– Naval News – A keel laying ceremony was held on April 17 at Taiwanese shipbuilder Lungteh Shipbuilding for the 3rd and 4th Min Jiang-class mine laying ships. The vessels are being built for the Republic of China (ROC) Navy.
USS America Now Steaming Near South China Sea Standoff
– USNI News – USS America (LHA-6) is steaming towards waters in the South China Sea where a Chinese government survey ship and its China Coast Guard escorts are in an international maritime dispute with Malaysia.
Defense Department study calls for cutting 2 of the US Navy’s aircraft carriers
– Defense News – An internal Office of the Secretary of Defense assessment calls for the Navy to cut two aircraft carriers from its fleet, freeze the large surface combatant fleet of destroyers and cruisers around current levels and add dozens of unmanned or lightly manned ships to the inventory.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it has higher-range anti-warship missiles
– Defense News – Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard announced Monday that it has significantly upgraded the range of its anti-warship missiles.
French Navy Final D’Entrecasteaux-Class BSAOM Vessel ‘Dumont D’Urville’ Enters Active Service
– Naval News – The French Navy (Marine Nationale) fourth and final d’Entrecasteaux-class vessel, “Dumont d’Urville”, entered “active duty” on April 17, 2020.
How Donald Trump Should Make China Pay for Coronavirus
– National Interest – James Holmes writes that suppose, for the sake of argument, that Chinese researchers did release the coronavirus into the populace, spawning effects we have all come to know personally and intimately. And let’s assume it was an inadvertent release. That is a safe assumption. What should Trump do about it?
Indian Navy will considering buying Refurbished Kilo Submarines from Russia
– Indian Defense Research Wing – Russia has communicated an offer of selling three old Kilo-class hulls for the Indian Navy to tide over its shortfall of conventional submarines. The $1.8 billion “three plus three” arrangement bundles refits of three of India’s Kilo-class submarines with an additional three old Russian navy Kilo-class hulls.
(Thanks to Alain)
U.S. Privateering Is Legal
– USNI Proceedings – Issuing letters of marque presents international legal risks—some real, others imagined—but these are manageable.
Unleash the Privateers!
– USNI Proceedings – The United States should issue letters of marque to fight Chinese aggression at sea.
Enhancing deterrence and defence on NATO’s northern flank
– RAND – Allied perspectives on strategic options for Norway.
Clausewitz, Corbett, and Corvettes
– CIMSEC – Russian appetite for serious mischief-making in the north is, thankfully, considered to be low. But it should prompt us to widen our peripheral vision – to the Mediterranean, the near east, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific, where we do in fact see a lot more maritime activity.
Preparing for the unknown, Norway bolsters its Armed Forces
– Barents Observer – There are forces that want to weaken unity in Norway, as well as between western countries, Prime Minister Erna Solberg underlined as she on Friday presented her government’s new long-term plan for the Armed Forces.
Why Trump and Xi might both lose the corona wars
– Spectator – Niall Ferguson writes that to some naive observers, China is going to win the corona wars…I am not convinced.
Rising to Lead: Female Commanding Officers in Latin America’s Navies
– CIMSEC – A historical milestone was reached in Uruguay as Capitan Valeria Sorrenti became the first female commander of an Uruguayan Navy vessel. With that said, it is important to keep in mind that she is only the latest example of a growing trend. In recent years there were a number of positive “firsts” when it comes to female naval officers taking command of ships among various Latin American navies, a trend that will hopefully continue.
Chinese Naval Strategists See the Value in Sea Mines. The U.S. Navy Should Take Note
– National Interest – Beijing’s strategists are well aware that the next maritime contest will likely be decided under the waves and sea mines will likely play a starring role. Once again, these strategists are looking to Russian doctrine for the answers.
China and Vietnam ‘likely to clash again’ as they build maritime militias
– South China Morning Post – China and Vietnam have both been building up paramilitary forces and fishing fleets to stake claims in the disputed South China Sea, according to observers, who warn that the neighbours risk further clashes there after the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat last week.
Aircraft carrier group’s voyage shows PLA Navy’s great job in virus control
– Global Times – A Chinese naval flotilla led by an aircraft carrier reportedly sailed through the Miyako Strait and headed toward the Pacific Ocean, prompting Chinese military experts to say on Sunday that the fleet demonstrated success in novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic control work.
Chinese PLA holds ‘regular’ drills near Taiwan in preparation for military struggle
– Global Times – The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly held military drills featuring warplanes near the island of Taiwan on Friday, and such drills, having taken place at least four times since the traditional Spring Festival holiday in January, have become regular and are now a part of military struggle preparations against the island.
US military researchers call for use of privateers against China
– South China Morning Post – The United States should encourage the use of privateers to fight Chinese aggression at sea, according to a pair of articles in magazine produced by the US Naval Institute.
US Navy accuses Iranian vessels of harassing warships in Gulf
– BBC – The US Navy has accused Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) of “dangerous and provocative actions” in international waters in the Gulf.
China’s global logistics chain makes strides, but projecting military power still a struggle
– Defense News – China’s armed forces will continue their efforts to project military power outside the country’s region through 2030, according to a new analysis of its logistics capabilities.
Did the Marine Corps Just Commit Suicide?
– Traditional Right – William Lind comments on the U.S. Marine Corps future direction.
Mystery Submarine In Service With Pakistan’s Navy SEALs
– Forbes – Some of the best-kept secrets are hidden in plain sight. Sitting on the quayside at PNS Iqbal, a special naval base in Karachi, Pakistan, is a submarine that you won’t find in any reference books, including my own World Submarines Covert Shores Recognition Guide. To my knowledge this will be the first article detailing this submarine, which appears to be in service with Pakistani Navy SEALs.
See inside the modified Boeing 737 US Navy patrol plane the government just ordered $1.5 billion more of. Take a look at the P-8 Poseidon
– Business Insider – The 737 is Boeing’s best-selling narrow-body aircraft, and the P-8 Poseidon is 60% similar to it. The other 40% can drop torpedoes.
(Thanks to Alain)
Building a Marine Corps For Every Contingency, Clime and Place
– War on the Rocks – Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger’s recently published Force Design 2030 has riled up both the “old guard,” who fear for the service’s future, and industry lobbyists, who fear for the future of contracts for amphibious ships and F-35s. The document rationally outlines the changes necessary for the Marine Corps to play its role as the nation’s naval expeditionary force-in-readiness while meeting the modernization and operational requirements laid out in the 2018 National Defense Strategy. Overall the proposal has been positively received, but critics have expressed concern that the proposed force does not hedge for the sorts of wars fought in contingencies like Vietnam, Korea, and Iraq.
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