– BMPD – On December 26, 2019, in St. Petersburg, the Admiralty Shipyards JSC (part of United Shipbuilding Corporation – USC) held a launch ceremony for the B-603 large diesel-electric submarine being built for the Navy of the Russian Federation “ Volkhov ” (serial number 01615) of project 06363. This is the second of six submarines of project 06363 being built for the Pacific Fleet. (In Russian)
(Thanks to Alain)
– South China Morning Post – The country’s second aircraft carrier, the Shandong, officially entered service this month, but bottlenecks in training could hamper the navy’s effectiveness.
– War Zone – The propeller is increasingly giving way to the more complex pump-jet propulsor on larger submarines. Here’s why.
– BBC – Iran’s most powerful military commander, General Qasem Soleimani, has been killed by a US air strike in Iraq. The 62-year-old spearheaded Iranian military operations in the Middle East as head of Iran’s elite Quds Force.
– Reuters – The Australian navy on Friday began the evacuations of some of the thousands of people stranded on the east coast of the fire-ravaged country as a searing weather front was set to whip up more blazes across the states of Victoria and New South Wales.
– China Maritime Studies Institute – The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has ambitious goals for its power projection capabilities. Aside from preparing for the possibility of using force to resolve Beijing’s territorial claims in East Asia, it is also charged with protecting China’s expanding “overseas interests.” These national objectives require the PLA to be able to project significant combat power beyond China’s borders. To meet these needs, the PLA is building organic logistics support capabilities such as large naval auxiliaries and transport aircraft. But it is also turning to civilian enterprises to supply its transportation needs.
– War on the Rocks – As the Marine Corps reorients towards great power competition in the Pacific, it faces the harsh reality that the uncontested maritime maneuver-space it once took for granted — upon which more than $3.4 trillion of annual international maritime trade and America’s most influential companies increasingly depend — is now blanketed with dense layers of Chinese long-range missile weapons engagement zones.
– US Naval War College Review – The security of Japan’s maritime borders is a top priority for the country’s government. The roles of the Japan Coast Guard and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force are paramount in these security operations as Japan navigates an international landscape in the East China Sea complicated by an emboldened China.
– National Interest – As a new generation of “whiz-kids” takes up the challenge in the post-INF world of confronting Beijing in the Western Pacific, the Chinese are busy assessing possible countermeasures.
– USNI Proceedings – The traditional ballistic missile defense mission is too narrow and operationally limiting.
The ten most significant naval news stories / trends / themes this year included:
– Defense News – A small but potentially substantial change in the Pentagon’s five-year budget projection slows down the buying profile for the U.S. Navy’s new frigate, which is expected to be awarded in 2020.
– US Naval War College Review – Many examples of task automation using artificial intelligence exist in private industry. The U.S. military has a great opportunity to exploit these developments and adapt them for use throughout the force, particularly in areas such as logistics and administration, freeing up man-hours and resources for other, more-complex activities.
– Global Times – China’s latest 10,000 ton-class guided missile destroyer, the Type 055, is capable of launching long-range land-attack cruise missiles.
– USNI Proceedings – Align the Commandant’s planning guidance and the Navy’s strategic vision.
– Barents Observer – After the two previous 4th generation multi-purpose submarines experienced long delays in construction, Russia now seems to have gain speed at the shipyard in Severodvinsk.
– US Naval War College Review – By now, the challenge and threat of a rising and contentious China and an increasingly hostile Russia have penetrated the Navy’s corporate consciousness, and current leaders are taking steps to shift the service from a purely power- projection posture to one that focuses again on defending American command of the sea. The Navy is initiating adjustments to fleet design and architecture as well as a rebirth of fleet experimentation. While perhaps late in coming, these responses to the emergent challenges of our time are encouraging.
– Global Times – China’s latest domestically developed comprehensive supply ship conducted its first aircraft carrier battle group supplement mission during a high sea exercise, prompting experts to say that Chinese aircraft carriers are ready to sail farther into deep blue waters.
– USNI Proceedings – To prepare for a fight over the western Pacific’s contested islands, there is no better resource than the 1982 Falklands War.
– Global Times – China’s third aircraft carrier could be launched within the next two years, be combat ready by 2025 and feature an electromagnetic catapult and stealth fighter jets, a professional Chinese military magazine predicted.
– South China Morning Post – The first home-built Chinese carrier will deploy a range of aircraft from J-15 ‘Flying Shark’ fighter planes to anti-submarine ‘Sea Eagle’ helicopters.
– South China Morning Post – Warship is named after the province where it will be based, but it also carries a message aimed at reminding the PLA Navy to learn from past humiliations
– Naval Today – Turkey is pushing forward with the development of its submarine program, having witnessed its first Type 214 class submarine TCG Piri Reis hit the water on December 22 at the Gölcük Shipyard in northwestern Turkey.
(Thanks to Alain)
– BMPD – Beautiful images and video of the Shandong conducting flight operations. (In Russian)
(Thanks to Alain)
– Defense News – The US Navy has put forward a proposal to decommission the first four littoral combat ships in 2021 as part of a cost-savings measure, according to a memorandum from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to the Defense Department.
You must be logged in to post a comment.