War on the Rocks – You can’t choke a dead horse. Anyone who has studied geopolitics, particularly in the context of energy, has learned that control over waterways — most notably the Suez Canal — translates into influence, as actors can threaten to disrupt energy supplies. But they also know that leverage is limited: Commerce invariably adjusts to disruptions and markets stabilize around a new normal. The crisis in the Red Sea demonstrates this effect, though in an unexpected way. Months of Houthi attacks on shipping, followed by a significant U.S. and British military response, has done little to move oil prices, while the impact on supply has been negligible. Markets, in effect, shrugged off the Red Sea disruption.
Sub Boise will begin its overhaul nine years late, with $1.2B contract
Defense News – The Navy on Friday awarded HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding a $1.2 billion deal to begin a maintenance overhaul on attack submarine Boise, which hasn’t operated at sea since 2015.
HMS Diamond prepares to return to the Red Sea
Navy Lookout – HMS Diamond returned to Gibraltar on 10th February following two intense months deployed in the Red Sea, including action in combat. Here we summarise her time in Gibraltar and the current situation.
In South Korea, Del Toro courts major shipbuilders to set up shop in US
Breaking Defense – During a recent trip to South Korea, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro pitched two of the country’s major shipbuilders to potentially set up shop stateside, according to statement from Del Toro’s office.
Houthis knock out underwater cables linking Europe to Asia
Jerusalem Post – The successful targeting of the four cables, which are believed to belong to the AAE-1, Seacom, EIG, and TGN systems, marks a serious disruption of communications between Europe and Asia.
On Naval Theory
US Naval War College Review – Too many naval officers mistrust, neglect, or even ignore the importance of naval theory, instead placing too much reliance on advanced technologies. Yet without full understanding of naval theory, it is very difficult to have the broad outlook necessary to develop naval doctrine, train one’s naval forces, and employ those forces successfully in a war.
Drifting Away? Russia’s Dissatisfaction With the Law of the Sea
RUSI – Should Russia withdraw from UNCLOS, this would spell the start of the end of the current near-global consensus on the governance of the oceans.
Do Nothing: An Alternative Opinion on Critical national Infrastructure and Seabed Warfare
Wavell Room – The aim of this paper is to reflect on some key questions around the problem of seabed infrastructure defence and explore what the ‘Do Nothing’ (or at least very little) option would look like.
Coordinating and Deconflicting Naval Operations in the Western Indian Ocean
RUSI – With the Houthi threat, the recent resurfacing of piracy, and continuing patterns of blue crime contributing to growing insecurity in the Western Indian Ocean, fresh efforts are needed to coordinate and deconflict the patchwork of naval operations in the region.
Disadvantages Ashore—Constraints on Achieving Integrated All-Domain Naval Power
US Naval War College Review – Strategists and analysts should be aware that the recently issued triservices strategy suffers from at least six political-bureaucratic-doctrinal disadvantages that very easily could turn into material disadvantages if the U.S. Navy were to face a competent enemy on the actual oceans.
Rear Admiral Dave Oliver and Anand Toprani on American Defense Reform
CIMSEC – Can we reform the Department of Defense and the Navy? In their new book, American Defense Reform: Lessons from Failure and Success, Admiral Dave Oliver (ret.) and Dr. Anand Toprani make a spirited argument that, yes, we can. But it won’t be easy.
Is Italy Needed in the Indo-Pacific?
War on the Rocks – Amidst Washington’s push for European support in the Indo-Pacific, has Italy proven overly eager to pivot east? Faced with the choice between directly supporting U.S. efforts to counter Beijing in the region or concentrating resources on emerging threats closer to home, Italy, as one of the most active contributors to U.S.- or NATO-led military initiatives, has opted for the former. Without much debate, Italy has expanded its military presence in the Indo-Pacific, initiating significant collaborations with various regional countries, and deploying naval units to the region. As Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently announced, this effort will intensify in 2024, when Rome deploys its aircraft carrier strike group to the area.
Navy of Drones
Wavell Room – Within one year, the Ukrainian Navy developed a small fleet of marine drones – the modern equivalent of ‘fire ships’ of the past – that has achieved an historical first: the defeat of a surface fleet by autonomous vessels. This article examines how Ukraine’s ‘Navy of drones’ realised the improbable.
How Many Attack Submarines Does the U.S. Navy Need?
National Interest – How many attack submarines does the U.S. Navy need? With Chinese and Russian SSN threats looming, the more, the better. But accomplishing the mission is essential, and the ability to do so might come from unusual quadrants.
Taiwan’s Theory of the Fight
War on the Rocks – In crowded field of work by scholars and officials exploring Taiwan’s security, Lee Hsi-ming’s Taiwan’s Plan for Victory: An Asymmetric Strategy of Using the Small to Control the Large (2022) stands out as both a theoretical framework for deterrence and a set of concrete proposals for asymmetric resistance against a People’s Liberation Army invasion. Lee, Taiwan’s chief of the general staff from 2017 to 2019, argues for reorganizing Taiwan’s military in a “paradigm shift” away from expensive “traditional” platforms and instead instituting an “Overall Defence Concept” relying on small, mobile, distributable, and lethal weapons to deter a numerically and materially superior People’s Republic of China. If deterrence fails, “overall defense” also promises the tactics and weapons to survive an initial attack and then, Lee claims, defeat an enemy landing force.
Italy Sets Out Future MPA Capability Requirements And Timeframes
Naval News – Italy is seeking a new, more capable maritime patrol aircraft to deliver anti-submarine warfare output to counter an increasing submarine threat in the Mediterranean Sea. The aim is to acquire this capability by the end of the decade.
China sends new naval fleet for escort mission in Gulf of Aden
China Daily – The 46th fleet of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy on Wednesday set sail from a military port in the coastal city of Zhanjiang in south China’s Guangdong Province to take over an escort mission from the 45th naval fleet in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia.
A Modest Proposal For Improving Shipyard Production and Repair Capacity
CIMSEC – How to return to WWII production pace in an unsure geopolitical environment that requires ever more ships? The first step should not be asking where can we produce more and spending resources, but rather asking how can current facilities be operated at the maximum efficiency?
Indian Navy, Coast Guard To Get 15 Maritime Patrol Aircraft Based On Airbus C-295
Naval News – India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved multiple acquisition proposals of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, including new MPAs, sonars, torpedoes and support packages for MH-60R.
An Operational View On The USV Attacks In The Black Sea From An Admiral’s Eyes
Naval News – This article analyzes Ukraine’s kamikaze attacks on the Russian corvette Ivanovets (January 31, 2024) and the Russian tank landing ship Caesar Kunikov (February 14, 2024) from the perspective of a naval operations planner and executor.
Our First Look At The Turkish Navy’s Future Aircraft Carrier
Naval News – On February 16, 2024, the Ministry of National Defense shared photos showcasing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to the Turkish Navy’s Design Project Office. The images revealed the design and various features of the Turkish Navy’s future aircraft carrier.
India Begins Multinational Naval Exercise Milan, Deploys Two Carriers
USNI News – The Indian Navy deployed two carrier battle groups to the Bay of Bengal for New Delhi’s multinational naval drill Exercise Milan 2024.
Australia To Double Fleet Size With Small Warships
Naval News – The Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) fleet will grow from 11 surface combatants to 26 under plans announced by Minister for Defence.
Taiwan chases Chinese coast guard boat away from frontline islands amid heightened tensions
The Guardian – Taiwan on Tuesday drove away a Chinese coast guard boat that entered waters near its sensitive frontline islands, one day after China’s coast guard boarded a Taiwanese tourist boat amid an escalating dispute sparked by a fatal capsize last week.
Trident missile test failure raises questions about UK’s nuclear deterrent
The Guardian – A Trident nuclear missile failed, plopping into the Atlantic during a test launch attended by the defence secretary last month, raising questions about the efficiency and effectiveness of Britain’s nuclear deterrent.
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