– Wired – One of the first tasks the Navy expects to assign its forthcoming arsenal of laser guns: shooting down drones that menace its ships.
Chinese Navy – The Nightmare Scenario: A U.S.-China War
– The Diplomat – An excellent overview of the forms such a conflict could take. This is Part 5 of a 5 part series. Use the links at the top of the page to read all 5 parts.
History – Judging the Good from the Bad
– Naval History – Norman Friedman writes that when it comes to warships, bigger is usually better, and the most successful vessels are often those that are adaptable to changing times and technologies.
US Navy – Philippines Sees Naval Port As Vital To U.S. Presence in Pacific
– Defense News – The Philippines on Oct. 8 said a former U.S. naval base facing the South China Sea could play a key role as a hub for American ships as Washington moves to strengthen its presence in the Asia-Pacific.
US Navy – The Navy's New Class of Warship: Big Bucks Little Bang
– Time – The Navy’s new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is not only staggeringly overpriced and chronically unreliable but — even if it were to work perfectly — cannot match the combat power of similar sized foreign warships costing only a fraction as much.
US Navy – Navy's Newest, LHA-6, A Dead End For Amphibious Ships?
– AOL Defense – The Navy will christen its newest amphibious warfare ship in Pascagoula, Miss. on Oct. 20th. The boldly-named, $3 billion America is a major departure from past designs — and, quietly, the Navy has decided not to build many more like it in the future.
US Marines – On Patrol With Bravo Company in Afghanistan
– Wall Street Journal – A 4-foot cobra slithered across the patrol’s path. The Marines shrugged—a snake couldn’t blow off their legs.
Air Warfare – The air force men who fly drones in Afghanistan by remote control
– Daily Telegraph – The unmanned aircraft patrolling the skies above Afghanistan are controlled by RAF pilots sitting in front of screens as far as 7,000 miles away
US Navy – 4 Missile Cruisers to Remain in Service
– Defense News – Four Aegis missile cruisers scheduled to end their active careers in March will instead be kept in service, the U.S. Navy said Sept. 26.
US Navy – U.S. Navy Defends Boomer Submarine Replacement Plans
– Aviation Week – A top U.S. Navy official is defending the service’s plans to replace its Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine fleet, saying the Navy has the right design and boat numbers to execute the mission for decades to come.
US Navy – Navy CNO Greenert's 'Biggest Shipbuilding Concern' Is Amphibs
– AOL Defense – The Navy is “on a roll” when it comes to shipbuilding, but the existing fleet remains under stress, the Chief of Naval Operations said today.
Russian Navy – Russian Warship Tests Missile Defense Capability
– Defence Talk – The flagship of Russia’s Northern Fleet, nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, has carried out missile defense drills during the current patrol-and-training mission in the Arctic. Pyotr Veliky is the only Russian warship with sufficient capability to thwart massive attacks by cruise and ballistic missiles.
US Navy – Big US Fleet Nears Disputed Islands, But What For?
– Time – It’s probably just a coincidence; no need to worry yet. But the U.S. has quietly assembled a powerful air, land and sea armada not far from where Japan and China are squaring off over disputed islands in the East China Sea.
Chinese Navy – War By Other Means: China’s Political Uses of Seapower
– The Diplomat – China’s development and use of naval and non-naval, non-military sea power has become a cause for concern – one that could alter the regional balance.
Chinese Navy – China’s A2/AD “System of Systems”
– The Diplomat – It’s worth spending a bit of time to discuss how the PRC’s anti-access capabilities have come together. Much recent work has concerned the DF-21A “carrier killer” ballistic missile, but that capability represents only a small part of the system of anti-access systems that China operates.
US Marines – Marines Battle ‘Tyranny Of Distance’ in Pacific Pivot
– Defense News – As the U.S. Marine Corps shifts its focus toward the Asia-Pacific region, the business of lift and logistics also shifts — from the fairly straightforward process of supplying troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to the enormous challenge of operating in a vast hemisphere of oceans and islands.
Chinese Navy – The Calm Before The Storm
– Foreign Policy – China’s about to find out how hard it is to run an aircraft carrier.
Royal Navy – Inside the Navy's new £1billion supersub
Daily Mail – Deadly Hunter Killer submarine is capable of hearing a ship leaving port in New York… while sat underwater in the English channel.
Thanks to Dave for the link!
Chinese Navy – China's first aircraft carrier enters service
– BBC – China’s first aircraft carrier has entered into service, the Defence Ministry says.
Geopolitics / Caspian Sea – Arms Race on the Caspian Sea Heats Up
– German Radio – The countries bordering the Caspian Sea are increasingly flexing their military muscles. The Iran crisis and unresolved conflicts over natural resources have added to the tensions in the region.
Geopolitics – The Interview: Robert Kaplan
– The Diplomat – In his new book, The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate, Robert Kaplan (Stratfor Global Intelligence) contends that current global conflicts, including wars, political instability, and clashes over religion, can be better understood and even forecasted through close examination of the maps that chart our world. In this Q&A, The National Bureau of Asian Research’s Abraham Denmark asks Kaplan how this theory relates to the Asia-Pacific and what challenges geography will present for the United States’ policy toward the region.
Geopolitics / South China Sea – Could Asia really go to war over these?
– Economist – The bickering over islands is a serious threat to the region’s peace and prosperity.
Iran – The Vegetarian
– New Yorker – A look at why Israel’s notorious ex-spymaster, Meir Dagan, has become a dissident against an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
US Navy – Beastly Drone Sub May Test Next-Gen Undersea Sensors
– Wired – One of the largest unmanned submarines ever built is finally performing sea trials. But don’t expect the U.S. Navy, which dreams of undersea drones that can span oceans, to proclaim the Proteus its drone sub of the future. Instead, Proteus’ manufacturers want to work with the Navy to test the software, sensors and power systems that will define those next-gen drone subs — and maybe use the Proteus as a stopgap solution until someone develops those long-range submarines.
Chinese Navy – U.S., Chinese navies in joint anti-piracy drills off Somalia
– Reuters – The U.S. and Chinese navies have carried out drills to combat pirates off the Horn of Africa in a rare joint military exercise between the powerful nations.
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
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