– CIMSEC – Now is the time for every agency, department, and service in the executive branch to ask itself hard questions and consider decisive change.
Navy Prioritizing Speed to Field Over Price for MQ-25A Stingray Program
– USNI News – After years of requirements churn and program uncertainty, the signal to companies vying to build the Navy’s first operational unmanned carrier aircraft is crystal clear: the Navy wants the MQ-25A Stingray as soon as possible.
Sri Lanka cedes major port to China, fueling tensions
– Defense News – Sri Lanka, an island nation in the Indian Ocean the size of West Virginia, has become another flashpoint in regional naval competition. That’s because in December, Sri Lanka turned over the strategic port in the southern city of Hambantota to a Chinese company on a 99-year lease. The deal, which allowed the country of 20 million to lessen its debts to China, marked another toehold for Beijing in the heart of the Indian Ocean.
Future plans emerge for Navy’s Triton surveillance drones
– Defense News – It could be several years before the Navy can deploy persistent, around-the-clock surveillance using its new high-flying surveillance drone.
Weaponization of unmanned Fire Scout helicopter ‘on hiatus’ until 2023
– Defense News – The long awaited upgrade of Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter with weapons remains effectively on hold as the Navy determines what munitions the littoral combat ship will carry in its armory going forward.
Recent Fatal Navy, Marine Aviation Crashes Are Symptoms of Overworked Forces, Officials Say
– USNI News – nvestigations into a recent string of fatal aviation mishaps across the joint force are ongoing, but Navy and Marine Corps leaders said the spate of events clearly points to an overworked force.
‘Impossible’: China denies planning military base in Vanuatu
– Guardian – Chinese ambassador calls the idea of a base ‘ridiculous’ and stresses humanitarian program.
Here’s Our First Good Look At The Crazy Air Inlet Design On Boeing’s MQ-25 Tanker Drone
– War Zone – Boeing’s MQ-25 has a classically problematic but low-observable flush-mounted intake, yet there are no low-observable requirements for the program.
Flush with cash, the Navy bores in on aviation readiness amid a crisis
– Defense News – The vice chief of naval operations had to see the issues for himself…What the sailors here told Adm. Bill Moran during a February visit would sound familiar to those who have followed the issue: long waits for spare parts, contracting delays, and the increasingly complex problems associated with maintaining aircraft that have well exceeded their planned flying hours.
How stealthy is Boeing’s new Super Hornet?
– Defense News – The Block III Super Hornet is getting a marginal increase in stealth capability, but if you’re expecting the invisible aircraft of President Donald Trump’s dreams, think again.
With all focus for the surface fleet on readiness, what gets sidelined?
– Defense News – The U.S. surface fleet is setting its sights on restoring readiness, an effort led by a new boss who is laser-focused on a force that was twice battered in 2017 by deadly collisions in the Pacific.
High North matrix game
– PAXsims – Tim Price has produced a free matrix game exploring economic and military competition and cooperation in the Arctic: HIGH NORTH.
Japan activates first marines since WWII to bolster defenses against China
– Reuters – Japan on Saturday activated its first marine unit since World War II trained to counter invaders occupying Japanese islands along the edge of the East China Sea that Tokyo fears are vulnerable to attack by China.
Getting to grips with military robotics
– The Economist – Autonomous robots and swarms will change the nature of warfare.
The Compelling Case For Turning S-3 Vikings Into The Navy’s New MQ-25 Tanker Drone
– War Zone – There’s plenty of paid for S-3s that can be converted to do the job and a dedicated Viking tanker variant has already been engineered and flown.
A Saudi Prince’s Quest to Remake the Middle East
– New Yorker – In his work with the White House, is Mohammed bin Salman driving out extremism, or merely seizing power for himself?
15 Big Ideas to Operationalize America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy
– War on the Rocks – The Trump administration has offered a strong vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, but without a bold set of policy and budget initiatives to make it real, it risks becoming yet another empty concept.
The Quest to Map the Mysteries of the Ocean Floor
– BBC – The oceans’ floors are not a flat, sandy expanse – they are every bit as varied as the landscapes above water, with plunging valleys and huge mountains. Making a map of them has been a challenging task.
Boeing Super Hornet program gets second life through future sales and upgrades
– Army Times – Boeing is expecting an important delivery this week: the arrival of the first Super Hornet slated to undergo a service life extension at the company’s production line in St. Louis, Missouri. The work will kick off a decade long “service life modification” effort that will increase the lifespan of the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F aircraft from 6,000 to 9,000 flight hours, but also transform them into the newest Block III configuration.
Russian Robots Attack! West Point Comic’s (Plausible) Future War
– Breaking Defense – Russian drones blind US surveillance and Russian malware paralyzes US tanks so Russian robots can blow them up. That’s the lovingly illustrated scenario in a comic book about future warfare published by the Army Cyber Institute at West Point. But is it plausible? Quite possibly, several experts told us — but there are actually worse things the Russians could do to us.
China Welcomes its Newest Armed Force: The Coast Guard
– War on the Rocks – China has recently transferred administrative control of its coast guard from civilian to military authority. The decision may have far-reaching consequences for the command and operations of the China Coast Guard, and is arguably one of the most important reforms to take place since its creation in 2013.
The Geostrategic Challenge – and Opportunity – of the South Pacific
– War on the Rocks – The South Pacific remains strategically vital to the United States for two key reasons. First, it is in U.S. interests to prevent the emergence of a regional hegemon that could threaten America and its allies; and second, America wants to maintain the free flow of goods and ideas to Asia.
Sea Base USS Lewis B. Puller Finding Its Way in 5th Fleet
– USNI News – U.S. 5th Fleet is experimenting with one of the Navy’s newest warships with a mission to support amphibious, special forces and mine countermeasures operations at sea. USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB-3) is the Navy’s first purpose-built expeditionary sea base in decades, and sailors and Marines are hard at work learning how to innovate with a wide cross-section of U.S. and international military partners.
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.
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