– BBC – Nato ships are being deployed to the Aegean sea to deter people-smugglers taking migrants from Turkey to Greece.
World’s Largest Anti-Submarine Robot Ship Ready for Sea-Trials in April
– The Diplomat – The U.S. Navy’s largest unmanned surface vehicle designed to track Chinese and Russian subs will be christened in April.
US Navy Absorbing $7 Billion Budget Cut
– Defense News – The US Navy is absorbing a $7 billion reduction in fiscal 2017 funding – about 3.5 percent over last year’s plan, according to newly released budget documents. The service is reducing the number of ships it’s buying while adding more aircraft, and uniformed personnel also are being cut, up to as many as 6,400 sailors below previous forecasts.
Navy Challenges Hill on Carriers, UCLASS, & Cruisers IN 2017 Budget
– Breaking Defense – Of the four armed services’ budget plans for 2017, the one most likely to make Congress apoplectic is the Navy’s. On top of reintroducing a cruiser modernization plan repeatedly rejected by the Hill, the Navy proposes deactivating a carrier air wing — which tangles with the touchy issue of how many carriers the US should have — and turning its highest profile drone from a stealth bomber to a refueling tanker with limited strike capabilities with an 80 percent smaller budget.
Revealed: America’s ‘Soft’ Operation in the South China Sea
– National Interest – The United States has conducted another freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in the South China Sea. On January 30, the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur sailed within twelve nautical miles of Triton Island, a naturally formed feature, in the Paracel islands in the South China Sea. That group is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam but is occupied by China. The purpose of the latest FONOP was much clearer than that of America’s previous FONOP in the region.
Britain To Double Naval Commitment To NATO
– Sky News – Britain is to double its naval commitment to NATO “to send a strong message to our enemies” the Defence Secretary will announce today. For the first time since 2010 the Royal Navy will contribute to NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1.
Vietnam Gets Fifth Submarine from Russia
– The Diplomat – Another one of Hanoi’s six Kilo-class subs arrives.
With Over 50 Navies Participating, India Concludes 2016 International Fleet Review
– The Diplomat – In remarks Modi emphasized that the “oceans are the lifelines of global prosperity.”
Israel’s Elbit Unveils USV for Anti-Sub, Anti-Mine Missions
– Defense News – Israel’s Elbit Systems unveiled on Monday a prototype of what it claims is the world’s first unmanned system for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions.
Beijing plans S. China Sea buildup after US warship makes second pass near island
– Asia Times – China toned down vitriolic rhetoric in response to the recent passage of a US warship near a disputed island in the South China Sea…But the restraint may come with a cost: China is now showing signs that the two warship visits are likely to speed up plans to militarize the South China Sea islands.
Hello sailor! Navy offers $50,000 per man in bid to keep sub fleet afloat
– Canberra Times – Sailors on Australia’s submarines will be given annual lump sum payments of up to $50,000 just for staying in their jobs as navy bosses grow increasingly desperate to keep crews on the boats.
The navy’s high command hopes the big money offer will end their long struggle to hold on to enough sailors to maintain Australia’s vital submarine warfare capability.
Sinking Enemy Warships: the U.S. Navy’s Fiery New Weapon
– National Interest – The United States Navy’s fleet of Aegis cruisers and destroyers are getting a massive boost in lethality. For years, many believed that America’s mighty surface combatants were on track to be outgunned by their Russian and Chinese counterparts—however, a newly unveiled modification to the Raytheon Standard SM-6 changes of all of that.
SECDEF Carter Confirms Navy Developing Supersonic Anti-Ship Missile for Cruisers, Destroyers
– USNI News – Secretary of Defense Ash Carter confirmed the Navy was developing a modification to the Raytheon Standard Missile 6 that will give the service a supersonic anti-ship weapon to reach a target more than 200 nautical miles away.
Carter’s Strategic Capabilities Office: Hiding In Plain Sight
– Breaking Defense – Arsenal plane. It’s a great name, no? And the Hyper Velocity Projectile. Whoa. Fast flying swarming micro drones. Neat! There’s much more being developed, but it’s classified. Where is all this coming from? The Strategic Capabilities Office, or SCO for short.
America’s Master Plan to Turn India Into an Aircraft Carrier Superpower
– National Interest – While certainly not a full-blown alliance, relations have grown to such an extent that U.S. defense officials seem willing to share some of their most prized military technologies with India. Indeed, the United States seems ready to share the very symbol of American power projection: the mighty aircraft carrier.
Securing Taiwan Starts With Overhauling Its Navy
– National Interest – Tsai Ing-wen must make maritime-strategic affairs a priority as president.
Why Islands Still Matter in Asia
– National Interest – The enduring significance of the Pacific ‘island chains’
Commandant Working On Closer Integration Of Carriers, Amphibious Forces
USNI News – The commandant of the Marine Corps and the chief of naval operations have been discussing how to design a more effective naval campaign that leverages both the carrier strike group and the amphibious ready group to fight a near-peer competitor.
When it Comes to Ship Survivability, Prayer Isn’t Enough
– USNI News – If the Navy buys lower-cost, low-survivability vessels and puts them into harm’s way without adequate passive and active protection against burgeoning undersea, surface and air/space-borne threats, it runs the unacceptable risk of cheap kills––missions, ships and people.
Reshape US Army, Asian Alliances To Deter China
– Breaking Defense – The US Army must play a larger role in the Pacific to deter China, one of DC’s leading defense experts is telling Congress today. That larger role requires politically and fiscally difficult decisions to build new kinds of units and base them in new places. The core of Krepinevich’s vision: Army missile batteries — for anti-air, anti-ship, missile defense, and long-range strike — regularly deploying to, or even permanently based in, West Pacific nations.
Ohio-Class Subs Approaching Several Firsts As Navy Prepares Them To Reach 42 Years of Service
– USNI News – The Navy’s imperative to provide “uninterrupted strategic deterrence” with its ballistic missile submarines requires it meets two goals: development of the new boats must stay on schedule, and the old boats must make it to the end of their expected service lives.
Australia Taking Long View in Defense Spending in Emerging Sub, Frigate Programs
– USNI News – New submarines, frigates and offshore patrol vessels will be at the top of Australia’s list to modernize its military capabilities.
China’s ‘Sea Phantom’ Fleet Prowls the Open Waters
– National Interest – Beijing has a long history of sneaking up on rival ships.
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Russian submarine activity topping Cold War levels
– Jane’s – Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic is currently equalling or even surpassing Cold War levels, according to NATO’s top naval officer.
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