– Daily Telegraph – Australia’s new $1.5 billion warship — the HMAS Adelaide — will be commissioned into service at Woolloomooloo before 1200 people on Friday. Officially known as NUSHIP Adelaide until its inauguration, the 230m long, 20m high helicopter carrier is the identical sister ship to the HMAS Canberrawhich arrived at the Garden Island naval base 12 months ago.
Building a Mediterranean Arc of Stability for America’s Long War
– USNI News – As it turns to rely on airpower for solutions to national security problems, the United States would be well served to reconsider the placement of additional overseas basing infrastructure on territories held by consistent and reliable allies. The reinforcement and expansion of existing airbases along NATO’s southern flank will greatly enhance our ability to respond to emerging threats and maintain a long-term presence at acceptable cost.
The Turkish-ISIS Alliance
– Traditional Right – William Lind with an interesting insight on why did Turkey shoot down a Russian fighter-bomber.
Seeking Game Changers in the Underwater World
– Defense News – The United States builds, arguably, the world’s most capable submarines. But at about $2 billion apiece, there are only so many subs the US Navy will acquire, and it’s widely recognized the supply will never meet the demand.
Navy equipped with long-range cruise missile ‘Ghadir’
– Mehr – A mass number of long-range anti-warship cruise missiles dubbed ‘Ghadir’ have been delivered to Iranian navy on the occasion of National Navy Day on Nov. 28.
The Key to Henry Kissinger’s Success
– The Atlantic – The statesman understood something most diplomats don’t: history—and how to apply it.
War Stories from the Future
– The Atlantic Council – War Stories from the Future is the culmination of the Atlantic Council Art of Future Warfare project’s first year exploring the future of armed and social conflict. The anthology explores many of the most important looming issues in defense and security, but in a way that no white paper or policy brief can.
Royal Navy Making Plans to Scrap Flagship HMS Ocean
– USNI News – The U.K. Royal Navy flagship — the amphibious assault ship HMS Ocean (L12) — is slated for scraping in 2018, the U.K. Ministry of Defence confirmed this week.
China’s Aircraft Carrier Program: Drivers, Developments, Implications
– US Naval War College Review – This paper examines first the drivers, the operational capabilities, and then the future trajectory of China’s carrier program. Last, we evaluate the implications of the carrier program for the balance of maritime power in the western Pacific and beyond.
Aboard the Charles de Gaulle: Sea Power and la République
– USNI Blog – Those familiar with the Nimitz class might be surprised how at home they would feel aboard the French carrier. Although somewhat smaller than USS Harry S. Truman, also currently in route to the Mediterranean, the bones of the French carrier show a common pedigree: the way the flight deck control is arranged, the quality of the maintenance, the arresting gear and catapults which are fully compatible with US aircraft and even the jersey colors on the flight deck.
Djibouti Likely to Become China’s First Indian Ocean Outpost
– China Sign Post – China is now laying the diplomatic and legal foundations for a long-term naval presence in Djibouti, with a range of recent media reports alleging that Beijing is negotiating for naval access in the country. The facilities would likely be located at Obock, on Djibouti’s northern coast. While China will not formally call the facilities a “base” anytime soon, it will likely function in a manner that brings it awfully close to being one in all but name.
U.S., Japan naval exercises make ‘big step forward’
– Reuters – The U.S. and Japanese navies established a new level of cooperation to resupply each others vessels during joint exercises in the seas south of Japan last week.
Royal Navy To Reduce Frigate Buy, Design Lighter Warship
– Defense News – The Royal Navy has cut plans to build 13 Type 26 frigates to eight and will launch a concept phase to design a new class of lighter warships to fill the gap.
Tokyo on guard after ‘peculiar’ Chinese naval ship sails near islets
– Nikkei Asian Review – Japanese officials are pondering the meaning of a Chinese navy spy ship’s passage near disputed East China Sea islets, a move some think is connected with Beijing’s self-declared air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over that body of water.
Bulava Trials: Russia’s Newest Intercontinental Missile Missed Target
– Mil.Today – Multiple launch of R-30 Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles from the K-551 Vladimir Monomakh nuclear submarine on November 14, 2015 ended with a partial failure. One out of two missiles failed to hit assigned targets on the Kura Range, Kamchatka.
U.K. To Buy 138 F-35s, Will Boost Fighter Squadrons
– Aviation Week – The Royal Navy was perhaps the biggest loser in this year’s defense review. Although both of the new carriers will be retained, the government has decided to only build eight of the new Type 26 Global Combat Ships rather than the expected 13.
France launches anti-IS strikes from carrier
– BBC – France has launched its first missions against Islamic State (IS) militants from its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
RAF search after ‘Russian submarine spotted off Scotland’
– BBC – An RAF plane is “conducting activity” off the Scottish coast, the Ministry of Defence says, amid reports of a Russian submarine being spotted in the area.
The Real Threat to America’s Military (And It’s Not China, Russia or Iran)
– National Interest – We can reallocate resources within services, or allocate resources away from the military, but we cannot reallocate resources across services.
Making Places, Not Bases a Reality
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – The number of U.S. military bases overseas—especially those that can accommodate fighter aircraft—has declined. Establishing ‘frontier bases’ provided by the host nation could be the solution.
Navy Warships to Sail by Mischief Reef
– Washington Free Beacon – Navy warships will sail close to a second disputed Chinese island in the South China Sea soon in a further challenge to Beijing’s military buildup and maritime control.
The Doomsday Scam
– New York Times Magazine – C.J. Chivers writes that for decades, aspiring bomb makers — including ISIS — have desperately tried to get their hands on a lethal substance called red mercury. There’s a reason that they never have.
Russian Ship Enters Red Sea on Anti-Piracy Mission
– Mil.Today – The Russian Northern Fleet’s large anti-submarine warfare ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov has passed through the Suez Canal and entered the Red Sea as part of its long-distance mission.
The Chinese Navy and the Quest for Access
– National Interest – In a quiet but undoubtedly significant event, Admiral Wu Shengli (吴胜利), commander of the People’s Liberation Army Navy and a member of the PRC’s Central Military Commission recently visited Malaysia with an entourage of 10 senior officials. During his visit, Admiral Wu secured agreement from the Malaysian Navy for the ships of the PLA Navy to use the port of Kota Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo as a “stopover location” to “strengthen defence ties between the two countries.”
Marine Corps Aviation Must Adapt To Become More ‘Value-Added’ to Naval Force
– USNI News – The Navy and Marine Corps should explore ways to make Marine aircraft a more useful part of the naval battle force – using alternate mixes of aircraft types on amphibious ship flight decks, finding additional missions for those aircraft, and pursuing increased connectivity to the rest of the naval fleet.
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