The Future of Aircraft Carriers: Consider the Air Wing, Not the Platform

CIMSEC – Robert Rubel asks what is it that the air wing, irrespective of the range of its aircraft, is supposed to do? That is a function of the ability of aircraft to penetrate to a launch point, and the ability of the weapons they deliver to achieve the effects needed. A valid discussion of those factors involves much more than just “bombs on target.”

Spencer’s firing is latest in string of disasters for US Navy leadership

Defense News – Last week’s ouster of Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer marked the latest in a string of leadership disasters for a beleaguered service, one that has seen a slew of admirals and senior captains reprimanded, fired or had their careers cut short for everything from ethics violations to poor performance on their watch.

German Navy chief of staff: The naval force is preparing for challenges beyond 2020

Defense News – The German government’s 2016 defense whitepaper picked up on the fragility and volatility of the political and security landscape around Europe shown in recent years and provided a new strategic outline for the German armed forces and the German Navy. Strategically we have to equally balance collective and national defense with the tasks of international crisis management.

The Icebreaker Gap Doesn’t Mean America is Losing in the Arctic

War on the Rocks – Using relative icebreaker fleet sizes as a key metric for the state of strategic competition in the Arctic is flawed. While they are an important platform, icebreakers do little to create or address the most commonly identified defense challenges in the region. Instead, analysts should focus on the nature of the military risks in the Arctic, the role of allies and partners, and economic interests in a broader geopolitical context rather than comparing specific capabilities.

US Navy Lab Investigates Innovative Non-Lethal Boat Stopping Technology

Naval News – Maritime Vessel Stopping Occlusion Technologies, or MVSOT, is a promising non-lethal tool for the warfighter to significantly slow or stop an on-coming target vessel. The MVSOT team specifically focuses on technologies that limit or remove the ability of a propulsion system to provide thrust to a boat, but in a reversible manner.