Here are a few quick thoughts on yesterday’s incident where Russian ships and aircraft fired warning shots on the British destroyer HMS Defender off Crimea. This was a deliberate freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) by the Royal Navy. HMS Defender purposefully transited closer than 12 nautical miles from Crimea. This point is important to stress […]
Navy
Russian submarines are dangerous, says U.S. general
Joseph Trevithich writing for The Drive: A senior U.S. military officer has again sounded the alarm about the threat that advanced, very-quiet, cruise-missile-armed Russian submarines, as well as Chinese ones, increasingly present to the United States. At a hearing on Capitol Hill yesterday, U.S. Air Force General Glen VanHerck, who is head of U.S. Northern Command […]
The future of the Russian Navy – Last episode of interview with Jonas Kjellén
Here is the third and last episode in my interview with Jonas Kjellén. Here we discuss the future trends and developments for the Russian Navy. According to Jonas, the future looks bright for the Russian Navy. They now have lead ships ready for many classes, and in the coming years we will see serial production […]
The ships in Russia’s Baltic Fleet – Part 2 of my interview with Jonas Kjellén
This is part two of my interview with Jonas Kjellén. We particularly discussed the Baltic Fleet’s abilities for minelaying and amphibious operations, but other types of maritime operations were touched on as well.
Interview with Jonas Kjellén about the Russian Baltic Fleet – Part 1
Here is an interview I did with Jonas Kjellèn from FOI about the Russian Baltic Fleet. Jonas recently authored a really good report on the topic. This is part one of the interview. The next ones will be available in the coming weeks.
The risks of outsourcing merchant shipping to foreign owners
Sal Mercogliano has a thoughtful look in CIMSEC on the grounding of MV Ever Given that blocked the Suez Canal for six days: Today, international corporations, with ships flying the flags of open registries, dominate the world’s oceans but with little means of protection. This is readily apparent to the Indian crew, onboard the Taiwan-based […]
Decarbonization raises capacity questions for shipbuilding and wartime repairs
Benjamin Clark discusses in CIMSEC How the Decarbonization Dilemma Will Impact Shipbuilding and Great Power Competition: A decline in shipbuilding capacity is a clear and troubling trend, especially for those working in the U.S. maritime industry, and it is critical to assess the challenges this decline creates for the country’s ability to wage a protracted […]
How China modernized its fishing fleet in the South China Sea
Ryan D. Martinson in a piece titled Xi likes big boats (coming soon to a reef near you) on War on the Rocks: Photos the Philippine government released in March show nests of Chinese fishing vessels moored in the lagoon of the disputed reef. Aside from the sheer number of craft present, one is struck […]
Russia challenges international law with Black Sea prohibition zones
Analysis of Russia’s decision to close three zones in the Black Sea for foreign warships including the Kerch Strait.
From a Baltic Commanders Conference to a maritime component command in 10 years
Sebastian Bruns and Julian Pawlak on CIMSEC: As early as 2015, the Baltic Commanders Conference (BCC), a consultation format, was launched in response to altered security policy constellations and was intended to strengthen communication and cooperation between the neighboring navies – including non-Baltic state Norway, but without Russia. The German Maritime Forces Staff (DEU MARFOR), […]