– CIMSEC – With only two operable icebreakers the Coast Guard is unable to safely conduct their mission in regions which are increasingly accessible due to receding ice levels. This gap in capability exacerbates international and economic consequences of an increasingly accessible Arctic against American interests. To conduct sustained Arctic operations in the national interest new icebreakers are needed and soon.
Course Set for the Next 40 Years for the Royal Australian Navy
– USNI News – The Royal Australian Navy has set out its force structure for the next 40 years with decisions taken on construction programs for new submarines, frigates and smaller offshore patrol vessels.
Contested Ship-to-Shore Movement, Part 2: Firepower Overmatch
– CIMSEC – The age of battleships laying broadsides into beaches may have been over when the USS Iowa was decommissioned, but the increasing threat of anti-ship missiles and A2/AD may draw a curtain on the modern surface combatant doing likewise. For a contested ship-to-shore movement to be successful at the shore overmatch is required at the landing zone both in terms of quantity of troops and firepower. Unable to conjure enough firepower out on the beach due to obvious constraints, extensive supporting firepower must come from the air and the sea.
Why Djibouti is home to China’s first foreign military base
– South China Morning Post – Last August, China opened its first overseas military base in Djibouti, a tiny nation in the Horn of Africa. Djibouti plays host to more foreign military facilities than anywhere else in the world, offering a key strategic location to supply regional peacekeeping and humanitarian missions and combat piracy.
Mauritius takes UK to court over Chagos Islands sovereignty
– Guardian – International court to hear testimony from 22 countries over Indian Ocean archipelago.
China’s Secret Weapon In a War Against America
– National Interest – Could it be sea mines?
The United States Must Be Realistic on Taiwan
– National Interest – There is a small probability that China will emerge as a genuine aggressor state. In that case, a defensible “red line” will have to be drawn, but Taiwan is precisely the wrong place to draw that potentially very important line.
Navy Picks Boeing to Build MQ-25A Stingray Carrier-Based Drone
– USNI News – Navy Picks Boeing to Build MQ-25A Stingray Carrier-Based Drone.
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
Navy Making Room for Railguns in Next Warship, But No Extra Investments
– USNI News – The Navy’s next large surface combatant will have all the space, weight and power margins the sea service could need now and into the future to accommodate new weapons in development – but the director of surface warfare said the Navy would not accelerate weapons development to get them ready in time to outfit the new ships.
Annual White Paper on Defense
– Japanese Ministry of Defense – An excellent look at how the Japanese see the Chinese threat to Japan.
New 2nd Fleet Boundary Will Extend North to the Edge of Russian Waters
– USNI News – The boundaries of the Navy’s reestablished U.S. 2nd Fleet extends well past the old submarine stomping grounds of the Cold War and into waters north of Scandinavia and the Arctic Circle, near the submarine headquarters of Russia’s Northern Fleet.
RIMPAC Showcases the Evolution, Expansion of Australia’s Amphibious Force
– USNI News – Australia’s amphibious force was a breakout star of the Rim of the Pacific 2018 exercise, being thrust into visible leadership role when the U.S. Navy’s amphibious assault ship suffered mechanical failures and remained pierside for most of the at-sea exercise.
Australia Broadens Its Military Relationships With Shipbuilding Deals
– Breaking Defense – As the Chinese challenge grows, Australia is clearly concerned about expanded Chinese influence within Australia and with regard to Chinese efforts to reshape the external environment to expand the influence and power of the Chinese authoritarian state. Clearly the United States remains Australia’s core ally in dealing with the Chinese challenge, but as Australia modernizes its forces, it is broadening its working relationships with other key allies as well.
Navy’s Next Large Surface Combatant Will Draw From DDG-51, DDG-1000 — But Don’t Call it a Destroyer Yet
– USNI News – The Navy will buy the first of its Future Surface Combatants in 2023 – a large warship that will be built to support the Arleigh Burke Flight III combat system and will pull elements from the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) and Zumwalt-class (DDG-1000) destroyer designs.
Russia deploys military ships to Syria armed with Kalibr cruise missiles
– Defense News – The Russian military is deploying a flotilla of at least 10 ships to the Syrian coast.
The UK’s giant aircraft carriers
– BBC – A century ago the UK started work on the world’s first purpose-built aircraft carrier. Soon the first jets will fly off the massive deck of her latest successor – the giant HMS Queen Elizabeth. Along with her sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, they’re the largest warships ever to be built for the Royal Navy.
Should the U.S. Arm Ukraine With Anti-ship Missiles?
– CIMSEC – Ukraine today, given the need of countering threats from the sea, is in a situation where the need for U.S. anti-ship missiles is much more important than obtaining Javelin ATGMs.
With $294 million in contracts, the US Navy keeps its promise to upgrade cruisers
– Defense News – The U.S. Navy is putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to modernizing its cruisers.
Newly reorganized littoral combat ship program faces its first big test in 2019
– Defense News – Four littoral combat ships are on track to be available to deploy in 2019, the head of the U.S. surface Navy told Defense News in an interview.
UK restarts frigate competition – but will anyone take part?
– Defense News – Britain’s Ministry of Defence is restarting its contest to build five general purpose frigates for the Royal Navy after it terminated the original competition due to insufficient interest from industry.
The US Navy’s fight to fix its worn-out Super Hornet fleet is making way
– Defense News – The U.S. Navy is slowly making progress to restore to fighting condition its hard-worn fleet of F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters, which last year had just one in three of its fighters ready to deploy.
The Perils of Playing Footsie in Military Boots: Trident Juncture and NATO’s Nordic Front
– War on the Rocks – This October, 40,000 U.S. and allied troops will converge on the sea and in the air over Norway for a NATO exercise named Trident Juncture. This will be NATO’s largest exercise since 2002 and will involve 30 allied and partner countries. One-hundred thirty aircraft and 70 ships will churn the waters of the Norwegian Sea and darken the skies above it, while thousands of allied land troops will operate in Norway in what is called a NATO “Article 5” exercise. Article 5 is that part of the North Atlantic Treaty in which members pledge to come to the aid of an ally under attack. For the purposes of the Trident Juncture exercise, that ally is Norway.
Dealing With the Russian Lake Next Door: Romania and Black Sea Security
– War On The Rocks – The Black Sea is a body of many monikers: NATO euphemistically calls the sea an area of “strategic importance,” former Romanian President Traian Băsescu famously dubbed it “a Russian lake” in 2005 and the Russians, in response, labeled the body “a NATO lake.” While traditionally Romania has considered the Black Sea “its best neighbor,” these labels reflect today’s heightened threat perceptions in the region. Yet ultimately none of these nicknames, laden with geostrategic significance though they are, show the reality.
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