– Sydney Morning Herald – What is Xi doing? What does China hope to achieve? And where is this dispute heading? An eminent Chinese expert, Dr Shi Yinghong, provides answers.
Navy, Air Force Reviving Offensive Mining with New Quickstrikes
– USNI News – Consumed with long-running irregular warfare challenges, the Pentagon took its eye off the ball with respect to maritime warfare, particularly against hostile warships…
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the realm of mine warfare, which has languished in a technological backwater for four decades, starved of resources and relegated to the junior varsity bench. However, a PACOM is directing a joint effort to combine legacy mines with precision guidance and standoff capabilities, introducing the Quickstrike-J and the Quickstrike-ER.
Why the French submarine won the bid to replace the Collins-class
– The Conversation – France will be awarded the contract to partner with Australia to build the next generation of submarines to replace the Collins-class…But what was at stake in this A$50 billion program? What were the real technological differences between the submarines on offer?
Baltic Sea Heating Up as Friction Point Between U.S., NATO and Russia
– USNI News – The Baltic Sea region has emerged as one of the friction zones between an aggressive Russia and the United States and its NATO allies in northeastern Europe. Recently the USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) was twice buzzed by Russian Sukhoi Su-24 Fencers during an exercise in the Baltic Sea. The Cook incident is just the most recent of a string of close encounters between Russia and the West at sea and in the air over the Baltic Sea over the last two years.
U.S. Ospreys win Japanese hearts and minds with quake relief flights
– Reuters – The U.S. military’s MV-22 Osprey aircraft has been a lightning rod for opposition to U.S. bases in Japan since 24 of them were deployed on the southern island of Okinawa in 2014. By sending eight of the tilt-rotor Ospreys to help with relief efforts for survivors of recent earthquakes on Kyushu island, both U.S. and Japanese military planners have been able to showcase an aircraft they see as necessary for Japan’s defense.
France wins A$50bn Australia submarine contract
– BBC – France has won a A$50bn (€34bn; £27bn) contract to build 12 submarines for the Australian Navy, beating bids from Japan and Germany.
Interview: Randy Forbes
– Defense News – Randy Forbes, who represents a portion of the Tidewater region that includes the US Navy’s largest naval base and shipbuilding giant Huntington Ingalls, has long branched out to express concerns about defense issues far beyond his home ground. The nearly-released mark of the Seapower subcommittee’s 2017 naval budget reflects Forbes’ desire to increase naval spending into Reagan-era territory. By adding more than $2 billion to the Obama administration’s request, Forbes would raise shipbuilding levels to $20 billion a year and beyond – numbers not seen since the 1980s.
Bundeswehr night patrol for refugees on Mediterranean
– Deutsche Welle – The Bundeswehr’s Frankfurt am Main warship is patrolling the Mediterranean as part of the European Union’s Operation Sophia. It’s a round-the-clock job for the crew. DW’s Daniel Pelz followed the night watch.
Italian Navy Co-Hosts Event To Sell Vessels
– Defense News – The Italian Navy is co-hosting what could be described as a secondhand ship show in Italy next month as it retires dozens of seasoned vessels and brings new ships into service.
China Still Invited to RIMPAC 2016 Despite South China Sea Tension
– USNI News – The United States has not revoked its invitation to China to participate in this year’s Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise despite increasingly aggressive behavior towards its neighbors in the South China Sea because the U.S. hopes China may still participate in a “system of cooperative nations,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said April 15 aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74).
Marine Ospreys, Air Force C-130s in Southern Japan for Earthquake Relief
– USNI News – Eight Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys have been tasked in assist relief efforts following two severe earthquakes that struck southern Japan over the weekend.
Soryu submarine arrives in Sydney Harbour; first Japanese sub to visit since WWII
– ABC – A Japanese submarine has entered Sydney Harbour for the first time since World War II, just weeks before the Federal Government is tipped to announce which country will build Australia’s future subs fleet.
Russian Flyby of USS Donald Cook Highlights International Tension in the Baltics
– USNI News – The fly-by of the USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) in the Baltic Sea by Russian Sukhoi Su-24 Fencers on two separate occasions earlier this week serves as a dramatic reminder of the Baltic Sea region as a friction zone between Russia and the U.S. and its NATO allies.
China Outlines Plan for Military Buildup on Disputed Island
– Washington Free Beacon – China’s plan for a new military buildup on a disputed island near the Philippines shows the future deployment of Chinese warships close to where U.S. naval forces will be stationed in the future. Details of the militarization plan for Scarborough Shoal in the Spratly Islands were obtained by U.S. intelligence agencies over the last several months, according to defense officials.
US reveals rare joint navy patrols with Philippines
– BBC – The United States Navy is conducting joint patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea.
Russian warplanes ‘aggressively’ pass US missile destroyer
– BBC – Two Russian planes flew close to a US guided missile destroyer almost a dozen times.
Assured Resolve: Testing Possible Challenges to Baltic Security
– Center for a New American Security – In the report, CNAS senior fellows Julianne Smith and Jerry Hendrix examine possible security challenges in effort to prepare the United States and Europe for future existential threats posed by Russia. Smith and Hendrix note that although Europe’s security situation was largely considered stable for much of the last 10 to 14 years, that premise no longer holds true.
Japan’s Izumi-Class Helicopter Destroyer – An Aircraft Carrier in Disguise?
– CIMSEC – To increase the potency of the JMSDF even further, the acquisition of aircraft carriers (CVs) would be a logical next step. Yet, as CVs can best be described as seagoing airbases with significant offensive capabilities, Japan’s pacifist constitution prohibits their use in its navy. Destroyers (DDs) on the other hand rely on speed and maneuverability and are easily employed in defensive roles, criteria deemed acceptable under the Japanese Constitution. Therefore, to accommodate this unique political limitation, the Japanese have designated one of their latest vessels as a “helicopter destroyer” (DDH) but with capabilities akin to those of an aircraft carrier.
The Undersea K-4 Ballistic Missile was fired from INS Arihant Nuclear Submarine
– IBC – Notwithstanding international pressures India has secretly conducted the maiden test of its nuclear capable undersea ballistic missile, code named K-4, from homegrown submarine INS Arihant at an undisclosed location in the Bay of Bengal.
DSD Work Embraces DARPA’s Robot Boat, Sea Hunter
– Breaking Defense – Sea Hunter‘s size and cost open an intriguing new niche in naval operations. Imagine swarms of small, inexpensive, and above all expendable unmanned craft scouting ahead of or escorting traditional task forces. If the roboats get blown up, it costs no lives and relatively little treasure. If the roboats survive, their sensors provide invaluable intelligence to the fleet, and intelligence can win wars.
The Basics: How the U.S. Marines Fight
– USNI News – The MAGTF (pronounced MAG-TAF) is the soul of how the Marines organize themselves, from the 500 Marine special purpose units forward deployed in Europe, to the Marine Expeditionary Brigades (MEB) built around a 15,000 Marine infantry regiment, to the 40,000 strong Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF).
US Navy Study Group Being Dissolved
– Defense News – A small but often influential study group reporting directly to the US Navy’s chief of naval operations (CNO) is to be disbanded, the current CNO directed last week.
4-star admiral wants to confront China. White House says not so fast
– Navy Times – The U.S. military’s top commander in the Pacific is arguing behind closed doors for a more confrontational approach to counter and reverse China’s strategic gains in the South China Sea, appeals that have met resistance from the White House at nearly every turn.
Japan Shifting Amphibious, Coastal Defense Units Closer to China; Australia Boosts its Own Capability
– USNI News – Japan is boosting its amphibious and coastal defense capabilities, shifting security personnel to outer islands and converting ground forces into amphibious units capable of defending those islands from attack.
Falkland Islands left with no Royal Navy warship protection for first time since 1982 conflict
– Independent – The Falkland Islands have been left without the protection of a British frigate or destroyer for the first time since the conflict in 1982.
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