USNI News – Last week, the Army stood up its second Typhon battery at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., based on launchers used on Navy guided-missile warships. Delta Battery is the latest missile unit to join the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force’s (MDTF) Strategic Fires Battalion.
Red Sea Shoot-Downs Offer Hugely Valuable Lessons, Also Pose Big Intel Risk
War Zone – An unprecedented amount of real-world data has come out of the shoot-downs around the Red Sea, but adversaries are also watching.
Repair deployed ships in theater to optimize combat power
Defense News – Revitalizing in-theater expeditionary ship repair capabilities can harness the agility, mobility and scalability that are hallmark advantages of naval power so that if called upon, our ships can sail to the battle line — and stay there.
Chinese Navy Next Generation Frigate Starts Builder Trials
Naval News – Speedy progress for program to field a new mid-sized combatant for the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
U.S. Destroys Four Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles in Yemen; Houthis Hit Malta-Flagged Bulk Carrier
USNI News – U.S. forces destroyed four Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles the ground in Tuesday morning.
Britain has zero active naval supply ships for first time
UK Defence Journal – For the first time ever in the modern era, the Royal Navy has no active supply ships and currently depends entirely on allies for the replenishment of stores, including ammunition, at sea.
US Navy’s four unmanned ships return from Pacific deployment
Defense News – The U.S. Navy completed its first deployment of four unmanned ships, which spent five months in the Pacific testing concepts for how to integrate their capabilities into crewed fleet operations.
Hunter-Class Frigate Procurement Flawed: Review
Naval News – A review into Australia’s procurement of the Hunter-class frigate has found serious issues with the procurement process that led to the BAE Systems Type 26 design being selected for the Royal Australian Navy’s future frigates.
Navy says its nabbed ‘lethal’ Iranian missile components heading to Houthis, 2 SEALs missing
Breaking Defense – US Central Command today revealed that for the first time since Yemen-based Houthi began attacks on ships in the Red Sea in November, US forces seized “lethal, Iranian-supplied” arms heading to the militant group, including missile components. Two Navy SEALs, however, remain missing after the Jan. 11 operation.
Sweden seeks to tighten NATO’s grip in Baltic Sea with 2 new submarines
Politico – Sweden’s first new submarines in decades will have advanced weapons, stealthy propulsion and sonar-evading hulls to counter Russia under the Baltic Sea.
(Thanks to Alain)
Will the Strikes on the Houthis Make any Difference?
National Interest – James Holmes writes that decisive results against the Houthis seem fanciful, barring an amphibious offensive, an unappealing if not unthinkable option for coalition magnates.
China Maritime Report No. 34: PLAN Submarine Training in the “New Era”
China Maritime Studies Institute – Since 2018, there have been significant changes to People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) submarine force training, and these changes have been driven by important revisions to strategic guidance and subsequent directives that focused PLA efforts to enhance its capabilities to operate in the maritime domain. While this guidance is applicable to all services, improving PLAN submarine force capabilities appears to have been of particular interest to senior Chinese leadership. This guidance expanded the PLA’s maritime domain requirements, which demanded that China’s submarine force improve its capabilities to operate independently or along with other PLAN assets at greater distances from coast and in the far seas. This has resulted in submarine training that is more realistic, rigorous, and standardized across the fleet. Though stressful on submarine equipment and crews, these changes to training may ultimately yield a more combat-capable submarine fleet operating throughout the western Pacific.
How did Russian defence industry perform in 2023?
Wavell Room – This article summarises Russian unit production in the three defence sectors – maritime, aerospace and land – in 2023. It effectively counts ships, aircraft and tanks. This is a basic but not invalid way to check the state of Russian defence industry.
Amphibious Futures: The Royal Marines in Contested New Operating Environments
RUSI – This paper analyses the key adaptations that Western amphibious forces will need to make to contribute to deterrence and warfighting in the future operating environment.
Why U.S. Naval Power Needs Asian Allies
War on the Rocks – The United States appears unwilling to embrace a collective approach to naval shipbuilding and sustainment with its allies and partners to compete with China. Decades-old protectionist legislation, “buy American” quotas, and technology transfer restrictions continue to limit meaningful industrial cooperation with allies. Whether and how the United States resolves this dilemma will determine the outcome of U.S.-Chinese naval competition, and with it the future of the United States in the Indo-Pacific.
After action report – Royal Navy’s busiest air defence activity since 1982
Navy Lookout – On the 9th of January 2024, HMS Diamond was involved in a significant action with US forces defending merchant vessels in the Red Sea from a mass air attack launched from Yemen. Here we analyse the information available about this event.
Italian Navy To Ramp Up Indo-Pacific Engagement In 2024
Naval News – Alongside other European countries, Italy plans to deploy its Navy and potentially a carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific to display commitment to the region.
The Balearic-Strait-Canaries Axis and Spanish Maritime Strategy
Center for Maritime Strategy – On November 30th, 2023 the Spanish Navy (“Armada Española”) received the S-81 Isaac Peral, the first of four diesel-electric attack submarines of the S-80 Plus class, built by Spanish shipbuilder Navantia. The S-80 program is expected to revive the Navy’s diminished submarine fleet by 2028 and significantly enhance Spain’s maritime surveillance and area denial capabilities. The S-80-class submarines come at a time when the Spanish Navy is under-resourced to meet the strategic requirements and threats imposed by its current maritime environment.
Austal USA Showcases T-AGOS 25 Model For The First Time
Naval News – Austal USA, for the first time, showcased a T-AGOS 25 class undersea surveillance ship scale model.
NAVSEA Showcases Development Of Armed Small USVs
Naval News – With over a third of the fleet projected to be unmanned by 2050, the Navy continues to develop and experiment with unmanned surface vessels.
SecNav Pushes Towards TRAM Trials In 2024
Naval News – The US Navy is preparing for at-sea trials in 2024 of a capability to enable missiles to be re-loaded onboard surface ships deployed at sea. This capability will change the game in surface warfare operations, and would provide capability with relevance for current operations including those being conducted by USN destroyers in the Red Sea, according to the Secretary of the Navy.
‘It’s hard’: Navy needs to be realistic about laser weapons, admiral says
Breaking Defense – There’s no lack of excitement in the Navy about the idea of an operational laser on a ship underway, but the service must be more “intellectually honest” about what’s possible, Rear Adm. Fred Pyle said at the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium.
Middle Aged Navy Destroyers Getting ‘2.0’ Upgrade Package
War Zone – Mod 2.0 Arleigh Burke destroyers will get new radar, electronic warfare, and other capabilities as part of larger modernization push.
Frigate program delayed as shipyard is a ‘few hundred’ workers short
Defense News – The U.S. Navy’s first Constellation-class guided-missile frigate will arrive late amid workforce shortages, a program official said Thursday.
Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania team up to clear Black Sea mines
Defense News – Defense leaders from Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania formalized a pact Jan. 11 aimed at protecting Black Sea shipping from mines laid in the course of Russia’s attack against Ukraine.
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