– Joint Forces Quarterly – The numerous, increasingly advanced cruise missiles being developed and deployed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have largely flown under the public’s radar. This article surveys PRC cruise missile programs and assesses their implications for broader People’s Liberation Army (PLA) capabilities, especially in a Taiwan scenario.
Iraq – In and Out of Time in Iraq
– New Yorker – Thomas Ricks on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Royal Navy – UK to establish £15m permanent Mid East military base
– BBC – Britain is to establish its first permanent military base in the Middle East since it formally withdrew from the region in 1971. The base, at the Mina Salman Port in Bahrain, will host ships including destroyers and aircraft carriers.
Geopolitics – K of the Castle
– The Times Literary Supplement – Niall Ferguson’s take on Henry Kissinger’s new book “World Order”. Ferguson asks: Does America have a foreign policy? Is this a New World Disorder?
US Navy – The Navy’s Smart New Stealth Anti-Ship Missile Can Plan Its Own Attack
– Foxtrot Alpha – America’s primary anti-ship missile, the Harpoon, has been in service now for close to 40 years and the Navy has been very reluctant to evolve when it comes to its anti-ship capabilities. Times are changing, with China’s Navy on the rise and Russia flexing its muscle, the Cold War staple just won’t do. Enter Lockheed’s ninja-like Long Range Anti-Ship Missile to save the day.
US Navy – East Asian waters to be US aircraft carrier-free for a time
– Nikkei Asian Review – Defense policymakers in Japan and the U.S. are privately voicing concern about the total absence of U.S. aircraft carriers from East Asian waters for four months next year.
Royal Australian Navy – The muddy waters of Australia’s submarine project
– Aviation Week – It seems as though every day brings a different “definitive” story about the Australian submarine requirement to replace its troubled Collins-class submarines.
US Marines – Don’t call me ‘POG’: The push to end the Corps’ most damaging divide
– 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.
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