– USNI Proceedings – Without the ships and mariners of the U.S. merchant marine, the nation could find itself with military forces deployed overseas with no means to feed, arm, or sustain them.
Russian anti-sub aircraft on combat training further south in the GIUK gap than normal
– Barents Observer – Norwegian and British fighter jets were scrambled two times this week to meet a pair of the Northern Fleet’s ASW aircraft on training mission over the Norwegian Sea.
SECNAV Modly Says Nation Needs Larger, Distributed Fleet of 390 Hulls
– USNI News – A pending force structure analysis calls for bigger and more spread out Navy than previously thought.
USS Eisenhower Leads Exercise To Clear Atlantic Shipping Lanes
– Breaking Defense – The Navy is doing something it hasn’t done since the 1980s — test its abilities to win in a contested crossing of the Atlantic.
Like a Ball of Fire
– London Review of Books – Andrew Cockburn on hypersonic weaponry.
Russia stages first ship-launched ‘Tsirkon’ hypersonic missile test
– Barents Observer – Russia has conducted the first ship-launched firing of its new hypersonic missile called Tsirkon and plans further tests from nuclear submarines.
Operating at the Edge of Chaos: Enhancing Maritime Superiority Through People
– CIMSEC – Continuous learning environments, opportunities for multi-disciplinary research in warfighting concepts and technology, and expanded Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) training, as envisioned in the CNO’s FRAGO, provide important opportunities to master new skills. But do they do enough to prepare the force for the complexity and chaos likely to characterize the future maritime environment?
Chinese destroyer’s laser targeted US plane
– Navy Times – A Chinese warship targeted a U.S. naval patrol aircraft with a laser in international airspace earlier this month, Pacific Fleet announced Thursday.
Integrate With the Marines, and Who Else?
– CIMSEC – In December 2019, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael M. Gilday, released his FRAGO A Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority. The FRAGO harped on integration with the Marine Corps – mentioning it seven times over the course of the short, eight-page document…But there is still a piece missing – where is the Coast Guard?
Fixing the Navy’s Software
– War on the Rocks – Good software elevates human performance. Bad software kills people, even in peacetime.
China vs. America: Boxing or Wrestlemania in the Pacific?
– National Interest – James Holmes writes that “Chinese and American strategists, past and present, delight in invoking sporting metaphors to explain how they intend to do business. Sports talk commonly conjures up the image of two boxers squaring off in the Western Pacific. Defensive-minded pugilists circle warily, but neither relishes being the first to throw a haymaker. The bout may never happen if the contenders deter each other or see little point in a fistfight.”
Europe’s Operation Agénor Reaches Full Operational Capacity
– Naval News – The French ministry of the armed forces announced that Operation Agénor, the military component of the European led Maritime Situation Awareness in the Straight of Hormuz (EMASOH) initiative, has reached full operational capacity (FOC).
Trump called for a 350-ship fleet, but his budget falls short of even Obama-era goals
– Defense News – Despite campaigning on a 350-ship Navy, U.S. President Donald Trump is on track to leave office with a fleet smaller than the 308 ships called for by the Obama administration.
Interwar Navy-Marine Corps Integration: A Roadmap For Today
– CIMSEC – The path to the level of integration blazed in the interwar period provides a blueprint for integrating today’s Navy and Marine warfighting and warfighters.
US Navy submarine spotted with massive damage to its “stealth” coating
– War is Boring – The USS Colorado (SSN 788) was spotted with significant cracking along her hull, though she remained structurally sound and the damage appeared to only affect the Special Hull Treatment, an anechoic coating used to absorb sound waves.
Thanks to Alain!
For Amphibious and Expeditionary Forces, ‘East-East/West-West’ Is Best
– USNI Blog – Among the long list of Navy challenges resulting from cumulative program and budget decisions, two are of particular concern to Marines. The first is near term and centered on the poor availability of the current amphibious force. The second is the growing concern that the present amphibious force, even if funded to a better availability rate, may not be well suited to the likely conditions of modern peer warfare in regard to its primary purpose: the execution of amphibious assaults.
A New Carrier Strike Group Staff For Warfighting and Warfighter
– CIMSEC – The Carrier Strike Group staff could benefit from an overhaul. The complexity of the future fight in terms of surveillance, maneuver, and fires call for a level of synchronization and expertise in planning that the current staff is unprepared for.
Sub vs. Sub: ASW Lessons from the Cold War
– USNI Proceedings – The U.S. Navy needs to relearn lessons from the Cold War era and rebuild as it confronts a Russian and Chinese threat that is smaller but considerably more capable that its predecessors.
Inside Russia’s Laika Next Generation Attack Submarine
– Naval News – The Project 545 ‘Laika’ was first revealed in the background of a media report on a Russian defense exhibition in December. Although it has not been officially confirmed the new design is likely to be the next generation Russian attack submarine project known as Husky. The name Laika refers to a breed of Siberian hunting dog very similar to the husky.
Pentagon reveals deal with Britain to replace Trident
– Guardian – Britain has committed itself to buying a new generation of nuclear warheads to replace Trident, which will be based on US technology.
New PLA Navy Ship Identification Guide
– From the Office of Naval Intelligence
New Russian Navy Ship Identification Guide
– From the Office of Naval Intelligence
The Navy Wants A Rapidly Deployable Version Of Its Cold War Era Submarine Monitoring Network
– War Zone – The containerized concept would allow various types of ships to readily emplace these sonar arrays wherever and whenever necessary.
Cutter Funding Welcomed But More Investments Needed to Sustain Coast Guard
– USNI News – While the Coast Guard Fiscal Year 2021 budget funded two important cutters programs, the service’s top official said more investment is needed to support the demanding daily operations at sea and at home. That includes closing the growing backlog of infrastructure repairs and updating failing information technology and communications systems.
Canada’s CP-140 Aurora MPA Upgraded To Block IV Takes First Flight
– Naval News – The Government of Canada is modernizing its fleet of 14 CP-140 Aurora aircraft. The Aurora Incremental Modernization Project (AIMP) involves 23 individual projects to acquire, integrate and install new mission systems and sensors onto the CP-140 for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. This project is being executed in a phased approach with four blocks; blocks I, II and III are complete, and block IV is now in the implementation phase.
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