Break China’s Grip on Shipping With the Multilateral Maritime Alliance

CIMSEC – The United States has a shipping problem and everybody knows it. From combatant commands to congress and maritime security outlets to the White House, everyone is talking about America’s lack of maritime capacity.  America, it seems, is waking up to its maritime problem and is ready to roll up its sleeves and start solving it in the only way it knows how—mostly alone. While there have been some nods to bilateral cooperation in shipbuilding, the United States has not made a concerted effort toward a robust, multilateral counter-China maritime strategy. That needs to change. A coordinated, multinational approach is required to counter Chinese shipping dominance. The US and its allies should form a Multilateral Maritime Alliance to secure maritime trade and create critical sealift capacity to sustain expeditionary combat operations.

Australia: “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”

Naval News – Australia will soon face a problem. It will have lots of naval helicopters, but not enough warships to embark them upon. The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) currently has 23 Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters, but it has another 13 on the way. Simultaneously, Australia’s navy presently has ten surface combatants – seven Anzac-class frigates and three Hobart-class destroyers – a total that will reduce by one next year when the frigate HMAS Arunta retires.

Trump signs executive order aimed at providing boon to American shipbuilders

Breaking Defense – President Donald Trump today signed an executive order tasking the heads of the defense, commerce, labor, transportation and homeland security departments with developing a “Maritime Action Plan” (MAP) that will invest in the shipbuilding industrial base and disentangle the government’s clumsy procurement processes.

New Zealand navy receives a boost under 2025 Defence Capability Plan

Naval News – The New Zealand government published its Defence Capability Plan (DCP) on 7 April, a document that had been delayed for many months. The DCP is essentially a blueprint listing investment in the military for the next 15 years, aligning with national strategy. The plan includes much-needed boosts to naval capabilities.

With Renewed Crisis in the Middle East, Who is Watching the Indo-Pacific?

Jerusalem Strategic Tribune – With all that is happening in the Middle East, it is important that our allies continue to assist with burden-sharing in the Indo-Pacific. Until America rejuvenates its maritime industrial base, there are just not enough ships available to counter all the threats we currently face. Thank you to our allies and partners. Keep up the good work!

CMSI Translations #16: Tracking Their Wake: How Strong Is the U.S. Navy Today?

China Maritime Studies Institute – Nearly 80 years have passed since the end of World War Two, and during this time the U.S. Navy has always ranked as the number one navy in the world, mainly thanks to support from America’s enormous national power. But for the past ten years or so, with the great decline of America’s economy, the U.S. Navy has had to face more and more problems. For example, the service lives of ships have grown longer and longer. There has been a serious lack of repairs and maintenance work. The speed of shipbuilding has noticeably slowed. And [the U.S. Navy’s] newest class of aircraft carrier was not operational for five years after it was launched. These problems indicate that the U.S. Navy is in a state of exhaustion and will find it difficult to handle all manner of potential confrontations and war in the 21st century.