Who Has The World's Biggest Navy? (It Is Not The U.S.Navy)

Korean Central News Agency/Reuters

Newsweek: The World’s Biggest Naval Forces—Number One on the List May Surprise You

In June 2018, it was revealed that Chinese government hackers had stolen large quantities of data from a contractor working for the United States Navy. Compromised information included secret plans for developing anti-ship missiles for submarines.

It signified an escalation of China’s state-sponsored cyber attacks, but that wasn’t the only reason the U.S. was worried. China frequently uses its own naval forces to assert itself in the South and East China Seas, which carry half the world’s seaborne trade. Maintaining peace and stability in this region is vital for the U.S. economy.

It’s not just this area which is important—around 90 percent of the world’s goods are transported on the seas, and almost all electronic financial transactions between the U.S. and other continents run through submarine cables. The sea remains the backbone of today's economy, and the Navy has a vital role in its protection.

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WNU Editor: I will save you the trouble of going through the slides to find out who is "top dog", so here is the list .... #4 is Iran, #3 is the U.S., #2 is China, and #1 is actually North Korea ....

North Korea. Total Naval Assets: 967. Aircraft Carriers: 0. Frigates: 10. Destroyers: 0. Corvettes: 2. Submarines: 86. Patrol Craft: 438. Mine Warfare Vessels: 25. Defense Budget: $7.5 billion.

Software is About To Change U.S. Naval Carrier Aviation Forever

Navy Times: Navy fighters are one upgrade away from changing carrier aviation forever

ABOARD CARRIER GEORGE WASHINGTON OFF NORFOLK, Va. – In a typical aircraft carrier landing, a fighter pilot may make up to 300 adjustments with the stick and throttle over 18 seconds before hitting the deck and snagging the jet's tail hook just-so across one of four arresting wires.

It's one of the most dangerous and stressful jobs in the world because of that landing, but a revolutionary program that's as simple as a software upgrade will take a lot of the scrambling out of the final seconds of a combat mission.

It's called MAGIC CARPET, and — don't laugh — it stands for Maritime Augmented Guidance with Integrated Controls for Carrier Approach and Recovery Precision Enabling Technologies. What is does is put jets into a sort of automatic landing mode that guides the plane's trajectory to the deck and reduces the frantic adjustments out of the process.

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WNU Editor: This is a huge step in making naval aviation safer .... and the above video from Boeing explains how it will be done. But for those who have an interest in pursuing a career in naval aviation .... but are afraid that computers are going to take over everything .... fear not as this post explains ....  Sorry, R2-D2: Computers Aren't Replacing Fighter Pilots (Michael Peck, National Interest).

Is China's Navy Larger Than America's?

Understanding Asia-Pacific Sea Power -- The Diplomat

In this first in a series on the region’s navies, The Diplomat looks at how to measure naval power—including the US and China’s.

It's a sobering thought that even analysts steeped in naval affairs disagree about how to tally up who exactly has the strongest fleet. Writing in the Washington Post last month, Robert Kaplan declared in passing that China had constructed ‘the world's second-largest naval service, after only the United States.’

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My Comment: An excellent review on Asia-Pacific sea power. Read it all.

How To Build A Navy

Chinese Navy destroyer Qingdao (DDG 113)

From New Wars:

Strategypage reveals how China is now the world’s largest shipbuilder, proving she has what it takes to potentially create a world class Navy:

Sooner than anyone expected, China has surpassed South Korea as the world’s largest shipbuilder. Currently, Chinese firms have orders for 54.96 million CGT of ships, compared to 53.63 million CGT. Thus China has 34.7 percent of the world market. Since 2000, South Korea has had the largest share of the world shipbuilding market. South Korea took the lead from Japan…

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My Comment: New Wars has been blogging a storm of late with many informative and interesting posts. I have always been a fan of his blog (a daily visit has become a requirement), but the work that he is producing now is truly excellent and informative to the lay person like myself. The readers who comment on his blog are also informative, and should be read also. His blog is here.

And Then There Were Four

From Strategy Page:

November 15, 2008: India will join the United States, Russia and China by building a land based landing field in the same shape as an aircraft carrier. The SBTF (shore-based training facility) will be built outside the west coast port city of Goa. This will be used to train pilots to land on carriers. India is getting its first four MiG-29K fighters soon. These aircraft are modified to operate from carriers. The remaining twelve MiG-29Ks will arrive by the end of 2009.

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The Key Phrase In This Article Is "Former Fleet Commander". The Phrase That Is Missing Is "Former Stupid Fleet Commander"

The "Moskva" (former "Slava") surface-to-surface missile cruiser of the Guards,
Russia's Black Sea Fleet flagship, in the Bay of Sevastopol

Russia 'Could Destroy NATO Ships In Black Sea
Within 20 Minutes' -- RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, August 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Black Sea Fleet is capable of destroying NATO's naval strike group currently deployed in the sea within 20 minutes, a former fleet commander said on Friday.

Russia's General Staff said on Tuesday there were 10 NATO ships in the Black Sea - three U.S. warships, the Polish frigate General Pulaski, the German frigate FGS Lubeck, and the Spanish guided missile frigate Admiral Juan de Borbon, as well as four Turkish vessels. Eight more warships are expected to join the group.

"Despite the apparent strength, the NATO naval group in the Black Sea is not battle-worthy," Admiral Eduard Baltin said. "If necessary, a single missile salvo from the Moskva missile cruiser and two or three missile boats would be enough to annihilate the entire group."

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My Comment: LOL .... I do not think so.