– Defense News – US military commanders have dispatched a team of Marines to the Philippines where as many as 10,000 people are feared dead in the wake of Friday’s devastating typhoon, which now is barreling toward Vietnam and prompting mass evacuations there.
US Navy – How to Win a War with China
– National Interest – The mounting challenge presented by China’s military modernization has led the United States to review existing military strategies and to conceptualize new ones, as illustrated by the ongoing debate over AirSea Battle (ASB), a new concept of operations put forward by the Department of Defense. But in the universe of possible strategies, the idea of a naval blockade deserves greater scrutiny. By prosecuting a naval blockade, the United States would leverage China’s intense dependence on foreign trade—particularly oil—to debilitate the Chinese state. A carefully organized blockade could thus serve as a powerful instrument of American military power that contributes to overcoming the pressing challenge of China’s formidable anti-access and area denial (A2/AD) system. A blockade could also be easily paired with alternate military strategies, including those based on ASB.
US Navy – Oil Tanker-Turned-Aircraft Carrier Is Key to American Naval Expansion
– War is Boring – Giant dock ship can carry jump jets, copters, hovercraft—and for cheap.
US Navy – To Beat China, the Navy Could Launch Tiny Spy Drones From Submarines
– War is Boring – Three-inch robot could spot targets for cruise missiles.
Miscellaneous – The Slow Death Of Defense
– Forbes – Robert D. Kaplan writes that “The bottom may be starting to fall out of the U.S. defense budget. I do not refer to numbers when I say this. I am not interested in numbers. I am only interested in public support for those numbers.”
Chinese Navy – China's Military Strategy in the Asia Pacific: Implications for Regional Stability
– Project 2049 Institute – A big picture look at China’s current military strategy.
Chinese Navy – China’s PLA Marines: An Emerging Force
– The Diplomat – The PLA Marines are at present a relatively small amphibious assault force, numbering just two brigades with roughly 6,000 men each. Nevertheless, they are reinforced by naval and air power, amphibious artillery and armor. The PLA Marines are considered an elite special operations force, and theoretically therefore “punch above their weight class.” They are well trained and well equipped, using both the latest Chinese and Russian technology. They are trained for amphibious and airborne assault operations. While they were originally designed to be a much larger mass invasion force, they have quickly evolved into a rapid deployment invasion force specifically tasked for assault operations. Despite this, however, the PLA Marines are still very much a work in progress (as is arguably the PLA Navy in general), and currently lack the full necessary capabilities for a cross-Strait invasion of Taiwan. They are, however, rapidly developing this capability as part of overall Chinese military strategy.
US Navy – The Future of Air Sea Battle
– USNI News – A nice roadmap of the next steps that must be taken in implementing the Air Sea Battle concept.
Geopolitics / South China Sea – A Game of Shark and Minnow
New York Times Magazine – The shell of a forsaken ship has become a battleground in a struggle that will shape the future of the South China Sea and, to some extent, the rest of the world.
Chinese Navy – China Is Trying to Copy America’s Naval Radar Plane
– War is Boring – Taiwanese spies caught helping Beijing build E-2 clone.
US Navy – Navy sailors at sea to wear flame-resistant coveralls
– Virginian Pilot – Sailors at sea will soon be required to wear flame-resistant coveralls, relegating their blue camouflage working uniforms to events on land, the Navy announced Thursday.
Editorial – NOSI is Changing Hosting Services
NOSI is changing Web hosting services over the next few days…the transition may be a little rocky and the site will look a little different when we are done. Your patience is appreciated.
Chinese Navy – Pragmatic Partners, the Unsung Story of U.S.-China Anti-Piracy Coordination
– Asia Unbound – Out of the limelight, Gulf of Aden cooperation has provided both China and the United States with a vital conduit for progressive military contact amid protracted mistrust in the Asia Pacific. Indeed, their navies recently conducted a joint anti-piracy exercise there. In the future, Far Seas non-traditional security cooperation is set to play an even larger role in buttressing Sino-American military relations.
Miscellaneous – Your Aircraft Carrier Is a Piece of Crap
– War is Boring – Case studies in faulty flattops.
US Navy – Now We Know What the Navy’s Next Submarine Will Look Like
– War is Boring – Admiral reveals five possible future sub designs.
Chinese Navy – Lifting the Veil on China’s “Carrier-Killer”
– The Diplomat – An update on the Chinese antiship ballistic missile program.
Chinese Navy – China’s Naval Modernization and Implications for the United States
– US and China Economic Security Review Commission – In the late 1980s, China began a modernization program to transform the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy from a coastal force into a technologically-advanced regional navy. China’s acquisition of platforms, weapons, and systems has emphasized qualitative improvements, not quantitative growth, and centered on improving its ability to strike opposing ships at sea and operate at greater distances from the Chinese mainland. The PLA Navy has made significant progress, particularly since the late 1990s. Today, it is able to conduct high intensity operations in China’s immediate periphery and carry out low intensity operations around the world. Trends in China’s defense spending, research and development, and shipbuilding suggest the PLA Navy will continue to modernize through at least 2020. China’s increasingly advanced and adaptive naval capabilities – many of which appear to be designed to restrict U.S. freedom of action throughout the Western Pacific – could undermine U.S. interests and security in the region.
Canadian Navy – Canada To Rely on Allies for At-Sea Refueling
– Defense News – Canada will have to rely on its allies to resupply its warships at sea for a two-year period because of ongoing delays in the construction of a new fleet of support ships for its Navy.
Chinese Navy – China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress
– Congressional Research Service – The Congressional Research Service’s most recent analysis of the Chinese Navy.
French Navy – A visual tour of Adroit
– Aviation Week – The Adroit offshore patrol vessel, designed and built by France’s naval systems group DCNS on its its own funds, has been on loan to the French navy since summer 2011. The navy will put it through its paces for another year before handing it back to DCNS which says it has some very interested potential customers for the ship.
South Korean Navy – South Korea’s New Navy is Impressive … and Pointless
– War is Boring – Seoul has bought itself a fancy new navy, but at the expense of troops guarding the peninsula.
US Navy – Nimitz Leaves Red Sea
– USNI News – The American aircraft carrier that has been on standby in case of a flare up in Syria has left the Red Sea for a brief stint in the Mediterranean Sea.
Russian Navy – Russia Is Finally Slicing Up Its Abandoned, Radioactive Submarines
– War is Boring – Nuclear contamination has been a persistent source of danger along Russia’s Arctic coast.
Russian Navy – DCNS launch Vladivostok, Russian Navy's first Mistral class LHD
– Navy Recognition – Vladivostok, the first of two BPC-type vessels (LHD – Landing Helicopter Dock) on order from DCNS for the Russian Federation was floated out of its building dock at STX France’s Saint-Nazaire shipyard on 15 October. The event was attended by senior officials representing the French and Russian navies and shipbuilding industries. The programme has proceeded as planned since the contract came into force in late 2011, with the vessels on schedule for delivery in late 2014 and late 2015 respectively.
US Navy – U.S. builds up military bases in Italy for African ops
– UPI – The U.S. deployment of 200 Marines to a naval base in Sicily for possible operations in Libya, a short hop across the Mediterranean, underlines how the Americans have been building a network of bases in Italy as launch pads for military interventions in Africa and the Mideast.
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