A maritime exercise between Iran, China, and Russia has received much attention. It is a very small exercise where China and Russia sent one warship each, so it is mostly a symbolic gesture. But the World response has demonstrated the power of naval diplomacy.
Navy
Russia’s A2/AD strategy is a myth
It is time to let go of the idea of impenetrable A2/AD bubbles. Russia does not have the technical capabilities to do it, and politically it is hard to see why they would even want to. We need to start thinking about Russia’s missiles as a layered defense system instead. That is the point of this conference paper.
Which ships will be at Naval Day parade in Saint Petersburg on 28 July 2019?
There finally is a reliable list of participating ships for Russia’s Naval Day parade in Saint Petersburg. It is a very similar collection of ships as last year. The biggest surprise is the participation of the frigate Admiral Gorshkov which is returning from a trip around the world.
Russian battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov delayed from maintenance until 2023
Russia may face a few years without any battlecruisers. The shipyard has announced that the maintenance and upgrade program of Admiral Nakhimov will take a few years longer than expected. This means that Admiral Nakhimov will not be ready to take over by the time a similar upgrade begins on Pyotr Velikiy in 2020.
Russia orders two more frigates and large landing ships
Russia has ordered two more Gorshkov-class frigates and two more Ivan Gren class landing ships. With this purchase they will have a total of six Gorshkov-class and four Ivan Gren class.
Update on Russia’s weapon development programs
Russia has some impressive new weapons under development, but many of the projects have been struck by problems and delays. Here is an overview of how things are going with the most spectacular programs.
New ships to expect for Russia’s navy in 2019
Here is a list of 11 new warships for Russia’s navy in 2019. It includes some large submarines and a new frigate.
US European forces chief wants more presence, Trump pushes for allies to pay
US general pushes for more warships in Europe to maintain American dominance. Trump wants allies to pay a premium for hosting US forces. The incompatibility between these two views is striking.
Frigate “Neustrashimy” set to re-join Baltic Fleet in November 2019
It looks like the frigate “Neustrashimy” will be back in service after five years under repair. With a little luck, all the big ships in the Russian Baltic Fleet will be operational for the first time in a long time.
Debate over USS Fitzgerald collision still misses point about broken US Navy procedures
The debate about the USS Fitzgerald accident is still off track. The interesting discussion is what to do about the fact that the US Navy has deficient navigation procedures.
