– Geopolitics / Middle East – Kerry’s Middle East Obsession – Robert D. Kaplan writes that John Kerry has made his choice. Chaos in the Middle East is more important to him than historic power shifts in Asia and Europe. Passion, rather than geopolitical vision, drives this secretary of state. And it is a very derivative passion that drives him: one that has its origin in media obsessions.
Geopolitics / Syria – The Shadow Commander
– Geopolitics / Syria – The Shadow Commander – Qassem Suleimani is the Iranian operative who has been reshaping the Middle East. Now he’s directing Assad’s war in Syria.
Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – An Amphibious Capability in Japan's Self-Defense Force
– US Naval War College Review – A review of Japan’s current and upcoming amphibious capabilities.
US Navy – Industry concerned about US Navy UCLASS requirements
– Flight International – Concerns are being raised within industry about the new direction mandated by the Pentagon for the US Navy’s unmanned carrier-launched surveillance and strike (UCLASS) aircraft programme.
Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – Japan Quietly Builds Limited Counter-A2/AD Capabilities
– Defense News – Although the Japanese military does not have a stated strategy for countering Chinese anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) threats, analysts say its decades-long buildup of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities means it is increasingly able to play such a role.
US Coast Guard – Reinvent the Fifth Armed Service, Quickly
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – The U.S. Coast Guard is in critical condition, and it needs several key changes to stop the hemorrhaging.
Miscellaneous – John Boyd’s Art of War
– Miscellaneous – John Boyd’s Art of War – William Lind on why our greatest military theorist only made colonel.
Air Warfare – The Killing Machines
– The Atlantic – Mark Bowden on how to think about drones.
US Navy – Evolving UAVs Allows U.S. to Stay Ahead of the Enemy
– USNI News – Norman Friedman weighs in on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
Chinese Navy – China’s ‘Carrier-Killer’ Was Born in the Balkans
– War is Boring – The DF-21D is China’s answer to America’s carriers, with an unusual origin in the Kosovo War.
Geopolitics / Syria – How Syria Is Like Iraq
– Forbes – Robert D. Kaplan compares Iraq in 2003 to Syria today.
Royal Navy – Britain 'must have two aircraft carriers to be global player'
– Daily Telegraph – Britain must have two working aircraft carriers if it wants to be a global military player, a Foreign Office parliamentary aide has said.
US Navy – Destroyers to Stay Near Syria During Chemical Weapon Negotiations
– USNI News – The Department of Defense will leave four destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean and the Nimitz carrier strike group (CSG) in the Red Sea while the U.S. continues negotiations over Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile.
Russian Navy – Russia to expand Mediterranean fleet to 10 warships
– RIA Novosti – The Russian Navy intends to build its presence in the Mediterranean Sea – particularly in the area close to Syrian shores – to up to 10 battleships, announced Admiral of the Fleet Viktor Chirkov.
US Navy – MV-22, Hornet in Refueling Tests
– Aviation Week – As the Bell/Boeing team that produced the MV-22 eyes its next possible U.S. sale to the Navy for a C-2 replacement, the industry team is hoping to drive home the idea that the tiltrotor is multifunctional. The team is confident the tiltrotor can safely refuel F/A-18s midair after conducting the first proximity test between the two last week.
US Navy – A Couple Nerds Are Trying to Save the Navy’s Killer Drones
– War is Boring – The U.S. Navy had a vision. A robotic vision, in which swarms of super-smart, far-flying drone warplanes ranged across the vast Pacific Ocean from steel aircraft-carrier decks, extending the reach of American military might against the growing arsenal of an increasingly belligerent China…
US Navy – US Navy, GAO at Odds Over Carrier Issues
– Defense News – Concerns and criticisms about the past, present and future of the US Navy’s new Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers permeate a report released Sept. 5 from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress.
Russian Navy – Russian Ships off Syria Will Likely Do Little
– USNI News – Is the Russian Navy off of Syria actually going to do anything?
US Navy – Marines Pushing Navy to Scrap One of Its Most Important Planes
– War is Boring – Vital carrier cargo plane stands in way of Marines’ controversial tiltrotor.
Geopolitics / Syria – Syria And Byzantine Strategy
– Forbes – Robert D. Kaplan on the current state of affairs in Syria.
Russian Navy – Russia bolsters naval presence near Syria, will continue to aid Assad
– Chicago Tribune – The three Russian ships en route to the region include two amphibious landing vessels, the Novocherkassk and the Minsk, and the Priazovye reconnaissance ship. Another landing vessel, the Nikolay Filchikov, was headed to the Russian port of Novorossiysk to collect unspecified cargo for Syria. A guided-missile destroyer was also expected to join the fleet in the region.
Miscellaneous – Asian Carriers By the Numbers
– USNI News – The Asia-Pacific region recently has seen a rise in construction of multipurpose, aviation-capable ships by major area powers. Australia, China, South Korea, Japan and Thailand all have built ships with full-length flight decks with a variety of purposes: some as helicopter carriers, some as amphibious assault ships. Only one, China’s Liaoning, was built to accommodate traditional fixed-wing aircraft carrier operations, but many others, such as Japan’s Izumo-class of helicopter destroyers could conceivably carry some form of vertical or short takeoff-and-landing aircraft.
The aircraft carrier building spree has been highlighted by the recent turn in world attention to Asia. Reports characterizing the development of these ships as an “arms race” miss an important point: although there has been a considerable ramping up of tensions in Asia among its major powers, construction of all of these vessels predates such tension. The construction of carriers could be considered a logical expansion of seapower by the nations involved, especially those whose economies rely on overseas commerce.
US Navy – LCS Mission Packages: The Basics
– USNI News – The beating heart of both variants of the littoral combat ship (LCS) is the series of three mission packages the Navy is developing to handle some of the service’s most dire needs in the littorals.
US Navy – Destroyer USS Mahan Leaves Eastern Mediterranean
– USNI News – The guided missile destroyer USS Mahan (DDG-72) has left the Eastern Mediterranean en route to its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Mahan’s departure leaves four destroyers left to undertake an anticipated limited strike on Syria.
US Navy – Boeing Pitches Advanced Super Hornet
– USNI News – Boeing is touting an upgraded version of its Super Hornet fighters to extend the relevance of the airframe into 2030.
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