– War Zone – Any serious Iranian attempt to shut down both passages simultaneously could be a nightmare scenario for international commerce, or worse.
Prepare to Fight in Megacities
– USNI Proceedings – There are at least 35 megacities — or “dense urban areas” (DUAs), in doctrinal terms—in the world, most of them adjacent to littorals. Lagos, Nigeria; Mumbai, India; and Seoul, South Korea, to name just three, are among the many that also sit in active or potential conflict zones. The U.S. military almost certainly will have to fight in one or more of these 35 in the near future.
Black Sea’s Back, Alright?
– War on the Rocks – When analyzing the clash between Russia and the West, it is common to speak of a contest for influence in the post-Soviet space. That is not quite true. Only certain post-Soviet states have become real battlegrounds, and all are located along the shores of the Black Sea. Consider, for example, the frozen conflicts that emerged from the Soviet collapse and that have been sustained with Russian help. Of these conflicts — Moldova’s breakaway Transnistria region, Georgia’s ongoing disputes with its Abkhazia and South Ossetia territories, and now the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine — all ring the Black Sea.
War Studies Primer
– Visit the War Studies Primer for an introductory course on the study of war.
Look at slides 2 and 3 in the War Studies Primer for its Table of Contents, and then choose a lecture to read and enjoy.
Ways to Follow NOSI
– You can also follow NOSI via RSS at nosi.org/feed or receive an email every time a blog post is published by entering your email address and clicking on the Follow button in the right hand column of the site or on Facebook at facebook.com/nosintel or on Twitter at twitter.com/nosintel
Now Russia Wants To Bring Back Missile-Armed Ekranoplans To Defend Its Claims In The Arctic
– War Zone – The combat-capable “Orlan” could be as much an anti-access weapon as a tool for improving operational access to remote areas.
The Secret Sauce to Innovate in the Military: Make Doubt and Failure Fun
– National Interest – Bottom line, let’s rediscover the wisdom of masters such as these—and make dreaming up offbeat ideas fun and rewarding again.
Storm Clouds Are Gathering over the Taiwan Strait
– National Interest – Washington would do well to stop provoking China’s ire on Taiwan, lest it trigger a “Cuban Missile Crisis” in reverse.
Meet the HN-1, China’s New AI-Powered Underwater Drone
– National Interest – The battle for future undersea AI dominance is heating up and China’s ambitions are not small in this domain.
What Will the Future Hold For Arctic Economies?
– CIMSEC – It is critical to analyze economic drivers and political factors across the High North in order to evaluate the economic potential of the region, understand national security interests, and develop appropriate Arctic policy.
France takes delivery of its 5th FREMM
– Defense News – The Directon Générale de l’Armement took delivery July 18 the fifth multi-mission frigate, marking a step toward an eight-strong fleet which will be the “backbone” of the French Navy.
Navy, Marine Corps Racing to Increase Amphibious Fleet as Demand Rises
– USNI News – The Navy and Marine Corps are running up against a deadline to add more amphibious warships to the fleet before older hulls start retiring.
France makes progress on refitting submarine for M51 missiles
– Defense News – The ballistic missile submarine Téméraire has been taken to Ile Longue, the French naval base for nuclear boats, marking a key step in a major refit of the sub.
Is Germany’s Navy Dead?
– National Interest – The German Navy’s current condition is a true “Schande;” an embarrassment for Europe’s wealthiest country.
The Inside Scoop: What Russia Is Really Saying About Its 100-Megaton Nuclear Torpedo
– National Interest – We have all the answers.
CVN-81, The Fourth Ford Class Supercarrier, Is Slated To Cost A Whopping $15B
– War Zone – The price of a single Ford class supercarrier is approaching the size of the entire annual defense budget of Canada.
The US Navy’s new anti-ship missile scores a hit at RIMPAC, but there’s a twist
– Defense News – The U.S. surface fleet’s brand-new anti-ship missile was used as part of the barrage of rockets and missiles that put an end to the landing ship tank Racine on July 12 during the Rim of the Pacific exercise, but it wasn’t shot by the Navy.
The Shell Game: Fueling a Future War in the Pacific
– War on the Rocks – Energy for military operations in the geographically vast Pacific region still primarily takes the form of military-grade fuels used by ships and aircraft. That fuel is still mostly stored in fuel terminals in known locations, many of which are in range of potential adversaries’ aircraft, submarines, and surface-to-surface missiles. The United States relies on an inadequate number of overtasked fleet tankers to support logistically fragile operational concepts (in contrast to southwest Asia and Europe, where it is often possible to move military fuel by other means, such as pipelines and ground transportation). Because of the enormous quantities of fuel required to support military operations in the Pacific and elsewhere, the military is increasingly aware of the tension between war plans and their underlying fuel logistics.
Spain’s new submarine ‘too big for its dock’
– BBC – An attempt to deploy a new submarine for Spain’s navy has run aground again, after it emerged it cannot fit in its dock.
A New Gap in the High North and Forward Defense Against Russian Naval Power
– CIMSEC – The stand-up of a new NATO Maritime headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the re-establishment of the U.S. Navy’s East Coast-based Second Fleet and the prospect for a new NATO Maritime Strategy this year have again fueled interest in naval warfare in the wider Atlantic Ocean.
Inside America’s Aging Nuclear Missile Submarines
– Breaking Defense – America’s nuclear deterrent is aging, with a half-dozen replacement programs on the horizon. But the young men and women who serve, Gen. John Hyten said, are better than ever: “They love this country. They want to defend this country. They go to work every day. They’re amazing — they’re smarter than we were, by far. They get motivated differently so you have to lead them differently, but their passion is just the same.”
Jim Mattis’ ‘Dynamic Force Employment’ just got real for the US Navy
– Defense News – The Harry S. Truman carrier strike group is returning to Norfolk after just three months on deployment, a dramatic shift from the Navy’s standard seven-month deployment and a move that has been signaled at the highest levels of the military as the Navy moves to rebuild readiness and surge capacity.
I Served Aboard One of the Last U.S. Navy Battleships. And It Changed My Life
– National Interest – A “ship” is more than a hunk of steel that rides the bounding main. It is an expression of human ideas and history in steel. It’s a composite of materiel, human beings, and history. Therein lies its allure.
United Kingdom Maritime Strategy
– CIMSEC – A conversation with Dr. Eric Grove on the UK’s maritime strategy, the evolution of its national security strategy in the post-9/11 era, and force structure debates in the current era.
Essex Amphibious Ready Group Quietly Deployed on Tuesday with Marine F-35s
– USNI News – The three-ship Essex Amphibious Ready Group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit left San Diego, Calif., on Tuesday with little fanfare for an expected Western Pacific and Middle East deployment.
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