– New York Times Magazine – C.J. Chivers writes that the Marine Corps taught Sam Siatta how to shoot. The war in Afghanistan
taught him how to kill. Nobody taught him how to come home.
Russia Pulling Carrier Admiral Kuznetsov from Mediterranean
– USNI News – Russia is recalling the Russian carrier Admiral Kuznetsov from the Eastern Mediterranean and sending the ship back to its homeport in northern Russia.
A Bigger Problem than ISIS?
– New Yorker – The Mosul Dam is failing. A breach would cause a colossal wave that could kill as many as a million and a half people.
Navy’s advanced Hawkeye squadron is moving from Norfolk Naval Station to Japan
– Virginian Pilot – A squadron of advanced early warning and control aircraft is moving from Norfolk to Japan as part of a Navy effort to place its most-advanced units in the Pacific as China grows more assertive.
Egypt’s Failed Revolution
– New Yorker – President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has unwittingly revealed more about his country’s political structures than anybody could have imagined.
Russia Wants to Sell Arms to the Philippines, Hold Joint Naval Drills
– USNI News – As the U.S. relationship with the Philippines has come under rhetorical assault from President Rodrigo Duterte, Moscow has moved closer to Manila offering to sell arms and to start a bilateral military exercise program.
Beijing Confirms Chinese Carrier Launched Fighters in South China Sea
– USNI News – A Chinese carrier strike group has conducted training drills and launched fighters in the South China Sea – a first for the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
Towards Breakout in the South China Sea: The PRC Shapes a Way Ahead
– Second Line of Defense – The seizure of a USN Drone operating 50nm northwest of Subic Bay operating in International waters of South China Sea (SCS) highlights the evolution of PRC policy and reflects a way ahead. The drones and its tender USNS Bowditch were well away from any PRC claims and beyond the 9 dash line. This act could be viewed as piracy on the high seas by the PRC regime’s navy or alternatively, as the logical extension of PRC policy toward the SCS.
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The Pakistan Navy in 2016 and Beyond
– Quwa – Responsible for securing Pakistan’s coastlines and sea lanes, the Pakistan Navy had seen significant growth in terms of attention, and possibly momentum, in 2016. The principal driver of this attention has been the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and, at its core, the Gwadar deep-sea port, which opened for operations this past November.
Capt. James Kirk and USS Zumwalt
– USNI News – On Tuesday Capt. James Kirk turned over command of the guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) to his executive officer and ended his tenure leading the crew of the Navy’s newest and most unique warship. Last week Kirk spoke with USNI News on what life’s like for the crew of Zumwalt and the transit from Maine to the ship’s new San Diego homeport.
Will Trump Break the Special Forces?
– The Atlantic – The president-elect’s plans to defeat ISIS will rely heavily on elite soldiers already on the verge of burnout.
Egypt’s Failed Revolution
– New Yorker – President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has unwittingly revealed more about his country’s political structures than anybody could have imagined.
The PRC’s New Garrisons in the South China Sea: A US Perspective
– CIMSEC – Some international observers minimize the importance of military facilities and operational capabilities on the People’s Republic of China’s various claimed features, rocks, and islands in the South China Sea. They should reconsider.
Taiwan, Trump, & The Pacific Defense Grid: Towards Deterrence In Depth
– Breaking Defense – The phone call between President-elect Trump and the President of Taiwan sent shock waves through the diplomatic community. But it is time to turn the page and include Taiwan in shaping a 21st century deterrence strategy for Pacific defense.
British supercarrier HMS Queen Elizabeth to deploy to the Pacific
– UK Defence Journal – It has emerged that the UK plans to sail HMS Queen Elizabeth to the Pacific in 2021 amid concerns regarding freedom of navigation in the region.
Britain struggling to confront rising Russian submarine incursions, experts warn
– inews – Britain is facing an increasing number of incursions by Russian submarines through a strategic “choke point” in the North Atlantic and is struggling to confront Moscow’s increasingly muscular activity in or close to the United Kingdom’s territorial waters, experts have warned.
No US Carrier Now In The Mideast
– Defense News – The Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group chopped out of the European theater of operations Dec. 26, headed home to Norfolk after months of operating in the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean, where the strike jets of Carrier Air Wing 3 flew hundreds of missions against ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq. The homecoming is set for Dec. 30 – two days shy of the Navy’s stated goal of bringing the group home in seven months. US carrier groups regularly relieve each other in theater, often handing off duties within sight of the other in the Persian Gulf or Arabian Sea. But this time, no carrier is in the Eisenhower’s wake.
Boeing’s new tricked-out Advanced Super Hornet
– Defense News – You’re Boeing and you’re still making Super Hornet strike fighters, but the US market for new F/A-18 E and Fs and their EA-18G Growler cousins won’t last much longer. Those 600+ US Navy aircraft will be around for many years to come, however, and the export market is only beginning to be tapped. So how you do keep your tried-and-true aircraft on the cutting edge? Boeing’s answer: a package of upgrades that can be bought together or separately, added on to existing aircraft or ordered in advance. Together, the package is known as the Advanced Super Hornet (ASH), a collection of system upgrades and add-ons intended to extend the Super Hornet’s performance envelope.
The Ambitions and Challenges of Russia’s Naval Modernization Program
– CIMSEC – A lot has been said about Chinese naval modernization in recent years. However, China is not the only country that is currently investing in a modern naval force. Since 2011 Russia has been implementing its own naval modernization program. This comes after a period of neglect the as Russia Federal Navy (Russian Navy) is looking to build as many as a 100 new warships by 2020.
Passing a Chinese Maritime ‘Trump Test’
– National Interest – If the past is any guide, China may test the new administration early on. Beijing’s “maritime militia” could play an important part.
The Mediterranean: Driving Russia’s Strategic Decisions Since 1676
– CIMSEC – Russian involvement in Ukraine and Syria share one common thread which Russia has been fighting for since the first Russo-Turkish war in 1676. Tartus in Syria and Sevastopol in Crimea are warm water ports which provide direct Russian access to the Mediterranean or access via the Black Sea and the Dardanelles.
Bryan McGrath on Fleet Design, Distributed Lethality, and the 350-Ship Navy
– CIMSEC – The ushering in of a new administration on January 20th has many wondering what campaign promises will materialize and meaningfully affect the U.S. Navy. Is it reasonable to expect movement toward a “350-ship Navy” and, if so, what might such a Navy look like? Where can increased military spending be focused to have the most immediate impact on the United States’ readiness to address near peer competitors? To answer these questions, we invited one of the United States’ foremost experts on American Seapower, the Hudson Institute’s Bryan McGrath, on this episode of Sea Control. [Transcript follows]
Naval Mines and Mining: Innovating in the Face of Benign Neglect
– CIMSEC – It usually comes as a surprise to learn that of the 19 U.S. Navy ships that have been seriously damaged or sunk by enemy action since the end of World War II, 15 – nearly 80 percent – were mine victims.
A Conversation with Dr. Andrew Erickson on Chinese Naval Shipbuilding
– CIMSEC – On the occasion of the publication of his newest book, Chinese Naval Shipbuilding: An Ambitious and Uncertain Course, the 6th volume in the USNI Press’ Studies in Chinese Maritime Development Series, CIMSEC spoke with editor and author Dr. Andrew Erickson, Professor of Strategy in, and a core founding member of, the U.S. Naval War College (NWC)’s China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI).
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