– USNI Proceedings – Marine Corps culture is rooted in the service’s long and storied history. Arguably, its culture is what differentiates it from other services and contributes to its fighting prowess and success.
Russia’s Strategy in the Black Sea Basin
– War on the Rocks – Although Moscow is in no position to dominate the Baltic Sea, its efforts to turn the Black Sea into a mare nostrum are bearing fruit. Over the past several years, the Kremlin has mastered the Baltic feint: By engaging in aerial and maritime provocations in a region highly monitored by the West, Russia is able to entrench its position in the Black Sea without notice. While most U.S. strategists worry about the Suwalki Gap on the Polish-Lithuanian border as a potential Russian invasion route into Central Europe, it is Russia’s buildup in the Black Sea that should concern policymakers. By using the Black Sea as a springboard, Russia can project power beyond its immediate surroundings — into the Middle East, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean — and strengthen its reemergence as a great power.
Avast, me hearties
– Economist – How aquatic, autonomous robots could reduce lawlessness at sea.
Fleet Tactics Returns – A Conversation With Authors Wayne Hughes and Bob Girrier
– CIMSEC – A conversation with CAPT Wayne Hughes, USN (Ret.) and RADM Robert Girrier, USN (Ret.) about the new edition of Fleet Tactics and Naval Operations.
Is a New Russian Black Sea Fleet Coming? Or is it Here?
– War on the Rocks – Last summer, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Russia will continue to strengthen its forces around the Black Sea in order to “neutralize the security threat in the Black Sea region from NATO.”
AI Will Change the Balance of Power
– USNI Proceedings – Artificial intelligence and autonomous systems will disrupt the traditional calculation of military power. To adapt, the United States must stay nimble and ramp up investments in learning, research, and development.
Ready, Responsive, Relevant?
– USNI Proceedings – The majority of the U.S. public is unaware of the Coast Guard beyond its response to national-level incidents such as hurricanes and oil spills. The service blames the lack of national awareness on its small size, but ignores the real problem: The Coast Guard does not care about its public affairs program. Rather than embracing the program as a mission enabler, the service has allowed it to become depleted from decades of neglect. The program’s lack of focus, lack of leadership, and lack of resources hinder the Coast Guard’s ability to connect with the audiences necessary to move the service forward.
Iran To Practice Blockading Strait Of Hormuz As Saudis Say Mandeb Strait Is No Longer Safe
– 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
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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.
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