A U.K. F-35B Lightning II on the Flight Deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth on Nov. 6, 2019. UK Royal Navy Photo
The United Kingdom hopes to shoulder a greater share of the burden of keeping peace in an increasingly complex security environment, the secretary of state for defence said today during the virtual Atlantic Future Forum. Read More
Ships from the Indian Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the US Navy sail in formation during Malabar 2018 on June 14, 2018. US Navy Photo
Australia will join the India-led Malabar 2020 naval exercise next month, operating along with the U.S. and Japan in an exercise meant to send a message to China. Read More
With the Pentagon pitching a future naval force design that calls for as many as 240 unmanned and optionally manned ships on the surface and under the sea, a natural question is: what will they all do? Read More
HI Sutton Image used with permission
Venezuela’s propaganda videos are showing off warships armed with new Chinese-made anti-ship missiles. The C-802A missile, supplied by Beijing to the Venezuelan Navy, is designed to take out surface ships at extended ranges. The sea-skimming missile is generally analogous to the Harpoon. This arms deal should greatly increase the reach and potency of President Nicolás Maduro’s navy. Read More
Chinese leader Xi Jinping aboard a PLA Navy ship. Xinhua photo
America’s senior arms negotiator said Washington is taking diplomatic and military steps to put an end to Beijing’s “great wall of secrecy” that surrounds its rapid and expanding strategic weapons program. Read More
H I Sutton Image. Used with permission
As China pushes to become a blue-water power, nuclear-powered submarines are critically important to Beijing’s plan. Historically the Chinese Navy’s (PLAN) nuclear-powered submarine fleet has been constrained by its limited construction capacity. There is only one shipyard in the country up to the task. But that yard has been undergoing a massive enlargement. And now, recent satellite imagery suggests an additional capacity expansion. Read More
USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) steams near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on July 14, 2020. US Navy Photo
Freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea puts stress on the fleet when the Navy could use that time more effectively “to train up for high-end conflict,” a national security expert who served in the Trump administration said Friday. Read More
Rear Adm. Fred Kacher, commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 7, and Royal Australian Army Major Gen. Roger Noble, deputy chief, Joint Operations, Australian Defense Force, salute as the color guard parades the colors during the closing ceremony of the eighth U.S. and Australian exercise Talisman Sabre 2019 on July 27, 2019. US Navy Photo
A senior State Department official stressed the strengthening economic, diplomatic and security bonds between the United States, Japan, Australia and India as an example of regional cooperation for other nations who share their values. Read More
USS Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams operating with the Senegalese Navy on Sept. 21, 2020. US Navy Photo
KUALA LUMPUR – The U.S Navy and Coast Guard remain committed to supporting and building the maritime security capabilities of its African partners, senior leaders from both services said in an Oct. 5 conference call. Read More
The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group transits in formation with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group while conducting dual carrier and airwing operations in the Philippine Sea on June 23, 2020. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated to include additional information from Secretary Esper’s rollout of Battle Force 2045.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced a new future fleet plan for the Navy that would grow the attack submarine force, supplement nuclear-powered aircraft carriers with light carriers to achieve greater day-to-day presence, and invest heavily in small and unmanned ships for distributed operations. Read More
