Ravi Nayyar’s Post

Royal Navy Seeks Long-Range Anti-Submarine Weapon The Royal Navy is looking for a new missile system that can launch torpedoes from its Type 26 frigates. This Long Range Anti-Submarine Warfare weapon (LRAW) aims to counter the increasing range of modern submarine-launched torpedoes, exceeding 50km. While the U.S. Navy's Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket (VLA) is compatible with the Type 26's Mk41 launch system, its current range of approximately 10km falls short. This means that either the VLA needs significant range improvements, or the Royal Navy must explore alternative solutions, like the Japanese Type 7, to achieve the desired standoff distance. The goal is to out-range enemy submarines, giving the Royal Navy a critical advantage in any future conflict. #RoyalNavy #ASW #SubmarineWarfare #DefenseTechnology #VLA #Type26Frigate #Mk41VLS #DefenseIndustry #MaritimeSecurity #NationalSecurity

The author offers some thoughtful points. The MLR and its components were conceived, and intended, to meet the demands of light, mobile, raid forces. The Corps is limited more by mindset and habit of action then design for this type of employment. As for lessons from Ukrain… let’s not forget the reinforcement of the value of mass and multi axis, multi domain attacks … which in concert with maneuver and light infantry keep Ukraine in the fight. Keep modernizing. Keep training for innovative and adaptable employment of forces on focused objectives with limited resources for measure periods of time.

The April issue of Proceedings is published!! This is our annual expeditionary warfare issue. Check out this excellent article from Gunnery Sergeant Davis on one of the ongoing challenges with Force Design 2030!

The Marine Corps' Force Design strategy is a pivotal initiative aimed at countering the growing military threat from China. In a recent discussion at the Brookings Institution, Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith highlighted the progress made and the challenges faced in this strategic endeavor. #amphibiousships #Chinamilitarythreat #ForceDesignstrategy #MarineCorpscapabilities #MarineCorpsmodernization #militarymunitionsproduction #militaryoutpostsSouthChinaSea #USdefensestrategy #USmilitarydeterrence #thxnews

IRAN - REVISITING THE TANKER WAR - It is always better to perform a visit, board, search, and seizure, a “take down” mission to interdict one’s adversary, before they are able to lay mines as in the case of Task Force 160, Special Boat Unit Twenty, and La Salle, or capture weapons before they are transferred in the case of SEAL Team Three supported by Lewis B. Puller. The former mission clearly made an impression. - The legacy of mobile sea bases will also continue in other parts of the globe as other nations recognize the value of employing vessels like MV Hercules and USS Lewis B. Puller for special missions at sea. Even the legacy of the Vietnam War mobile sea bases continues. Recently, the Philippines grounded BRP Sierra Madre(LT 57) on Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands with a contingent of Philippine marines aboard as a demonstration of sovereignty in their dispute over the islands with China. Thus, the former USS Harnett County (LST 821) still serves as a mobile sea base today. - As Operation Prosperity Guardian continues, the U.S. Navy should continue to look to history, to its institutional memory, to garner lessons from the past on force structure both for platform design and the number of assets in the fleet. This should begin by comparing and contrasting the number of ships that enabled the Vietnam War and Operation Earnest Will, both Cold War period conflicts that were enabled by a total fleet size of over 600 ships. https://lnkd.in/eRFk2H64

The German Ministry of Defence has announced significant advancements in the F126 frigate program, marking a major enhancement for the German Navy. The Budget Committee of the German Bundestag has given preliminary approval for the procurement of two additional F126 multi-purpose combat ships, with a budget of around EUR 3.18 billion. The F126 frigates are crucial for national and alliance defence, embodying Germany’s commitment to a rules-based international order and bolstering the nation’s economic and defence sectors. Approximately 70% of the project’s value will be generated within Germany, involving over 65 German contractors in the construction process. The fifth and sixth ships are scheduled for delivery in 2033 and 2034, respectively. However, the Dutch shipbuilding company Damen Naval is responsible for the construction of these ships. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/dVD-YfhE #Germany #F126 #frigate #navy #Damen #defence #industry #military #shipbuilding

The United States Marine Corps budget for 2025 includes plans to enhance the range and lethality of their Force Design tools. According to budget documents, the Marine Corps will upgrade existing systems as part of their modernization efforts. They are allocating $4.2 billion for ground procurement and an additional $3 billion for research and development. One of the key upgrades is transitioning from the Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) to a new Long Range Fires program. The NMESIS currently uses the Naval Strike Missile with a range of over 100 nautical miles, but the Corps aims to increase that range tenfold with the Long Range Fires program. The budget request includes a pause in NMESIS procurement for FY25, but the Corps plans to acquire eight units of the Long Range Fires program in FY25 and a total of 46 units over the next five years. Additionally, the Marine Corps is investing in upgrades for the Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) and plans to purchase 80 Amphibious Combat Vehicle 30mm variants, 674 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, and 340 companion trailers. This budget also includes funding for 19 CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopters and a multiyear procurement contract for engines. #USMarineCorps #Budget2025 #ForceDesign #MilitaryModernization #Lethality #RangeEnhancement #DefenseNews

Great story about the Osprey from a former colleague of mine. Assault support, particularly the logistics mission, is essential to any expeditionary mission. #Tiltrotors give the range and speed needed for many of those missions. For others, smaller, more attritable platforms may be more desirable. In either case "bullets don't fly without supply." Sophisticated systems, from F-35s to NMESIS, are little more than expensive paperweights without connectors bringing in ordnance. #military #aviation #logistics https://lnkd.in/ggxceEu4

PRO FORCE DESIGN POINT - Explain why nearly 10,000 tanks have been destroyed in Ukraine by non-armor assets and why Kiev has pulled back our donated M1 tanks. COUNTERPOINT - Tanks have been severely tested in the war in Ukraine and often poorly employed. However, no modern military, other than the US Marine Corps, has abandoned them. Just the opposite; the US Army is developing a new tank with a requirement to be able to defend against the weapons seen in recent wars. The British Army is designing a new Leopard 3, and the Germans and French have formed a consortium to design and build a new modern tank with similar requirements. It is still true that tanks need infantry and infantry needs tanks.

One of The Cove’s key themes for 2024 is Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCOs). Amphibious operations will be crucial to any LSCOs in the Indo-Pacific – as they were in the past. To find out more, have a look at this recent occasional paper put out by the Australian Army Research Centre. Amphibious operations came of age between mid-1942 and mid-1945 as the armed forces of the western Allied powers conducted over forty major amphibious assaults. Despite this, these amphibious operations required significantly different force structures, equipment, training and command methodologies. As the Australian Army adapts to deliver an expanded focus on combined arms amphibious manoeuvre, the lessons of history offer plenty of markers to help guide this transformation.