– Breaking Defense – Only 4.7 percent of the US Navy’s 275 warships are dedicated to mine warfare. Those small numbers face Iran’s several thousand naval mines, North Korea’s 50,000, China 100,000 or so, and Russia’s estimated quarter-million. If you just count the numbers, the US seems to be at a staggering disadvantage.
Confessions Of A US Navy EA-18G Growler Electronic Warfare Officer
Foxtrot Alpha – Electronic warfare is one of the most important yet misunderstood components of modern air combat. Today, US Navy and Marine electronic attack squadrons are the masters of this shadowy domain. One of their most experienced Electronic Warfare Officers is here to tell you about this critical mission, their new EA-18G Growler jet and future of electronic attack.
Taiwan Commissions First in Class of Stealth Guided Missile Corvette, Combat Support Ship
– USNI News – The Republic of China Navy has commissioned the first in a planned class of a dozen domestically constructed guided missile corvettes.
How do you dismantle a nuclear submarine?
– BBC – When nuclear-powered submarines reach the end of their lives, dismantling them is a complicated and laborious process.
Minefields At Sea: From The Tsars To Putin
– Breaking Defense – After decades of neglect, the Navy has started taking sea mines seriously.
Some Marine Units Operating at Less Than 1:2 Deployment-to-Dwell Ratio
– USNI News – As much as the Marine Corps wants to increase its deployment-to-dwell ratio from the current 1:2 to the more sustainable 1:3, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. John Paxton said that some high-demand units are operating on an even tighter schedule.
Navy jets with extra fuel can’t be launched off new carrier
– Bloomberg – The U.S. Navy’s top warplanes can’t be launched off its newest aircraft carrier if they’re carrying fuel tanks needed to extend their flight range because the ship’s high-tech catapults cause too much wear.
New Chinese Nuclear Sub Design Includes Special Operations Mini-Sub
– USNI News – China’s latest nuclear submarine design appear to include a shelter capable of holding a miniature submarine for special operations forces (SOF) not unlike vehicles used to deliver Navy SEALs to shore from U.S. nuclear attack boats.
Semper Why
– Aviation Week – As the U.S. Marine Corps continues to tack back to its expeditionary core and the U.S. remains on course for its Asia-Pacific rebalance, the question of the force’s relevance is again coming to the fore.
Russia threatens to aim nuclear missiles at Denmark ships if it joins NATO shield
– Reuters – Russia threatened to aim nuclear missiles at Danish warships if Denmark joins NATO’s missile defense system, in comments Copenhagen called unacceptable and NATO said would not contribute to peace.
U.S. 7th Fleet Would Support ASEAN South China Sea Patrols
– USNI News – The head of U.S. naval forces in the Western Pacific said the U.S. would support an emerging plan to create multi-national patrols in the South China Sea that could bear similarities to anti-piracy patrols in the Strait of Malacca.
Japan Commissions Largest Warship Since World War II
– USNI News – A 24,000-ton helicopter carrier has formally entered the fleet of Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) on Wednesday making the ship the largest warship Japan has fielded since the close of World War II.
Mystery Threat to American Warships Is Likely North Korean
– War is Boring – More precisely, it’s a new anti-ship cruise missile.
NAVSEA: Advanced Arresting Gear Design Flaw Delayed Testing Schedule Two Years, Adds Risk to On Time Ford Carrier Delivery
– USNI News – A design flaw in the system the Navy plans to help safely recover aircraft onboard its next generation Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) aircraft carrier has set testing for the program back two years and risks extending the delivery of the ship past its March 31, 2016 deadline.
Navy Officials: Current BMD Strategy ‘Unsustainable’; Greenert Asked Hagel for Review
– USNI News – As demand for regional ballistic missile defense (BMD) capabilities sharply increases, the BMD forces’ operational tempo is trying to keep pace while funding is not – leading defense officials to question if a new BMD strategy is needed.
Russian Navy Chief: Submarine Patrols Up 50 Percent Over Last Year
– USNI News – The military leader of the Russian Navy has acknowledged an increase in submarine patrols to “prevent threats to national security” in the last year, according to Russian state media.
Royal Navy unveils ‘modern’ uniform
– BBC – The Royal Navy’s first new uniform in 70 years has been unveiled.
Battle Over How to Count Navy Ships is Confusing, But Not New
– USNI News – Lawmakers and Navy leadership spent the past year going back and forth over how to count the number of ships in the Battle Force fleet. The Navy made some changes last spring that immediately increased the size of the fleet and complicated the ship-counting effort: certain ships would count only if they were forward deployed but not if they returned home to the United States. Congress pushed back, passing into law what was essentially a compromise counting rule – and the third methodology to be used in a one-year span. As a result of the back-and-forth, the Navy’s most recent ship-count projection it submitted to Congress contains two sets of figures: one with the Navy’s preferred method, and one following Congress’s rule. The dueling methods have led to confusing charts and tables earlier this year, but the conflict over how to count Navy ships is not new – the Carter and Reagan administrations both created their own sets of rules for counting ships.
PEO Carriers: CVN-79 Will Have a New Radar, Save $180M Compared to Dual Band Radar
– USNI News – The aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) will have a different radar than the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), bringing the new Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) into the carrier fleet one ship earlier than planned and saving the program about $180 million, according to the Navy.
Look How Quickly China is Building Its Island Bases Out Of Nothing
– Foxtrot Alpha – China isn’t just expanding its military reach into the South China Sea, it’s rapidly building completely new islands, and as you’d expect, that’s generating plenty of anxiety from the other nations in the neighborhood.
CNO Greenert Warns Congress of Fighter Shortfall, Boeing Super Hornet Line to Close in 2017 Absent New Orders
– USNI News – The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) warned Congress of an upcoming Navy fighter shortfall just as Boeing is trying to determine whether to keep its Super Hornet and Growler production line open, setting the stage for intense talks between the service and company in the coming months about whether the Navy should and can afford to invest in additional legacy fighters.
Drones and the rise of the high-tech assassins
– Boing Boing – How twenty-three innocent Afghani civilians were wiped out by self-deceiving drone operators seven and a half thousand miles away. An excerpt from Andrew Cockburn’s new book, Kill Chain.
Marines May Merge ACV Increments as Industry Chases Higher Requirements
– USNI News – On Tuesday, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford told the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) that, because the Marines couldn’t achieve a vehicle that performed adequately on land, could self-deploy from the well deck of an amphibious ship and met budget constraints, the Marine Corps instead agreed on a three-phase approach. Increment 1.1 was meant to have the ground protection Marines needed and would go ashore via surface connectors. Increment 1.2 would have a self-deploying capability at least equal to the 40-year-old Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAVs) used today. And the third increment, if ever exercised, would add the high water speed capability that would allow it to plane over the top of the water instead of swimming through it.
U.S. Should Consider Establishing a South China Sea International Operations Center in Indonesia
– USNI News – The incoming U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) commander, Adm. Harry B. Harris, testified before Congress late last year that “China’s rise as a regional military and global economic power, and in particular, its rapid military modernization and assertive behavior toward regional neighbors present opportunities and challenges that must be managed effectively. This is our most enduring challenge.” To meet that challenge, the U.S. Navy should explore establishing an International Maritime Operations Center (IMOC) headquartered in Indonesia to showcase the Navy’s commitment to the Asia-Pacific, monitor maritime developments in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean and serve as a new mechanism to meet China’s rise.
Navy Wants To Shutter Its Only Two Special Operations Chopper Squadrons
– Foxtrot Alpha – Even some military aficionados would be surprised to know that the Navy has dedicated special operations helicopters squadrons. The Air Force’s Pave Hawk and Osprey communities and the Army’s notorious Night Stalkers take up much of the limelight. But now, the Navy’s two reclusive squadrons are set to stand down due to a budget crunch.
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