– USNI News – Like many of its regional peers, the Philippines is in the midst of a defense buildup, motivated in no small part by China’s assertive moves in the western Philippine Sea and the resource-rich Spratly islands.
A More Flexible Fleet
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – The Navy needs a practical platform—one that is economic and adaptable—to fulfill its missions.
The Struggle for a Strategy
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – To counter China’s recent actions and maintain stability in the Western Pacific, the United States must find an effective strategy—soon.
Lessons Learned from the LCS
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – As the Navy modifies its next surface combatant, it would do well to learn from the mistakes made with the littoral combat ship.
PLAN to deploy range of warships in Indian Ocean, says China’s defence ministry
– Jane’s – The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) will deploy a range of naval vessels into the Indian Ocean region in the future.
‘Distributed Lethality’
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – For more power in more places, the Navy should increase the offensive might of the surface force and employ ships in dispersed formations known as ‘hunter-killer surface action groups.’
Chinese Navy’s Fleet Will Outnumber U.S. by 2020
– DefenseTech – China has plans to grow its navy to 351 ships by 2020 as the Chinese continue to develop their military’s ability to strike global targets, according to a new report.
China Just Doubled the Size of Its Amphibious Mechanized Infantry Divisions
– The Diplomat – According to media reports China will double the number of its Amphibious Mechanized Infantry Divisions (AMID) from two to four. Initially, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fielded two AMIDs, one stationed in Guangzhou, the other in the Nanjing Military Region, with a total number of about 30,000 men. Now total manpower in the AMIDs will be around 52,000 – 60,000. These new amphibious forces are meant to complement the roughly 20,000 strong elite PLA Marine Corps in future conflicts over the East and South China seas as well as Taiwan, although the PLA Marine Corps and the AMIDs still lack a joint command system.
The Navy’s Newest Linux-Powered Command Center Is Right Out Of Star Trek
– Foxtrot Alpha – The DDG-1000 Zumwalt Class Destroyer could very well revolutionize the way the Navy does its surface warfare business. One of its biggest innovations is ditching the cramped, darkly lit Combat Information Center (CIC), a fixture for many decades on past USN combat ships, and replacing it with the state-of-the-art, spacious, Star Trek bridge-like Ship’s Mission Center.
U.S. 7th Fleet CO: Japanese Patrols of South China Sea ‘Makes Sense’
– USNI News – The commander of U.S. 7th Fleet said Japan should start patrolling the South China Sea and said China’s claims in the region are resulting in, “unnecessary friction” with neighbors.
‘If It Floats, It Fights’: Navy Seeks ‘Distributed Lethality’
Breaking Defense – “If it floats, it fights,” Rear Adm. Peter Fanta says. “That’s ‘distributed lethality'[:] Make every cruiser, destroyer, amphib, LCS [Littoral Combat Ship], a thorn in somebody else’s side.”
U.S. and India to Cooperate on Aircraft Carrier Technology
– USNI News – U.S. and India will create a working group to share aircraft carrier technology and design, according to an agreement signed earlier this month as part of President Obama’s visit to the country.
USMC’s new drawdown plan spares 3 battalions
– Marine Corps Times – The Marine Corps has canceled plans to deactivate three infantry battalions and a regimental headquarters amid growing need for manpower within the service’s deployed crisis-response units.
Chinese Carrier-On-Land Facility Adds Destroyer
– USNI News – China has made several additions to its so-called carrier-on-land facility, including a mock-up of the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) planned next generation guided missile destroyer.
USS Green Bay Ships Out for Japan
– USNI News – Amphibious warship USS Green Bay (LPD-20) left Naval Station San Diego, Calif. on Monday to join the U.S. Navy’s forward deployed forces in Sasebo, Japan. The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock (LPD-17) replaces the Austin-class LPD Denver (LPD-9) that was decommissioned in August
Marines prep for unpredictable amphibious operations
– Marine Corps Times – The Marine Corps is refining its new concept of operations — Expeditionary Force 21 — as it begins to apply the new doctrine to real-world missions and large-scale military exercises.
The Real Military Threat from China: Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles
– National Interest – “Air-Sea Battle” with Chinese Characteristics: a large fleet of land-based aircraft armed with some of the world’s most advanced anti-ship cruise missiles.
Marine Corps Leaders Warn Troop Cuts May Go Too Far
– National Defense – As Congress gears up to consider military funding requests for 2016, the Marine Corps is likely to argue that under the current budget law, its forces are being cut too precipitously.
The Oldest Active Navy Ship Is A Century Old Russian Submarine Tender
– Foxtroxt Alpha – For what it lacks in beauty it sure makes up for it in character, Russia’s 100 year old Kommuna is the world’s oldest active naval vessel. Launched as a submarine tender back 1915, this pre-Bolshevik Revolution relic continues to serve as a salvage ship and midget sub tender as part of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
Small Combatant Effort Cranks Up
– Defense News – The US Navy ended nearly a year of speculation on Dec. 11 about what form the new small surface combatant would take with the announcement that it would move ahead with variants of both littoral combat ship designs. But that was only the beginning of a process to turn those ideas into a formal ship development and procurement program. Now, the holidays are over, and the service is getting to work.
The Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam Race to South China Sea Defense Modernization
– The Diplomat – Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam are all striving to bolster their maritime capabilities.
We Must Own Access
– USNI Proceedings – To win the A2/AD challenge, the U.S. Navy must be prepared to best an adversary in the battles for information dominance, bases, undersea superiority, and precision strikes.
What to do about the Disappearing Royal Navy…
– US Naval Institute – It is an often quaffed line, ‘British Defence Spending is the 5th largest in the world’ – inferring therefore that everything must be fine…
Transparent Sea: The Unstealthy Future Of Submarines
– Breaking Defense – Submarines have been America’s invisible advantage since World War II. But the oceans are getting more transparent.
Pentagon Drops Air Sea Battle Name, Concept Lives On
– USNI News – The Pentagon has dropped the controversial name Air Sea Battle for its concept to defeat modern anti-access weapons and folded the accompanying Air Sea Battle Office (ASBO) into the Department of Defense’s Joint Staff.
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
You must be logged in to post a comment.