China Maritime Studies Institute – In the Xi Jinping era, the Chinese military has intensified efforts to improve the training and education of military officers to remedy perceived leadership deficiencies. Shortly after taking office, Xi called on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to grasp the “central task” (中心任务) of training high-quality military talents.
Plans To Fly Talon Blue CCA Drone From British Carrier Confirmed By Northrop Grumman
The War Zone – The Royal Navy wants to infuse drone capabilities into its air wings and Talon Blue would be far more advanced than anything that has flown off the carriers yet.
How the Army Fights (a Maritime War in the Pacific)
Modern War Institute – The Army has new operational warfighting guidance. General Christopher LaNeve’s How the Army Fights organizes landpower around four interdependent elements that enable operational maneuver: convergence, strike, close battle, and endurance. Although principally concerned with how expeditionary landpower can achieve strategic objectives, this framework has profound implications for maritime campaigns. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the contested zones of the northwestern Pacific, where the US military and its allies face an adversary capable of contesting American access through integrated missile networks, maritime surveillance, electronic warfare, amphibious assault, and increasingly sophisticated networks of unmanned systems. For the Army, this will require employing landpower to increasingly enable naval freedom of action while denying adversary aggression. In that context, the Army’s ability to seize and control terrain, employ fires across domains, integrate multidomain effects, and sustain distributed operations can transform archipelago and littoral networks into fortified positions of operational advantage.
Japan’s Most Dangerous Military Constraint Is Time
War on the Rocks – In a Taiwan contingency where U.S. forces need to operate from the Sakishimas, Japanese reinforcements will first need to deploy to the islands, secure access off base, and disperse beyond their small garrisons to make room for U.S. forces. These preparations should occur weeks before the cabinet even considers recognizing an armed attack situation, all against the backdrop of crisis management, civil protection, evacuation, and potential refugee flows. Published estimates of a peacetime II 4(b) process range from three months to more than five (timelines U.S. planners in Japan consider optimistic). Without procedural flexibility, the alliance risks falling behind early in a decision sequence that is much longer than often imagined, potentially leaving policymakers with fewer, more disruptive, or more escalatory decisions.
Australian Army’s littoral transformation is the right move, experts say
Breaking Defense – The introduction of two new classes of landing craft would introduce capabilities that the Australian Army has not operated in recent times.
Norway wants its Type 26 frigates to be interchangeable with the Royal Navy’s
Navy Lookout – Speaking at the Atlantic Future Forum aboard HMS Prince of Wales in Oslo, Norway’s foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, warned against letting national requirements undermine the common design of the Type 26 frigates being acquired for the British and Norwegian navies.
Remote mine hunters silently trawl the waters as minesweepers go by the wayside
Breaking Defense – Autonomous capabilities give the Navy a way to clear mines without putting sailors in harm’s way.
Why Britain needs a maritime-first defense strategy
Breaking Defense – As Germany and Poland build up their armies, Britain should look to its historic strengths at sea to secure its future role in European defense.
Royal Navy announces initial Atlantic Net agreement
Navy Lookout – The MoD confirmed that it has signed an agreement with Southampton-based Ocean Infinity Solutions to establish a North Atlantic surveillance network for tracking Russian submarines and helping protect undersea cables. The RN has also contracted Saab to integrate lightweight Giraffe drone-detection radars into its fleet of uncrewed vessels.
U.K. to Develop North Atlantic Network of Drones, AI Systems to Find Russian Subs
USNI News – The U.K. will invest $120 million on a network of drones, sensors and AI systems for the Royal Navy to counter Russian submarines in the North Atlantic. Dubbed “Atlantic Net,” the network is meant to enable the Royal Navy to better protect undersea cables and energy networks from Russian threats.
Royal Navy bets on development speed as Hybrid Navy adds mass but increases risks
Navy Lookout – The commissioning of the Royal Navy’s First Autonomous Squadron and the showcase of a new Capability Accelerator Hub in Portsmouth mark a deliberate attempt to field equipment in weeks rather than years. Senior officers speaking at the launch set out a strong case for cheap uncrewed mass, but were also honest about the risks of moving this fast and the personnel pressures behind the new squadron.
Royal Navy Commissions First Unmanned Surface Vehicle Squadron
USNI News – The Royal Navy commissioned its first unmanned surface vessel squadron last week as it transforms into a hybrid fleet.
Sous-marins d’attaque du futur, Pt.1: Finding out what’s inside a French nuclear-powered submarine
Corporal Frisk – In October I got to join the EURONAVAL press trip which included a tour of the newest class of nuclear-powered attack submarines in service anywhere in the world, and it was an extremely interesting insight into the capabilities and operations of a modern hunter-killer boat.
The Future of French Fleet Close-in Defense
USNI News – Like many navies across the world, the French Navy is adopting a variety of concepts to counter the maritime challenges of the 21st Century. For Paris, that means adopting point defense methods primarily against swarming threats in the Mediterranean while also retaining advanced anti-aircraft capabilities for North Atlantic contingencies.
USMC Says It Needs Nine More Amphibious Warships To Carry Out Its Missions
The War Zone – The current fleet of 31 amphibs needs to grow to 40 according to USMC leadership, but where the funding will come from is more in doubt after the midterms.
Who Repairs the Internet in Wartime?
War on the Rocks – Wartime submarine cable repair should be treated as a national security mission and funded as such. The designation of submarine cables as critical infrastructure, the establishment of a federal coordinating authority with emergency powers to prioritize repairs, and an increased budget to expand the Cable Security Fleet would give the United States a way to decide which cables are repaired first and which ships are needed to carry out those decisions.
French Navy Underpins Enduring Missions with New Capabilities to Counter Emerging Threats
Naval News – The French Navy is continuing to reinforce its core operational concepts and capabilities as it responds to continuing evolutions in threats at sea.
Royal Navy Carriers Operate in the High North, Mediterranean
USNI News – Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (R09) is conducting operations across the High North as HMS Queen Elizabeth (RO8) trains in the Mediterranean.
CMSI Note 26: Easy Infiltration: The Rise of PRC Small Boat Landings on Taiwan
China Maritime Studies Institute – The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) appears to have a doctrine that calls for infiltrating undercover operatives into Taiwan to collect intelligence and to conduct special missions, according to its textbooks. Research shows that cross-Strait small boat landings seem to have begun in 2021, and at least eight Chinese men have been arrested on Taiwan in connection with these cases. Each reported landing occurred at a sensitive location. Five of the eight happened on a known invasion beach. The other three happened at ports and river deltas believed to be of high interest to war planners in the PLA. There are many possible explanations for these landings, such as smuggling, espionage, or human trafficking. Reconnaissance by the PLA, however, cannot be ruled out.
China Maritime Report #60: PLA Naval Aviation Personnel: Training and Career Paths for a Modern Force
China Maritime Studies Institute – PLA Naval Aviation has undergone substantial institutional transformation over the past two decades. This transformation is driven by the goal of becoming a carrier-based force capable of effective joint operations in the maritime domain. This transformation has been accompanied by reforms to pilot education, training, and career management systems, aimed at producing a qualified force capable of conducting long-range maritime operations. Despite significant progress, there are still areas that require improvements, particularly the Naval Aviation University.
On American destroyers, avoid a self-inflicted wound in Spain
Defense News – Consider the case of the Trump administration’s ongoing review of U.S. force posture in Europe and whether Washington will maintain a handful of American naval destroyers forward-stationed in Rota, Spain. Stationing destroyers at Rota helps secure vital American interests in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East and allows the ships to spend more time conducting missions than traversing back and forth across the Atlantic.
Australia preps Bluebottle USV for submarine-hunting role
Defense News – Australia’s Navy is doubling down on unmanned systems as it adopts platforms like the Bluebottle unmanned surface vessel and Ghost Shark and Speartooth extra-large autonomous underwater vehicles.
RFA Tideforce sustains Royal Navy and NATO operations in the High North
Navy Lookout – RFA Tideforce has completed six weeks of intensive operations in the North Atlantic and Arctic, supplying Royal Navy and allied warships, carrying out anti-submarine operations and monitoring Russian naval activity. T
On ‘NATO’s lake,’ Nordic allies worry about escalation with Russia
Defense News – When Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022, it was hailed as the Baltic Sea’s transformation into “a NATO lake.” Since then, however, the sea has been less than placid, as confrontations with Russia and interference with undersea infrastructure have raised tensions to new heights.
France investing in naval power as military ambition is ‘to be feared’
Breaking Defense – France’s Minister of the Armed Forces says the country’s military ambition to be “feared” on the global stage is driving major modernization investments, including naval drone and munitions programs.
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