– Marine Corps Times – The service rivalry between infantry Marines, or grunts, and support Marines, sometimes called “persons other than grunts” or “POGs” for short, is a ubiquitous part of Marine Corps culture. It’s fed by grunts’ pride in their elite training and dangerous work — and the perception that support Marines enjoy better living conditions and easier work, particularly when deployed to combat zones.
US Navy – A U.S. Flattop Bombed Militants, Thwarted Hijackers and Stared Down Russia
– War is Boring – USS George H.W. Bush has been busy
Geopolitics / Middle East – Why is Saudi Arabia using oil as a weapon?
– BBC – The question is why the Saudis would risk the goodwill of other Opec members, simultaneously emasculating the organisation and undercutting their ability to use it in the future to serve their interests. The answer is to hurt Iran and Russia…
Royal Australian Navy – Australian sailors on asylum operations ‘traumatised’
– BBC – Sailors from the Royal Australian Navy say they have suffered trauma after having to pull dead asylum seekers from the ocean while on border patrol.
US Marines – High Water-Speed Still a Priority for Marine Corps’ Amphibious Assault Vehicle
– National Defense – The Marine Corps spent $3.5 billion and 25 years developing an amphibious assault vehicle that can skim on top of the water at high speeds. Even though four of its attempts floundered, the service has not given up on creating a vehicle with that capability.
US Marines – Bold Alligator Wargame Goes Off-Script, On Purpose
– US Marines – Bold Alligator Wargame Goes Off-Script, On Purpose – 17 warships and two submarines. Thousands of personnel from 19 countries. Billions of dollars of high-tech hardware. Months of planning. But sometimes you still have to improvise.
Canadian Navy – Canada’s Arctic Naval Surge Is a Big Fat Mess
– War is Boring – Ottawa’s weapons plan is unrealistic and late.
US Navy – Commanding the Seas: A Plan to Reinvigorate U.S. Navy Surface Warfare
– Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments – Within the next year, the Navy must take advantage of an uncommon opportunity to set the course for the future surface fleet or fall further behind competitors who will increasingly be able to deny U.S. forces access to their region. In this study, CSBA Senior Fellow Bryan Clark articulates the operational concept of “offensive sea control” as the new central idea to guide evolution of the U.S. surface force. This idea would refocus large and small surface combatant configuration, payloads and employment on sustaining the surface force’s ability to take and hold areas of ocean by destroying threats to access such as aircraft, ships and submarines rather than simply defending against their missiles and torpedoes.
US Navy – 47 Seconds From Hell: A Challenge To Navy Doctrine
– Breaking Defense – Someone shoots a cruise missile at you. How far away would you like to stop it: over 200 miles out or less than 35? If you answered “over 200,” congratulations, you’re thinking like the US Navy, which has spent billions of dollars over decades to develop ever more sophisticated anti-missile defenses. According to Bryan Clark, until 12 months ago a top advisor to the nation’s top admiral, you and the Navy are wrong.
Russian Navy – Russian Navy successfully test-fires new submarine-based intercontinental ballistic missile
– Associated Press – The Russian Navy on Friday successfully test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile for a second time in as many months, proving its reliability following a troublesome development.
Royal Australian Navy – Largest Ever Australian Warship Enters Fleet
– USNI News – The first of two 27,000-ton amphibious warships was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy on Friday
US Navy – The Large-Deck Carrier: The Finale
– Information Dissemination – 5 part series by Jon Solomon on the future of the large deck carrier.
Royal Navy – US squadrons ‘may use UK carrier’ for operations
– BBC – The Royal Navy may ask US Marine Corps squadrons to fly off its new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth following delays to its new F35B fighters.
US Navy – Jammed
– Aviation Week – As the U.S. Navy’s vaunted Aegis combat system continues to shine during missile tests – especially for ballistic missile defense (BMD) – the system itself has become a target. For some, the best way to earn sea credit these days is to tarnish the gold-plated standard of shipboard electronic defense. The latest contender is the Russian company Kret, which says its gear made it possible for an aircraft to foil an Aegis-equipped destroyer during an at-sea confrontation a few months ago.
Russian Navy – Russia and China to Hold 2015 Naval Exercises in Mediterranean, Pacific
– USNI News – Russia and China have committed to a pair of 2015 naval exercises as a sign of growing military cooperation between the two countries.
Geopolitics – The Realist Creed
– Forbes – Robert D. Kaplan states the Realist’s Creed.
Terrorism – The Unblinking Stare
– New Yorker – A look at the drone war in Pakistan.
Russian Navy – France Again Suspends Mistral Delivery, Russia Pledges to Sue
– USNI News – The French government is suspending a deal to deliver two Mistral-class warships to the Russian Navy “until further notice” citing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Royal Australian Navy – Australian Defense Minister Doesn’t Trust Shipbuilder ASC ‘To Build a Canoe’
– USNI News – Australian Defense Minister David Johnston blasted state-owned shipbuilder ASC (formerly known as Australian Submarine Corporation) following reported cost overruns of the Royal Australian Navy’s new class of guided missile destroyers.
US Marines – Readiness worries: Marines looking for a few more resources
– CNN – Half of all U.S. Marine Corps units at their home bases are below the levels of required readiness, according to the new commandant of the Marine Corps.
US Navy – Navy Starts Design Work On Next Generation Amphibious Warship
– US Navy – Navy Starts Design Work On Next Generation Amphibious Warship – Early design work on the Navy’s next generation amphibious warship — based on the San Antonio-class (LPD-17) hull — has begun ahead of a planned 2020 procurement.
US Navy – Expanding the Reach of the Carrier Strike Group
– Breaking Defense – A look at the potential impact of fifth generation aircraft – stealthy, advanced radar and avionics – on the carrier strike group’s effectiveness.
US Navy – ‘Small’ Leak Sidelines US Submarine For 5 Months
– Defense News – When the US nuclear submarine Jefferson City left its homeport of San Diego April 9, its 150-man crew expected to spend six months cruising the Western Pacific and beyond. Instead, the sub has languished since mid-June in Guam, sidelined by a tiny leak that proved difficult to find and harder to repair.
Chinese Navy – China building South China Sea island big enough for airstrip
– Reuters – According to Janes’, satellite images show China is building an island on a reef in the disputed Spratly Islands large enough to accommodate what could be its first offshore airstrip in the South China Sea
US Navy – What the Navy’s Next Generation Amphibious Ship Could Look Like
– USNI News – Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has revised its plan to use the hull form of the San Antonio-class amphibious warship (LPD-17) as a candidate for the Navy’s next generation amphibious warship— LX(R)
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
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