– CIMSEC – Professor Heather Venable discusses her new book, How the Few Became the Proud: Crafting the Marine Corps Mystique, 1874-1918. It is a fascinating look at how the U.S. Marine Corps, struggling to define its role as a small fighting force in the earlier days of the republic, crafted a reputation and truly — a mystique — to ensure the service’s survival.
Dragon Against the Sun: Chinese Views of Japanese Seapower
– CSBA – Over the past decade, the Chinese navy overtook Japan’s maritime service in critical measures of power, including fleet size, aggregate tonnage, and firepower. China eclipsing Japan in naval power could introduce unwelcome strategic trends. It may well fuel an even more intense competition between Tokyo and Beijing, two seafaring rivals that already regard each other with deep suspicion. Japan’s displacement at sea could increase the probability of deterrence failure in the next crisis. It threatens to undercut U.S. confidence in Japan’s capacity to fulfill its allied responsibilities, sowing acrimony within the security partnership.
Has China’s Navy Caught Up (and Surpassed) Japan?
– National Interest – While the world focuses on the Coronavirus crisis, a new report lays out the rise of Chinese seapower and how it could impact Japan and the entire Indo-Pacific region.
The Russian Navy Is Bringing Serious Firepower to the Baltic
– National Interest – The head of the Russian Navy announced that the Baltic Fleet will be bolstered by the addition of six new warships, which will be armed with Kaliber cruise missiles.
The Amphibious Warship USS Portland Has Shot Down A Drone With Its New High-Power Laser
– War Zone – The successful test of the powerful laser is a major step forward for the Navy’s directed energy weapons ambitions.
How the U.S. Can Better Suppress Illegal Drug Trafficking in the Caribbean
– CIMSEC – The United States has the largest and most advanced navy in the world, and is an important actor in the Caribbean region and the Western Hemisphere as a whole. Increased maritime enforcement is vital, especially to combat drug trafficking in the region. However, aiming to control drug trafficking will not make these criminal groups disappear. They will take alternate routes and capitalize on trading other illicit goods. In order to establish a sustainable and peaceful approach to the region’s maritime security challenges, the U.S. must take a holistic approach to maritime security threats and empower local organizations to solve regional security challenges at their source.
Navy Releases RFP for Medium Unmanned Underwater Vehicle
– USNI News – The Navy this week released a request for proposals for a Medium Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (MUUV) that is meant to streamline two existing unmanned systems into a single open architecture UUV.
Northrop Grumman Reveals New Mini Torpedo Aimed At Arming And Defending Navy Submarines
– War Zone – The mini-torpedoes could be a game-changer and are set to be fielded on Virginia class submarines in the next few years.
A Cold War Is Heating Up in the South China Sea
– Bloomberg – James Stavridis writes that U.S.-China tensions over trade and the coronavirus epidemic are playing out dangerously on contested waters.
B-1 Bomber May Become the New Face of US Military Power in the Pacific
– Military.com – The Air Force’s B-1B Lancer bomber is about to move front and center in the U.S. military’s power-projection mission in the Pacific.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet Completes The First Stage Of Its Modernization
– Naval News – The Black Sea fleet is actively developing into a self-sufficient and balanced force.
USS Theodore Roosevelt Back Underway 2 Months After COVID Outbreak
– USNI News – USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is underway for the first time since its deployment was interrupted for 55 days to battle a COVID-19 outbreak that infected almost a quarter of the crew.
US Navy issues new distance guidelines for vessels after close encounters with Iranian ships
– Navy Times – The U.S. Navy warned Tuesday it will take “lawful defensive measures” against vessels in the Mideast that come within 100 meters (yards) of its warships, offering specific guidelines after a recent close encounter with Iranian vessels in the Persian Gulf.
At the Commissioning of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Aircraft Carrier Baekdusan
– CIMSEC – Bringing a new light carrier into service would be an impressive feat for any naval enterprise, let alone the Korean People’s Navy….a new FICINT story…
Harvesting vegetables with ‘sand-to-earth’ tech on S. China Sea island beach
– Global Times – Chinese navy garrisoned on an island in the Xisha Islands of the South China Sea recently harvested 750 kilogram of vegetables on sandy beaches for the first time, using technology which experts said could support communities on islands.
The Twilight of the Iranian Revolution
– New Yorker – For decades, Ayatollah Khamenei has professed enmity with America. Now his regime is threatened from within the country.
Small Crews, Technical Complexity Makes Operating Modern Warships in Pandemic Tough
– USNI News – The increased technical complexity of systems and reduced manning make U.S. warships less able to operate if a disease breaks out on a ship than the previous ships that weathered the 1918 influenza outbreak, a panel of experts said last week.
Turkey’s New Assault Carrier Will Transform Navy
– Forbes – The Turkish Navy’s first light aircraft carrier, TCG Anadolu, will be the flagship of a more powerful fleet. Her large helicopter and UCAV (uncrewed combat air vehicle) air wing, as well as amphibious capabilities, will provide new capabilities to NATO’s second largest military.
(Thanks to Alain)
What Will the Chinese Navy’s Next Frigate Look Like?
– The Diplomat – The U.S. Navy has chosen its next frigate; what will China’s look like?
Russia’s Baltic Fleet To Get Six Karakurt-Class Corvettes, Four With Pantsir-M
– Naval News – The Russian Navy’s Baltic fleet will receive a series of six Karakurt-class corvettes of project 22800.
China Marine Corps on Show in the South China Sea
– Radio Free Asia – On May 5, the PLANMC undertook an anti-piracy exercise near the Paracel Islands that showed off its capabilities to China’s neighbors at a time of rising tensions in the region. The exercise simulated covert, amphibious assaults by the PLANMC with fast-moving speedboats and naval aviation aircraft, integrating the corps’ operations with the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
Thirty-six Thousand Feet Under the Sea
– New Yorker – The explorers who set one of the last meaningful records on earth.
Future Philippine Navy Frigate BRP ‘Jose Rizal’ Sails Home For Commissioning
– Naval News – The Philippine Navy’s first-ever guided-missile frigate, BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), set sails from the Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) shipyard in South Korea today, to join her homeland for the first time.
Learning in the South China Sea: The US Response to the West Capella Standoff
– War on the Rocks – Malaysian oil exploration in a contested area of the South China Sea sparked a “five-nation face off” in April, with Malaysian, Vietnamese, Chinese, U.S., and Australian maritime forces sailing within relatively close proximity. When the responding U.S. Navy Expeditionary Strike Group departed after spending only a few days in the area, some observers panned the U.S. response as uninvited, insufficient, and having emboldened China. The passage of a few weeks has shown these accusations to be premature, but also highlighted a recurring weakness in the U.S. approach to maritime security in the Indo-Pacific. While the U.S. strike group may have departed, U.S. forces sortied from both forward deployed locations and the U.S. homeland to maintain a persistent presence over the South China Sea with platforms ranging from small surface combatants to strategic bombers. China’s presence has remained largely static. Overall, the United States shows progress in its approach but also an inexplicable missed opportunity to reach out to its Southeast Asian partners.
Should the United States Support a Republic of Korea Nuclear Submarine Program?
– US Naval War College Review – The United States must choose whether it will oppose or support South Korea’s emerging SSN program. While the strategic risks the program represents are readily apparent, the United States should support and assist its ally if South Korea pursues acquisition of SSNs.
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