– Mil Today – The Krasnodar newest diesel-electric 636.6 project submarine was put in service of the Russian Navy. St Andrew’s Flag has been flown over the submarine by the order of Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Victor Chirkov.
LX(R) Will Be Cheaper, More Capable Thanks To Using San Antonio LPD Design As Starting Point
– USNI News – The Navy and Marine Corps were able to design an LX(R) dock landing ship replacement with greater capability for less money by starting with the higher-end San Antonio-class LPD-17 design, stripping away unneeded features and adding back in desired ones.
China’s Daring Vanguard: Introducing Sanya City’s Maritime Militia
– CIMSEC – The following is the first in a five-part series meant to shed light on Hainan Province’s maritime militia. For decades, these irregular forces have been an important element of Chinese maritime force structure and operations. Now, with Beijing increasing its capabilities, presence, and pushback against other nations’ activities, in the South China Sea (SCS), Hainan’s leading maritime militia elements are poised to become even more significant. Yet they remain widely under-appreciated and misunderstood by foreign observers.
The U.S. Navy’s Freedom of Navigation Operation around Subi Reef: Deciphering U.S. Signaling
– National Interest – Since the United States sailed in the waters close to Subi Reef [5], a low-tide election (LTE) that China has built up into a massive artificial island, some experts [6] have charged that the U.S. bungled the operation by conducting an “innocent passage,” implicitly granting China a 12 nautical mile territorial sea around the LTE to which it is not entitled. This accusation is not valid, however, and reflects an incomplete understanding of what is admittedly a complicated element of the Law of the Sea Convention.
Confusion Continues to Surround U.S. South China Sea Freedom of Navigation Operation
– USNI News – Last week the United States sent a guided missile destroyer past a Chinese artificial island to challenge questionable claims in the South China Sea, but confusion still reigns from Washington, D.C., to the Western Pacific as to exactly what message was supposed to be transmitted.
France to deploy largest warship in mission against IS
– BBC – France is sending its largest warship, the Charles de Gaulle, to join operations again Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq.
What China’s ‘Militarization’ of the South China Sea Would Actually Look Like
– The Diplomat – A closer look at the specific military concerns posed by China’s artificial islands.
America’s “Carrier Gap” Crisis Highlights A Need For Smaller Aircraft Carriers
– Foxtrot Alpha – The Navy is experiencing serious operational shortfalls due to running its fleet of ten aircraft carriers hard in recent years, which is one short of the mandated 11. As such, it is time for the U.S. to build smaller aircraft carriers in greater numbers than what today’s one-size-fits-all super carrier strategy permits.
Expeditionary Mobile Base Chesty Puller May Receive SOF Upgrades Before 5th Fleet Deployment
– USNI News – The Navy’s newest Afloat Forward Staging Base may include special operations capabilities when it makes its maiden voyage to the Middle East in late 2016 or early 2017, if the Navy chooses to make the much-desired upgrades to the ship after a year-long test and certification period.
U.S. aircraft carriers could become ineffective
– CNN – A new report on the future of aircraft carriers raises questions about the choices the Navy has made about these mobile airfields. The rise of new powers now threatens to push the Navy farther from shore and beyond the range of the aircraft the carriers hold.
Read the report from the CNAS: Retreat from Range: The Rise and Fall of Carrier Aviation
Half the Carrier Fleet Tied Up In Maintenance, Other 5 Strained To Meet Demands
– USNI News – The Navy has run its 10 aircraft carriers hard since USS Enterprise (CVN-65) decommissioned in December 2012 and is now paying the resulting maintenance bill, with half the fleet tied up in repairs and the other five trying to keep up with combatant commanders’ needs.
Chinese Submarine Stalked U.S. Aircraft Carrier
– Washington Free Beacon – A Chinese attack submarine stalked the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan near Japan last month in the closest encounter between a carrier and a People’s Liberation Army Navy submarine since 2006
China’s ‘Little Blue Men’ Take Navy’s Place in Disputes
– Defense News – China using maritime militia to carry out its dirty work in seagoing confrontations.
Hot water
– Economist – As America challenges China, the temperature rises in the South China Sea
US to return to South China Sea after warship visit
– BBC – The US has said it plans to return to contested areas of the South China Sea, with a top military commander saying it has conducted similar operations worldwide “for decades”.
U.S. Destroyer Made an ‘Innocent Passage’ Near Chinese South China Sea Artificial Island in Recent Mission
– USNI News – Last week’s South China Sea freedom of navigation mission — in which a U.S. guided missile destroyer came within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese facility on an artificial island on Subi Reef — was conducted as an “innocent passage.” While the mission of USS Lassen (DDG-82) was deemed successful by Washington, focusing world attention on the myriad of overlapping and disputed claims in the South China Sea, the use of the innocent passage stipulation could result in a perception that the U.S. implicitly acknowledges Chinese claims to its recently constructed artificial islands.
Navy Planning Torpedo Restart, Would Be Modular Design With Multiple Payloads
– USNI News – The Navy hopes to restart its heavyweight torpedo program after a more than 15-year hiatus in production, but those plans could be hampered by a long-term continuing resolution.
PEO Subs Would Like Virginia Payload Modules on All Block V Subs; Decision Set For December
– USNI News – The Program Executive Office for Submarines would like to see the Virginia Payload Module built into all its Block V subs from a warfighting perspective but will have to verify that doing so will not hurt ongoing Virginia sub construction or upcoming Ohio Replacement Program construction.
U.S. sensors detect Russian submarines near underwater cables
– CNN – When a Russian military ship called the Yantar suddenly crossed the Atlantic and started moving down the East Coast of the United States last month, it set off alarm bells inside the world of U.S. naval intelligence.
How ISIS Spread in the Middle East. And how to stop it
– The Atlantic – David Ignatius’ excellent analysis on ISIS.
Lassen Faire in the South China Sea: Takeaways From the First US FONOP
– The Diplomat – What does the U.S. Navy’s first freedom of navigation operation near a Chinese man-made island really mean?
U.S. Navy’s challenge in South China Sea? Sheer number of Chinese ships
– Reuters – While the U.S. Navy is expected to keep its technological edge in Asia for decades, China’s potential trump card is sheer weight of numbers, with dozens of naval and coastguard vessels routinely deployed in the South China Sea.
In defeat for Beijing, Hague court to hear South China Sea dispute
– Reuters – In a legal setback for Beijing, an arbitration court in the Netherlands ruled on Thursday that it has jurisdiction to hear some territorial claims the Philippines has filed against China over disputed areas in the South China Sea.
China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress
– Congressional Research Service – The latest analysis from Ronald O’Rourke.
Japan Shows Off Naval Power
– Maritime Executive – An armada of carriers, cruiser, destroyers and submarines gathered off Japan’s coast on Sunday in a display of naval power that showcased Tokyo’s latest warships and signalled wider engagement by the U.S. Navy in the western Pacific.
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
You must be logged in to post a comment.