September 18, 2024 | International, Aerospace
Marines reopen second WWII-era airfield to prep for future combat
The opening of the North Carolina airfield follows the service’s June recertification of an airfield on the Pacific island of Peleliu.
September 7, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR
Pentagon Report Shows China’s Continually Modernizing and Growing Military Capabilities
By Dean Cheng
The Department of Defense has released the latest edition of its report on Chinese military and security developments.
Mandated in the fiscal 2000 National Defense Authorization Act, the annual report is an important source of regular updates regarding China's growing military capabilities and its expanding range of security-related activities.
Since the People's Republic of China halted the publication of its biennial defense white papers in 2015, there are few other good sources of information on one of the world's largest militaries.
An important element of this year's report is the expanded discussion of China's security-related activities, providing a broader, fuller assessment. There is an extensive discussion of China's Belt and Road Initiative, its array of investment projects previously known as the “One Belt, One Road Initiative,” stretching from China to Europe, into the Indian Ocean to Africa, and even across the Pacific to South America.
The report discusses the security implications of the Belt and Road Initiative, even though it is primarily a set of economic and political initiatives with limited direct military impact.
This more comprehensive analysis is important, as it captures the Chinese whole-of-society approach to national security. To understand Beijing's challenge to the U.S., it is vital to incorporate not only concerns about the People's Liberation Army and the Chinese government, but also consideration of its diplomatic and economic engagement globally.
This year's report also exemplifies why issuing an annual report is important. It highlights the various changes that have been undertaken since the announcement in December 2015 of a series of fundamental overhauls and reforms of the People's Liberation Army. It thus provides a new snapshot of the various improvements and changes in the Chinese military as it continues to modernize all of its services.
Much discussed, for example, has been the steady extension of the People's Liberation Army's reach. News reports emphasized that it is acquiring systems that will allow it to strike the United States.
The report also notes that “one of the most significant [Navy] structural changes in 2017” has been the tripling of the size of the Chinese marine corps. Coupled with China's first official overseas military base (in Djibouti), it is clear that China is expanding its force-projection capacity.
As important, however, have been the changes in the People's Liberation Army's organization and doctrine. This year's report devotes substantial discussion to the evolving organization of PLA Army forces, as well as changes in the Central Military Commission, which manages the overall military.
These changes are fundamental, but have taken the past two years to become much more visible. The shift from divisions as the cornerstone of China's ground forces to brigades had long been discussed, but only now is there sufficient evidence to gauge Beijing's progress.
The changes in the Central Military Commission structure have been even more complex. When the changes were first announced, the commission initially appeared to be expanding from four general departments to 15 departments, commissions, and offices.
It is now clear, however, that in fact the commission has shrunk, with only seven members, rather than the pre-reform 10. Of particular note is the removal of the Logistics Work and Equipment Development departments from the main Central Military Commission structure.
Full article: https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/dean-cheng/pentagon-report-shows-chinas-continually-modernizing-and-growing-military
On the same subject
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July 30, 2019 | International, Naval
Lockheed Martin Celebrates FBM Headquarters Move To Florida's Space Coast
TITUSVILLE, Fla., July 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) celebrated the move of the Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) Headquarters from Sunnyvale, California to Florida's Space Coast during an official flag-raising event. Establishing this new site is one milestone in the larger move of more than 300 jobs to the Space Coast area, expanding Lockheed Martin's already significant presence. Titusville was selected as the FBM Headquarters to house this critical mission. It allows for continued partnership with the Navy and a solid foundation for the next chapters of the program. "We are thrilled and grateful to call Titusville our new home," said Sarah Hiza, vice president for Fleet Ballistic Missile programs at Lockheed Martin Space. "This region plays a prominent role in the defense industry. I am very proud to represent our program headquarters in this community and continue to provide the highest level of support to our Navy customer. What they do for our nation is critical, and we deeply appreciate the men and women who serve." Many distinguished guests joined Rick Ambrose, executive vice president for Lockheed Martin Space, and Scott Keller, vice president and general manager for Strategic and Missile Defense Systems, to recognize this milestone. They included Vice Admiral Johnny Wolfe, director Navy Strategic Systems Programs, Florida Senator Tom Wright, Congressmen Thad Altman, Tyler Sirois and Randy Fine, and Lynda Weatherman, president and CEO of the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast. For more than 60 years, Lockheed Martin has contributed to the FBM program with the US Navy. In 2017, the FBM program announced portions of the program would relocate from Sunnyvale, California to other locations to include Colorado. Lockheed Martin has developed, built and sustained six generations of submarine-launched ballistic missiles under the FBM program. The current generation of missiles, designated Trident II D5, are carried aboard the US Navy's Ohio-class submarines and make up the sea-based leg of the nation's nuclear triad. They are also carried aboard the United Kingdom's Vanguard-class submarine as their nation's sole nuclear deterrent. For additional information, visit our website: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/FBM https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2019-07-30-Lockheed-Martin-Celebrates-FBM-Headquarters-Move-To-Floridas-Space-Coast
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May 12, 2020 | International, Land
No tanks, but the Corps is still looking for an LAV replacement
Shawn Snow While the Corps plans to scrap its tank battalions the Marines are still in pursuit of a new armored reconnaissance vehicle to replace the legacy light armored vehicle. It's called the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle, and Marine Corps Systems Command noted in a news release that prototypes from two vendors should be ready for evaluations by the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020. The Corps says it expects a final request for prototype proposal by spring 2021. In 2019, the Corps announced it had selected two vendors, General Dynamics and SAIC, to design and build full-scale prototypes of the new ARV vehicle. Marine Corps Systems Command detailed in the news release that an assessment had “identified shortfalls and gaps in capability” when the legacy LAV was pitted against a peer threat. Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger has said that current light armored reconnaissance battalions across the Corps are outmoded for the high-end fight against adversaries like Russia and China. “Light Armored Reconnaissance today is built great for another Desert Shield, Desert Storm,” Berger said previously said. “I don't see that likelihood as being very great.” But the top Marine noted that reconnaissance and counter reconnaissance was vital to a fight against near-peer rivals. “No question in my mind” when going up against a capable adversary “that it pays to be spread out and dispersed,” Berger told reporters in April. “What we have to do now is transition to a lighter footprint, more expeditionary, more in support of a littoral environment,” Berger said. The top Marine said a future LAR unit should be able to collect information even potentially offshore. Marine Corps Systems Command said in the news release that it wants a “battle management system, enhanced vision technologies for increased situational awareness, and target tracking and engagement capabilities,” for its new ARV. An industry day for the ARV was slated to run in May 2020 but has been pushed back to fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020, the release said. https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2020/05/11/no-tanks-but-the-corps-is-still-looking-for-an-lav-replacement/