induction of its newest corvette, the PNS Yarmook.
U.S. Will Oppose Chinese ‘Gangster Tactics’ in South China Sea; U.S. Warship Conducts Freedom of Navigation Operation
– USNI News – The U.S. will no longer remain on the sidelines when China uses “gangster tactics” to get its way in territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday.
Russia’s Latest Karakurt-Class Corvette Getting New Surface-to-Air Missile System
– National Interest – The Project 22800 Karakurt-class missile corvette was designed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau in St. Petersburg to engage with an enemy’s strategic facilities in “green waters”—including coastal defenses and offshore installations.
(Thanks to Alain)
The Iranian Navy Is Hurting (And We Have the Video Proving It)
– National Interest – One of their three Soviet-built Kilo-class submarines just might be out of commission.
(Thanks to Alain)
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
You must be logged in to post a comment.