The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG-67) patrols the waters South of Japan on May 22, 2017. US Navy photo.
Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG-67) transited the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, less than a week after voters on the island reelected a leader opposed to closer ties between Taipei and Beijing.
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL-755) crew members inspect a self-propelled semi-submersible on June 19, 2019, in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. US Coast Guard Photo
This post is part of a series of review stories looking back at the top naval news from 2019.
For the U.S. Coast Guard, 2019 was marked by big moves in the service’s two most significant programs – the start of the Polar Security Cutter and a delay of the Offshore Patrol Cutter program.
Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf (WMSL 750) boarding teams interdict a low-profile go-fast vessel while patrolling international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, seizing more than 3,100 pounds of suspected cocaine, Nov. 4, 2019. Purpose-built vessels like this are designed to smuggle large amounts of contraband while evading detection by law enforcement personnel due to their camouflaged appearance and low profile. U.S. Coast Guard photo
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf (WMSL-750) finished 2019 by offloading in San Diego more than 18,000 pounds of cocaine, worth an estimated $312 million. Read More
China’s first domestically-built aircraft carrier leaves the pier at the Dalian shipyard on May 13, 2018. Xinhua Photo
China’s new aircraft carrier Shandong sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, two weeks ahead of Taiwan’s presidential election.
Undated photo of Russian AGI Viktor Leonov.
This post is part of a series of review stories looking back at the top naval news from 2019.
The U.S. Navy pushed its interoperability with foreign allies and partner nations in 2019 to counter increased naval activity by Russia and China.
China and Russia, though, did not sit still during the year. Each nation’s navy took great strides in attempting to bolster their fleets. The work to increase capabilities, though, was not smooth, as Russia’s and China’s military planners faced technical challenges and developed new strategies. Read More
A Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle is launched from USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44) in 2012. US Navy Photo
Developing updated unmanned scout planes is the best way for the U.S. to have eyes on China’s military actions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, according to findings in a new Hudson Institute report.
PHILIPPINE SEA (Aug. 5, 2019) Ensign Daniel Nguyen, from Gainesville, Georgia, uses a pelorus on the bridge of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD-20). Green Bay is part of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, with embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. Navy photo
San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Green Bay (LPD-20) transited the Taiwan Strait Friday morning at a time of increased trade tensions between the U.S. and China.
USS Antietam (CG-54) underway on March 6, 2016. US Navy Photo
Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG-54) transited the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, a day after Chinese defense officials released a white paper vowing to defeat any attempts to sever Taiwan from the mainland. Read More
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf (WMSL 750), left, moves in formation with the Philippine Coast Guard vessels Batangas, center, and Kalanggaman during an exercise May 14, 2019. Bertholf is in the midst of a Western Pacific patrol under the tactical control of the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet. US Coast Guard photo.
On its recent Indo-Pacific patrols, the Coast Guard cutter USCGC Bertholf (WSML-750) thwarted illegal oil and coal shipments that violated of U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea, transited the Strait of Taiwan amid condemnation from China and worked with U.S. allies to bolster their own coast guard forces. Read More
The Canadian navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Regina (FFH334) U.S. Navy photo.
A Canadian Navy frigate and supply ship were buzzed by two Chinese fighters earlier this week as the warships transited the Taiwan Strait, days after U.S. Navy surveillance plane tracked a Chinese aircraft carrier in the same waters.
