– BBC – The BBC has been given exclusive access on board the Royal Navy’s newest and largest attack submarine at the Royal Navy base on the Clyde in western Scotland.
Royal Navy – Liam Fox rejects sharing aircraft carriers with France
– BBC – Defence Secretary Liam Fox has ruled out the UK sharing aircraft carriers with France as part of closer defence co-operation and efforts to save money.
US Navy – More Bad News for the LCS
– Defense Technology International – Just a week after the Navy announced that it had pushed its contract award date for the Littoral Combat Ship back yet again, only committing to make its decision between the competing Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics hulls “as expeditiously as practicable,” the Government Accountability Office has come out with a highly critical report that raises some serious questions about the next two hulls that the bidders are currently building.
Russian Navy – Russia and the Mistrals: Will They? Won't They?
Defense Technology International – Russia and the Mistrals: Will They? Won’t They?
Fortunately for their nerves, many senior managers of French military shipyard DCNS have been on holiday for most of August because the Russians have been blowing hot and cold over what appeared to be exclusive talks to purchase up to four Mistral-class helicopter carriers worth an estimated 1.5 billion euro ($1.9 billion) from them.
Chinese Navy – China warships dock in Burma, rattling rival naval power India
Christian Science Monitor – China warships dock in Burma, rattling rival naval power India
China and India have overlapping ambitions in the Indian Ocean. So as China flexes its naval reach, India is left debating how to assume leadership in the Indian Ocean.
Royal Navy – Royal Navy To Get F-35Cs -Why?
Defense Technology International – Royal Navy To Get F-35Cs -Why?
Following the Times report that the UK is looking seriously at Boeing’s upgraded international F/A-18E as a substitute for the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, the Daily Telegraph now reports that the UK will acquire the catapult-arrest F-35C instead, as part of the current defense review. According to the Telegraph, the F-35C is expected to cost less than the F-35B.
Royal Navy – Jump jets to fall victim to spending cuts
Daily Telegraph – Jump jets to fall victim to spending cuts
New jump jets for the next generation of Royal Navy aircraft carriers will be cancelled to save money.
Chinese Navy – Chinese navy to hold drills in Yellow Sea
Associated Press – Chinese navy to hold drills in Yellow Sea
China said Sunday its navy will stage live-ammunition drills in the Yellow Sea this week, after it condemned U.S.-South Korean joint naval exercises in the region and vowed to respond in kind.
Russian Navy – Russian subs stalk Trident in echo of Cold War
Daily Telegraph – Russian subs stalk Trident in echo of Cold War
Russian submarines are hunting down British Vanguard boats in a return to Cold War tactics not seen for 25 years, Navy chiefs have warned.
Operations Other Than War – Kearsarge group deploys early for Pakistan mission
Virginian Pilot – Kearsarge group deploys early for Pakistan mission
The Navy dispatched a second wave of ships Friday to support relief efforts in Pakistan, although the vessels may not reach the flood-ravaged country until October.
Piracy – Somali pirate admits attacking US warship
BBC – Somali pirate admits attacking US warship
A Somali man has admitted attacking a US warship in April after mistaking it for a merchant vessel.
US Marines – Marines in Afghanistan prepared for a long haul
Los Angeles Times – Marines in Afghanistan prepared for a long haul
A year since the U.S. troop buildup began with battalions descending on the Helmand River Valley, optimism about a quick defeat of the Taliban has given way to more sober assessments.
US Navy – Tight Budgets, Needs Alter USN Unmanned Efforts
Aviation Week and Space Technology – Tight Budgets, Needs Alter USN Unmanned Efforts
Fiscal constraints will be a major driving factor in the capabilities that the U.S. Navy will seek in unmanned vehicles in the coming years, says the chief of naval operations, Adm. Gary Roughead. However, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) will be called upon to fill what he calls a “capability gap” in the Navy’s ability to collect intelligence in the maritime domain.
US Navy – US Navy Envisions Many Unmanned Platforms
Aviation Week and Space Technology – US Navy Envisions Many Unmanned Platforms
The U.S. Navy’s ambitious pursuit of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) was, if anything, simply a glimmer in the eye of a few rogues in the service just a decade or so ago. Fast forward to the present, and the Navy has emerged with funded programs, a cohesive vision and a procurement corps aggressively engaging industry—three things that any U.S. project needs to garner support, and money, from Congress.
Royal Navy – Royal Navy underfunding has left it 'inadequate' for vital tasks, report finds
Daily Telegraph – Royal Navy underfunding has left it ‘inadequate’ for vital tasks, report finds
Britain must to invest in large numbers of cheaper warships if the “dangerously weak” Royal Navy is to guarantee the country’s maritime security, an academic paper has said.
Royal Navy – Royal Navy may need to borrow US fighter jets
Daily Telegraph – Royal Navy may need to borrow US fighter jets
Britain could be forced to “borrow” American warplanes for its new aircraft carriers as the Armed Forces’ core capabilities are eroded by budget cuts.
Chinese Navy – The Gathering Storm: China's Challenge to US Power in Asia
University of Sydney – The Gathering Storm: China’s Challenge to US Power in Asia
Transcript of the fourth annual Michael Hintze Lecture in International Security, delivered by Professor John Mearsheimer.
(Thanks to Cris for the link!)
Russian Navy – French warships for Russia to be armed with Ka-52 helicopters
RIA Novosti – French warships for Russia to be armed with Ka-52 helicopters
Mistral-class helicopter carriers, which Russia plans to buy from France, will be armed with Russian Ka-52 Alligator helicopters.
Operations Other Than War – With ‘enemies’ like these, who needs friends?
Express Tribune – With ‘enemies’ like these, who needs friends?
Aboard the USS Peleliu, off of Pakistan.
US Marines – USMC Digs In To Save EFV
Defense Technology International – USMC Digs In To Save EFV
Secretary of Defense Gates may have met his match when taking on the U.S. Marine Corps and its expeditionary fighting vehicle (EFV), which Gates has started to speculate – quite publicly – might not be worth the risk and cost.
Russian Navy – Bulava to Resume Test Launches
Defense Technology International – Bulava to Resume Test Launches
The test launches of Russia’s new Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile will resume at the end of August or beginning of September.
Operations Other Than War – From Mine Sweeping to Swat Valley Rescues
Defense Technology International – From Mine Sweeping to Swat Valley Rescues
The MH-53E Sea Dragon helos of Navy Mine Countermeasures Squadron (HM-15) Detachment 2 – which arrived in Pakistan seven days ago – normally tow a mine-sweeping sled at sea level. For the fuel-eating flight from Pakistan’s Ghazi Air Force Base and the climb over the mountains, they can safely take on only about 10,000 pounds of cargo or 80 people.
Indian Navy – Russia leases nuclear sub to India
Associated Press – Russia leases nuclear sub to India
The Nerpa submarine manned by an Indian crew has sailed to India.
Chinese Navy – China Report – No Alarmism Allowed
Defense Technology International – China Report – No Alarmism Allowed
Bill Sweetman writes that the Pentagon’s new report on China’s military power is so muted that it is no longer even called that. Although the filename includes the acronym CMPR – China Military Power Report – the title is “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China”, which reads a little as if China’s military was expanding and modernizing all by itself. China’s leaders are not as inhibited, dropping hints in recent days that first tests are imminent of the Dong Feng 21D (DF-21D) anti-ship ballistic missile system, accompanied by artwork showing its intended mission.
US Navy – Navy's riverine patrol: Peacekeeping in a war zone
Virginian Pilot – Navy’s riverine patrol: Peacekeeping in a war zone
US Navy Riverine Squadron 1 is halfway through a six-month tour. Traditionally, the mission of riverines is to secure inland waterways such as rivers and swamps. They are known for their integral role in the Vietnam War, and they come well-equipped for combat. During this deployment, however, the squadron’s 200 sailors have not engaged in any firefights. Instead, like most U.S. forces in Iraq these days, their mission focuses on peacekeeping.
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