– American Interest – Robert D. Kaplan writes that for the first time in decades, America is consciously squandering the gifts of its geography.
General Atomics Isn’t Building A Flyable Prototype Of Their MQ-25 Tanker Drone
– War Zone – The famed drone manufacturer has come out with an impressive, no-nonsense flying gas truck. But will the lack of a prototype hurt its chances?
‘Like Playing a Video Game’: Carrier Crew Flies Hornet Through Touch-and-Gos Remotely
– War Zone – The aptly named ATARI system could help out during emergencies and other contingencies and might be important for future carrier drone operations.
Break and Remake the U.S. Navy Surface Fleet
– National Interest – Why did it take a series of shipboard disasters to jolt the U.S. Navy into reforming the training regimen?
Why nuclear stability is under threat
– The Economist – Mutually assured destruction has served as the ultimate deterrent, but for how much longer?
Russia’s New Little Missile Packing Patrol Ship Is A Pretty Genius Design
– War Zone – The ships can carry containerized missile systems and can be outfitted with vertical launch surface-to-air missiles, but are half the size of an LCS.
The US Navy Still Hasn’t Formally Decided to Add Hellfires to Its Littoral Combat Ships
– War Zone – It’s unlikely that the service won’t push ahead with the upgrades, but the weapons still reflect the watering down of the ships’ capabilities.
Why Would The South Korean Navy Be Eyeing A Nuclear Submarine Capability?
– War Zone – South Korea’s Navy is looking into the practical and political feasibility of domestic design and production of a nuclear-powered submarine. The study comes amid heightened tensions with North Korea and concerns about that country’s own submarine-launched ballistic missile developments, but could further strain relationships on the Peninsula and beyond and could prove to be technically complex and expensive without a clear imperative to develop such a boat in the first place.
Can Jim Mattis Hold the Line in Trump’s ‘War Cabinet’?
– New York Times Magazine – Dismissed as a warmonger during the Obama presidency, the defense secretary may be the only reliable voice of caution left in an administration inching closer to the brink.
Shadowy CIA-Linked Spy Plane May Be Scouring The Sea For North Korean Sanction Busting
– War Zone – Since February 2018, the essentially unmarked surveillance aircraft has been flying orbits over the East China Sea between North Korea and China.
Japan launches amphibious unit, but equipping concerns remain
– Defense News – Japan has launched its first full-scale amphibious operations unit as part of a sweeping reorganization of its ground force, but questions remain about equipment delays and future basing.
The Navy and Marine Corps Need to Prepare for the Swarm of the Future
– War on the Rocks – One only needs to look at the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic games to see how modern drone technology could soon render today’s Marine Corps warfighting platforms and doctrine obsolete. During the ceremony, Intel Corp used over 1,200 specially designed drones to light up the night sky in a never-before-seen swarm that danced and maneuvered in formations that included a giant moving snowboarder, an enormous flying dove, and the iconic Olympic rings. With such a graphic display of sophistication, it is not difficult to imagine the damage that could be inflicted against an adversary’s force if each of those 1,200 drones had been weaponized and configured to seek and destroy enemy formations.
Lockheed’s MQ-25 Tanker Drone Looks Impressive, But It’s Still Just A Paper Plane
– War Zone – Lockheed’s flying-wing ‘Stingray’ drone is said to be largely a clean sheet design, and that could help or hurt its chances of winning.
In major shake-up, Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force gets centralized command amid regional tensions
– Japan Times – The Ground Self-Defense Force underwent its biggest organizational shake-up Tuesday, with command streamlined for flexible nationwide operations and the creation of amphibious forces tasked with defending remote islands.
F-35, submarine programs on track for Norway
– Defense News – Norway’s procurement of the F-35 joint strike fighter, P-8 anti-submarine aircraft and new high-end submarines is on track, and the government is working to induct both new systems.
Iran Owns the Gray Zone
– USNI Proceedings – Iran has mastered the art of “short-of-war,” with important implications for the U.S. Navy.
Using clever technology to keep enemies at bay
– The Economist – To counter regional challengers, America needs to regain its technological edge.
Has China passed an inflection point?
– Naval Diplomat – James Holmes writes that Gordon Chang maintains that “China has passed an inflection point” in its ascent to world power, and that bad things are in the offing.
Self-Driving Ships Will Soon Raise the Stakes at Sea
– CIMSEC – While Amazon continues to pilot its fully autonomous drone delivery system, Amazon PrimeAir, an autonomous delivery system millions of times larger is occurring at sea. And whether you are the passenger on-board a cruise ship or you hire a shipping company to transport your belongings overseas, in a few years, you will increasingly be at the mercy of a self-driving ship.
Fight to Hawaii: How the U.S. Navy is Training Carrier Strike Groups for Future War
– USNI News – After years of discussing and wargaming how the Navy would handle a fight against a peer or near-peer competitor, the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group had a unique opportunity to practice a high-end fight at the start of its deployment.
Notes of Caution on the Navy’s Forthcoming Force Structure Assessment
– War on the Rocks – What happens when the U.S. Navy’s force structure planning is built on strategic assumptions that are superseded by a change in the Oval Office? In the case of the U.S. Navy, the right answer is to conduct a new force structure assessment, and the Trump administration’s recent release of overarching strategic guidance created a question as to whether the Navy would do so. Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Systems Vice Adm. William Merz answered that question recently while testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, revealing that the Navy would perform an updated force structure assessment in response to the new National Defense Strategy.
UK hires team to stop destroyers from breaking down at sea
– Army Times – An industry team led by BAE Systems has secured a £160 million (U.S. $224 million) deal with the British Ministry of Defence to help fix long-running propulsion problems that have blighted the reliability of the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer fleet.
Protecting the Maritime Shipping Industry From Cybercrime
– CIMSEC – The American maritime shipping industry is one of the most vulnerable critical infrastructures (CI) to ransomware and other forms of cybercrime.
U.S. Evolving Middle East Operations of Carrier Strike Group as ISIS Loses Ground, Iranian Drones Make Daily Appearances
– USNI News – The rollback of ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria and changes in how Iran operates in the Persian Gulf are prompting the U.S. Navy to evolve how it operates its carrier strike groups in the Middle East. In the Gulf, the ships and aircraft that operate close to USS Theodore Roosevelt have seen harassment from Iranian fast attack craft cease but the threat from Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles grow to a daily concern.
Undersea Cables and the Challenges of Protecting Seabed Lines of Communication
– CIMSEC – From urgent stock market transactions to endless videos of cats, undersea cables support many aspects of twenty first century life that we take for granted. A moment’s thought is sufficient to appreciate the strategic importance of this fact. As a result, any discussion of future seabed warfare would be incomplete without a consideration of the challenges presented by ensuring the security of this vital infrastructure.
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