– US Marine Corps University – The first graphic novel of short stories about future war released by the Krulak Center via Marine Corps University Press.
Battle of the Bastions
– War on the Rocks – Bastions are back…
The surface Navy needs to fundamentally reshape itself to defeat the Chinese threat, study finds
– Defense News – The U.S. Navy’s surface fleet is completely misaligned to meet the threats the military says it must counter in the 21st century, and it’s not correctly constructed to pursue its own strategy of “distributed maritime operations,” according to new study from the Center or Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
Read the report: Taking Back the Seas: Transforming the U.S. Surface Fleet for Decision-Centric Warfare
Pakistan and China launch joint naval drills. Should India be concerned?
– Defense News – A nine-day Sino-Pakistani naval exercise commenced in Pakistan’s port of Karachi on Monday with the arrival of a Chinese naval task group from its South Sea Fleet. Sea Guardians 2020 is the sixth in the bilateral series, which, according to the Pakistan Navy, will focus on “augmenting interoperability and strategic cooperation.”
The Future of America’s Contest With China
– New Yorker – Washington is in an intensifying standoff with Beijing. Which one will fundamentally shape the twenty-first century?
Winning the Invisible War: Gaining an Enduring Advantage in the EMS
– CIMSEC – The challenge of spectrum management and control will be acute for militaries, which depend almost entirely on the EMS for sensing and communications.
Don’t Go Too Crazy, Marine Corps
– War on the Rocks – The Marine Corps is embarking on a 10-year restructuring to align itself with the National Defense Strategy, but in doing so, it risks ignoring the last 70 years of its history.
Argentina studies the purchase of two ‘Ula’ Norwegian class submarines
– El Snorkel – The arrival of Type 210 would serve to resume the formation of Argentine divers and strengthen the defense capacity of the marina on its coast. (In Spanish)
(Thanks Alain)
If A Chinese-American War Happens, It Will Start In The South China Sea
– National Interest – James Fanell writes that China has been preparing for just that fight.
Increasing the Lethality of the Surface Force: A Conversation With RDML Scott Robertson
– CIMSEC – CIMSEC had the opportunity to discuss the growth and evolution of the U.S. Surface Navy’s lethality with Rear Admiral Scott Robertson, commander of the Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC).
India hoists a ‘metal chain’ in the Indian Ocean
– The Hill – Many take an interest in the Indian Ocean. For example, both Britain and France have vowed to mount a frequent, if not standing, naval presence in the Indo-Pacific to help offset Chinese and Russian ambitions. And let’s not forget India, a budding titan that regards itself as the Indian Ocean region’s benevolent overseer.
Why A U.S.-Iran War Isn’t Going To Happen
– National Interest – James Holmes writes that the coming weeks and months may see irregular warfare prosecuted with newfound vigor through such familiar unconventional warmaking methods. It’s doubtful Tehran would launch into conventional operations, stepping onto ground it knows America dominates. To launch full-scale military reprisals would justify full-scale U.S. military reprisals that, in all likelihood, would outstrip Iran’s in firepower and ferocity.
Does China Really Need Aircraft Carriers?
– National Interest – In home water, no. Far away, for sure. One of the world’s top naval experts explains.
Royal Navy vessels sent to protect shipping in Strait of Hormuz
– Guardian – The Royal Navy will accompany ships through the Strait of Hormuz amid soaring tensions in the Middle East, following the US’s fatal drone strike on Iran’s top general.
Memo reveals Pentagon again tried to decommission the carrier Truman, cut an air wing
– Defense News – Despite causing a political firestorm earlier this year and forcing President Donald Trump to publicly reverse his administration’s position on the matter, the U.S. military again tried to push a plan that would lead to the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman retiring 25 years early and would defund a carrier air wing.
Russian coast guard receives new ice strengthened patrol vessel
– Barents Observer – The “Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky” will improve search- and rescue capabilities in Russia’s western Arctic region.
Northern Fleet’s new multipurpose Arctic tanker starts service in Barents Sea
– Barents Observer – The «Akademik Pashin» can simultaneously provide three vessels with fuels and other goods while sailing at open sea.
Troubles delay Russia’s prestigious ballistic missile sub
– Barents Observer – “Knyaz Vladimir”, the first upgraded Borey-A class submarine, will not be handed over to the navy by the end of 2019 as planned.
U.S. Fleet Created to Counter Russian Subs Now Fully Operational
– USNI News – The Navy’s fleet created to beef up its Atlantic presence against Russia is now fully operational.
As Navy Mulls Ship Cuts, New 2nd Fleet Opens For Business
– Breaking Defense – The 2nd Fleet says it’s ready to hunt Russian subs and start pushing into the Arctic. But it can only do that if the Navy can spare the ships.
The US military ran the largest stress test of its sealift fleet in years. It’s in big trouble
– Defense News – The U.S. military in September ordered the largest stress test of its wartime sealift fleet in the command’s history, with 33 out of 61 government-owned ships being activated simultaneously. The results were bad, according to a new report.
Fleet commander directs the U.S Navy’s surface force to develop concepts for unmanned ships
– Defense News – The head of the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Forces Command has ordered the service’s surface force to develop a concept of operations for both the large and medium unmanned surface vessels in development.
USS Bataan, Marines 26th MEU Heading to Middle East Amid Tensions with Iran
– USNI News – Amid rising tensions with Iran, the Navy is scrapping an exercise with Morocco as it redirects amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD-5) and embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Middle East
Proposal for sweeping cuts to US Navy shipbuilding, force structure could herald a new strategy, experts say
– Defense News – A sweeping series of proposed cuts to the U.S. Navy’s shipbuilding programs and force structure could herald a new strategy for a slimmed-down fleet, or could fizzle out in the budgetary process. But the fact that such a proposal is on the table in the first place shows the pressure under which the Defense Department is working as it anticipates a flat budget and a stack of modernization bills to pay, experts say.
Mainstreaming: The Case for Optimism within the Mine Warfare Community
– USNI Blog – With the release of the Presidential Budget that outlines unmanned and autonomous systems as the investment priority for the Department of Defense, it is clear to most in the mine warfare community that the U.S. Navy is stepping away from legacy mine countermeasures (MCM) platforms and toward the littoral combat ship (LCS) and the development of the MCM mission package. This shift will introduce capability and capacity gaps within the mission area, and while I don’t argue that many gaps exist, I believe the second- and third-order effects from operating MCM systems from mainstream platforms present an opportunity for the force to be optimistic about the future.
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