– 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.
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
The Decline of the American Brand
– 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.
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