– USNI News – Positioned off the coast of Florida, helicopters from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) are now delivering food and water to Florida as part of the Hurricane Irma relief effort. USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) and USS New York (LPD 21) are expected to join the relief effort Tuesday.
Navy Prepares Ships for Hurricane Irma Relief Operations
– USNI News – The Navy sent the ships to sea ahead of the storm’s landfall last week, in order to be able to quickly assist with recovery efforts. The ships can provide medical support, security, logistic support, medium and heavy lift air support, and can assist state and federal agencies assessing damage. Before the Navy can provide assistance, a formal request must be made by state and federal officials.
Build All-UAV Carriers
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – The Navy should develop a new class of carriers to exploit the combat power of unmanned aerial vehicles to fight and win the nation’s future battles.
Rebuilding the Ukrainian Navy
– US Naval War College Review – This article examines the Ukrainian governments attempts to rebuild the Ukrainian navy and argues that, while Ukraine faces political, conceptual, and financial challenges in reviving its maritime power, it has made some modest progress toward building a “mosquito fleet.” This fleet has been bolstered by the addition of some small, new ships and the increasing professionalization of Ukraine’s naval personnel, in particular its marines. This progress suggests that Ukraine can go in a radically different direction as it redevelops its navy: toward coastal defense.
Interview with the “Air Boss”
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – On 11 July, Naval Institute staff members Ward Carroll and Bill Hamblet interviewed the Navy’s “Air Boss”—Vice Admiral Mike Shoemaker—in the Pentagon about the current state of naval aviation and some issues getting attention in the press.
Littoral Combat Ship Sailors to Take on Greater Maintenance Responsibilities, As Navy Looks to Reduce Overall Class Maintenance Needs
– USNI News – The Littoral Combat Ship community is taking steps to both decrease the amount of overall maintenance work the ships require and increase the percentage conducted by sailors instead of contractors.
Congress, Navy Share Blame For Fatal Collisions At Sea
– Breaking Defense – Congress’s repeated budget malpractice and the Navy’s flawed policies combined to cause the accidents that killed 17 sailors, the Navy and the GAO say.
Amphib USS Wasp Offers Hurricane Irma Recovery Assistance to U.S. Virgin Islands
– USNI News – USS Wasp (LHD-1) arrived in the U.S. Virgin Islands Thursday to offer recovery assistance in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
Littoral Combat Ship, Mission Package Testing Activity At All-Time High
– USNI News – A flurry of Littoral Combat Ship activity on the San Diego waterfront belies any thought the program is in a sleepy infancy phase.
Cyber Threats to Navies With Dr. Alison Russell
– CIMSEC – A conversation with Dr. Alison Russell of Merrimack College about navies and their relationship with cyber. It’s about the distinct layers of cybersecurity, how navies use them to enhance their capabilities, and the challenges in securing and maintaining that domain.
Littoral Combat Ship Program Vastly Different a Year Into Major Organizational, Operational Overhaul
– USNI News – The Littoral Combat Ship fleet has spent the last year in the midst of a reorganization and preparing for a new way of doing business following recommendations from a 2016 LCS Review that pointed the Navy towards injecting simplicity, stability and ownership into the unusual program. A year into implementing those recommendations, the LCS fleet looks vastly different than originally envisioned.
Can war games help us avoid real-world conflict?
– BBC – A look at Dire Straits, a megagame of East/Southeast Asian crisis stability.
USS Kearsarge, USS Oak Hill Positioned to Respond to Both Hurricane Irma and Harvey Relief Operations
– USNI News – Amphibious warships USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) and USS Oak Hill (LSD-51) are positioned to support hurricane relief efforts, if civilian authorities make a request for assistance.
Building an Asymmetric Ukrainian Naval Force to Defend the Sea of Azov Part 1
– CIMSEC – The following two-part series will analyze the maritime dimension of competition between Ukraine and Russia in the Sea of Azov. Part 1 analyzes strategic interests, developments, and geography in the Sea of Azov along with probably Russian avenues of aggression.
Sri Lanka is an Open Door to the Indian Ocean
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – Engaging with the Sri Lanka Navy offers the U.S. Navy both Indian Ocean access and training opportunities.
Sweden’s Navy Asks: Please Don’t Live Stream Our Submarines
– National Interest – Back in 2009, the Swedish town of Karlskrona had a brilliant idea to boost tourist traffic: install Web cameras overlooking the picturesque Swedish coast. But there was just one problem with this marketing gimmick: as a local writer pointed out this summer, the Karlskrona cameras were live streaming the nearby naval base—Sweden’s largest and home to the country’s fleet of five advanced non-nuclear submarines.
Argentina is on the brink of buying a £40m warship from America ideal for invading the Falklands – as Royal Navy withdraws similar vessel from service
– Daily Mail – The United States is on the brink of selling Argentina a £40 million ship ideal for invading the Falklands – just as the cash-stretched Royal Navy is withdrawing a similar class of vessel from active service.
Coast Guard Is More Than Cutters
– Proceedings of the US Naval Institute – Escalating demands require a balanced Coast Guard committed to innovative leaders and capabilities—like its Deployable Specialized Forces—to complement its cutter force.
Capital Uncertainty
– CIMSEC – A look at non-kinetic ways to disable a navy.
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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Could Israel’s Navy Start a Nuclear War?
– National Interest – Israel’s navy is the smallest branch of the Israel Defense Forces. However, the need to protect Israel’s recently-established gas rigs in the Mediterranean against missile and terrorist attacks presents the Israeli navy with a profound challenge. In addition, the Israeli submarine fleet is of tremendous strategic importance—particularly regarding a possible Iranian military nuclear program. Thus, Israel’s navy plays a vital role for Jerusalem’s security.
MQ-25 Stingray Unmanned Aerial Tanker Could Almost Double Strike Range of U.S. Carrier Air Wing
– USNI News – The inclusion of the unmanned MQ-25 Stingray aerial tanker into the U.S. carrier air wing could increase the effective strike range of the strike fighters aboard aircraft carriers by up to 400 nautical miles.
The Royal Navy’s New Ship Plans Have a Serious Flaw
– National Interest – In 2023, the Royal Navy hopes the first of its new Type 31 frigates will hit the waves to replace HMS Argyll, the first of 13 Type 23 frigates scheduled to begin retiring that year, with another to retire every year until 2035. The new vessels will add desperately needed modern warships to the United Kingdom’s depleted fleet. However, that’s the hope. It’s not realistic, according to program officials cited in a report from Defense News. The compressed timetable will likely delay the Type 31, and worse — tight budgets are forcing compromises with the vessel’s weapons and capabilities. The result will be a Royal Navy adopting a smaller, less combat-capable ship than the Type 23, which has served since the 1980s as the backbone of Britain’s submarine hunting fleet.
USS Kearsarge, USS Oak Hill Leave Thursday for Hurricane Harvey Relief Operation
– USNI News – Amphibious warships USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) and USS Oak Hill (LSD-51) are set to set sail on Thursday under orders Wednesday from Adm. Phil Davidson, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, to provide humanitarian aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
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