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2017-02-25 Second Line of Defense has visited several RAF bases over the past few years.
Last year, we produced a report on one of those bases, RAF Lossiemouth, which is to receive P-8s as well as to operate Typhoons.
New operational capabilities will require significant upgrades to the base to execute their missions.
And the recent visit to Norway has highlighted the importance for Norwegian defense for these upgrades as well to support the build out of 21st century operational capabilities as well.
According to a story published by the UK Ministry of Defence on February 24, 2017, these investments are in process.
Sir Michael Fallon outlined how Scotland will be home to several additional key Defence capabilities by 2020 to the Board and recognised its unique contribution to UK national security.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:
“Scotland is on the frontline of defending the United Kingdom from growing threats at sea, in the air, and on land.
“Our commitment to the future of defence in Scotland is underlined by increasing investment in better infrastructure for the Armed Forces helping to keep us safe.
Scotland’s 14,000 military regular and reserve personnel and 3,930 MOD civilians are set to benefit from:
£1.3 billion investment into upgrades to HM Naval Base Clyde’s waterfront, engineering support, accommodation and physical security ahead of the Dreadnought class of deterrent submarines arriving in Scotland from the early 2030s;
£400 million investment at Lossiemouth as one of the RAF’s three fast jet bases – upgrading its runways, taxiways and accommodation for the nine new Poseidon P-8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft and an additional Typhoon squadron;
Being home to a versatile Army Adaptive Force Brigade, which specialises in operations, works alongside partner nations abroad, and provides resilience support to Scottish civil authorities and communities. Further, Leuchars Station will be expanded to become the main ‘hub’ for Army activity in Scotland.
The £178 billion Defence equipment programme supports 11,000 Scottish industry jobs and accounts for over 10% of the country’s industrial base.
Scottish business is developing key military capabilities: the Queen Elizabeth Carriers being built in Rosyth; Offshore Patrol Vessels and Type 26 Global Combat Ships being built in Govan and Scotstoun; a new Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar for RAF Typhoons being built in Edinburgh.
We discussed some of these issues in our Special Report on RAF Lossiemouth.
The Royal Air Force is in transition as the Tornado is retired, the Typhoon is modernized and the P-8 and F-35 are introduced.
Infrastructure of key bases is being modernized as well.
This transition as seen by officers involved in the operation and support of combat aircraft at RAF Lossiemouth is presented in this report.
In effect, Lossie will train to support the formation and evolution of a 21st century combat force in which a multi-mission combat fleet of Typhoons will work with the maritime-focused but land-based capable maritime combat system which is the P-8 (which will be based at RAF Lossiemouth), and which, in turn, will work with the multi-tasking flying combat system which is the F-35 which will be based at RAF Marham.
It is clear that the base is well positioned to support the evolving dynamics of defense, not only for the UK homeland, but to provide a solid anchor within the defense system for the North Atlantic.
We start with the first interview with Group Captain Paul Godfrey, the base commander with regard to his perspective concerning the evolution of the base in preparing for the RAF airpower transition.
We will then present interviews, which look at the coming retirement of the Tornado, its legacy and its contribution to the transition as well.
We will then look at the Typhoon and its key role for the RAF, in Quick Reaction Alerts, Operation Shader and in the Baltic Air Patrol.
Insights are provided by interviews with the 1 (F) Squadron, 2 (AC) Squadron, and those charged with the responsibility of maintaining and supporting the Typhoon fleet at Lossie and in its expeditionary operations, which include deployments to the Falklands as well.
Next is an interview with an officer involved in keeping the skill sets alive while waiting for the P-8, which highlights how the RAF is handling a very difficult transition, namely, the retirement of the Nimrod PRIOR to receiving a replacement aircraft.
The final RAF Lossiemouth interview is one a second interview with Group Captain Paul Godfrey, who highlighted the challenges and opportunities of shaping RAF transformation as seen from a key operating base for the RAF.
Among other matters, he advocated a tougher U.S. stance on nuclear nonproliferation, nuclear weapons, and other security issues.
Regarding nonproliferation, Trump reiterated his opposition to the 2014 Iran nuclear pact and maintained that Beijing could “very easily” pressure North Korea into ceasing its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development programs. Trump did not exclude meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to try to end Pyongyang’s provocations through diplomacy, an idea Trump first raised during his presidential campaign.
However, Trump warned that the U.S. government was considering “a lot more” than diplomatic and defensive measures to end the North Korean threat.
With respect to the strategic balance, Trump asserted that the United States has “fallen behind on nuclear weapon capacity.” He stated that it would be his dream to eliminate nuclear weapons throughout the world, “but if countries are going to have nukes, we’re going to be at the top of the pack.”
Regarding Russia, Trump labeled Moscow’s violation of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty “a big deal.”
The treaty prohibits Russia and the United States from researching, testing, and deploying ground-launched missiles, whether armed with conventional or nuclear warheads, with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.
According to media reports, the U.S. intelligence community recently concluded that the Russian military has deployed two battalions of a prohibited ground-launched cruise missile (U.S.-designated SSC-8). Each battalion may have several dozen SSC-8 missiles on multiple road-mobile launchers. One of the two battalions has been moved from its missile test site at Kapustin Yar, located near Volgograd in southwestern Russia, to an unidentified operational base in another part of the country.
Stewardship is also about development. How will the U.S. nuclear weapons program develop in the future? What warheads will be developed in the future as hypersonic weapons become operational? Credit Image: Bigstock
The new system may be a ground-launched version of the sea-launched Kalibr intermediate-range cruise missile that Russia has employed with conventional warheads in Syria for over a year. Depending on the version, these missiles can carry a 1,000 pound explosive package up to 2,500km when launched from surface ships or submarines. They can also carry nuclear warheads.
The SSC-8 may be launched from the two-stage mobile 9K720 Iskander-M (NATO-reporting name SS-26 Stone), with which Russia has been reequipping its Ground Forces.
According to Russian News Agency TASS, “the Iskander tactical ballistic missile complex includes a launcher, a loader-transporter, a routine maintenance vehicle, a command post vehicle, an information post, an ammunition equipment set and training aids.” When deployed with its standard 9M728 cruise missile, the Iskander’s stated range is slightly under 500km, but with a different cruise missile or other payload, its reach could extend well beyond that.
Depending on the location of this mobile battalion and any other missiles that Russia deploys, the SSC-8 could hit a variety of targets in Europe, Asia, or the Middle East, including U.S. friends, allies, and U.S. military forces deployed or operating in these regions.
For instance, an extended-range version of the Iskander based in Kaliningrad could hit NATO missile defenses, command posts, air bases, and other high-value targets throughout Europe, making it difficult to reinforce the Baltic states and other areas near Russia.
In his Reuters interview, Trump criticized the 2010 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) as “just another bad deal that the country made,” and promised that under his leadership, “we’re going to start making good deals.”
Trump left open whether the United States would withdraw from the INF Treaty or New START—as the George W. Bush administration did from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty in 2002—or try to correct weaknesses in the current agreements through formal amendments or informal agreements, or attempt to secure better deals in future accords.
President Trump’s remarks must be viewed in context.
First, there are many continuities in Trump’s views and those of previous U.S. presidents, though as usual, Trump’s diction differs from that of his predecessors.
For example, former President Barack Obama similarly accused Russia of violating the INF Treaty, unsuccessfully appealed to China to pressure North Korea into curtailing its nuclear and missile programs, strove to secure greater defense commitments from NATO’s European members, and committed to spending billions of dollars to ensure a safe and secure U.S. nuclear force.
Like his predecessor, Trump did not discuss proposals to resume U.S. nuclear weapons testing, deploy space-based missile defenses, or pursue other contested defense initiatives.
Second, in some respects, the global nuclear balance has indeed become less favorable to the United States.
Besides China’s growing capabilities, Russia currently has more strategically deployed nuclear warheads than the United States and has successfully improved its other nuclear capabilities. However, the INF Treaty and New START had little direct effect on this outcome.
Over the past decade, Russia has been steadily rebuilding its nuclear forces, which collapsed after the Cold War, within New START ceilings. Meanwhile, the United States has mainly extended the life of the Cold War-era nuclear systems and warheads that it inherited from the Cold War.
Although new U.S. initiatives will eventually change this situation, at least for the next few years, enforcing the New START constraints will benefit the United States, since the next-generation U.S. nuclear delivery systems currently under development will probably not become operational before 2026.
However, congressional support for nuclear rearmament to address this capabilities gap is broad but potentially shallow, given many members’ desire to spend more on other defense priorities and support effective arms control.
Trump could address congressional concerns about Russian arms control violations through targeted means, such as applying the newly enacted Rogers-Poe provision of the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA Section 1290), which sanctions companies involved in arms control violations as well as entities that do business with them.
Most importantly, Trump seems open to looking beyond New START in an effort to put the Russian-U.S. strategic framework on a more positive trajectory.
Obama also saw New START as a transitional arrangement to be superseded by a superior accord that would mandate reduced Russian strategic and tactical nuclear weapons.
Given the Trump administration’s openness to rethinking U.S. nuclear strategy, now is the time to reconsider old truths and encourage new thinking about nuclear futures.
Editor’s Note: Clearly, a key requirement for the Trump Administration is to work through how nuclear weapons are integrated into a redesign of the US force structure to be effective in the Second Nuclear Age.
Arms control conducted by itself will simply block the kind of war fighting innovations crucial to real deterrence as opposed to declaratory deterrence.
In the words of General Mike Dunn, one of the most thoughtful airpower strategists in the US today: “It is crucial for the US to deal with the threats for what they are and not simply what we would like them to be.”
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2017-03-02 The Patrouille Acrobatique de France also known as the Patrouille de France or PAF, is the precision aerobatic demonstration team of the French Air Force.
Originating in 1931, it is the world’s oldest and one of the most skilled demonstration teams.
Pilots currently fly the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet.
According to a press release by the French Air Force and dated February 23, 2017:
31 years since its last tour in North America, the Patrouille de France is coming back to the USA from March 17th to May 6th 2017 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the United States entry into World War I and to reaffirm the historic ties between France and the United States.
This operation in North America will mobilize more than 70 airmen, pilots, mechanics, support staff, 10 Alphajet, 1 Airbus A400M Atlas and 25 tons of equipment, demonstrating French Air Force reach capabilities.
The ferry flight will include 4 refueling stops United Kingdom, Iceland, Greenland and Canada.
During this month-and-a-half long journey, the Patrouille de France will perform 30 transit flights and 12 demonstration flights during commemorations and air shows, meet the 2 mythical demonstration teams Thunderbirds and Blue Angels and fly over 9 symbolic monuments of the Franco-American relationship, such as the Statue of Liberty in New York.
Among the highlights of the tour, the Patrouille de France will participate in the centennial commemoration of the US entry into World War I, on April 6th in Kansas City (Kansas).
This symbolizes the enduring friendship and unfailing brotherhood of the two countries.
The operational cooperation between France and the United States, major partners in the fight against terrorism, is now at an unprecedented level.
On April 21st the Patrouille de France will also join the French Air Force Rafale, presently participating in TEI exercise (Trilateral exercise initiative) at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.
This advanced exercise prepares American, British and French Air Forces to engage jointly in highly contested scenarios.
The engagement of the most advanced fighters (F-22, F-35, Rafale, Typhoon) is a testament to the high level of interoperability and mutual trust between the three partners.
The unmistakable Grumman EA-6B Prowler comes into view on the horizon and streaks low across the hills of southern Virginia.
“Dog 31” of the VMAQ-3 Moon Dogs is on a routine low level training mission. The flight ensures pilot and electronic countermeasures officers (ECMOs) realize the minimum designated 15 hours of monthly flight time to maintain proficiency.
Additional time is spent training in simulators to address specific threat environments.
The Prowler wings by and banks into the late afternoon sun.
It is a visual metaphor, as sundown for the Prowler fleet is drawing near.
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The Prowlers remain one of the premier electronic warfare (EW) aircraft in the services and are planned to cease operations in 2019.
Prowler squadron VMAQT-1 the Banshees were decommissioned in 2016, and the current Marine Aviation plan has the remaining squadrons following one per year; in 2017 the VMAQ-4 Seahawks, in 2018 the VMAQ-3 Moon Dogs, and the last Prowler squadron, the VMAQ-2 Death Jesters will be decommissioned in 2019.
The 18 currently remaining EA-6Bs are based at MCAS Cherry Point, NC and split among the 3 active squadrons as needs (deployments) require.
During this staged sundown, pilots and ECMOs are given options to transition to other aircraft, incoming EW platforms, or pursue new occupational specialties.
In many respects the Prowler “sundown” is not a typical “retirement” where a platform with diminished capacity slowly fades away.
Today’s Prowler is the most capable variant ever. The aircraft features the improved capabilities (ICAP) III package and will receive Block 7 ICAP III upgrades to improve EW performance and operability through to the end of service life.
The aircraft are effective and future deployments are planned.
Over 46 years of service Prowlers (USN since 1971 & USMC since 1977) have been involved in scores of critical Navy, Air Force, Marine and Coalition operations. Since 9/11 Prowlers have been deployed near continuously.
Recently, the aircraft have provided extensive service (including deployment to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey) over Syria and Iraq to support the coalition in the fight against ISIS. In these theaters, the aircraft jam cell phones and other remote signals that trigger IEDs as well radars that may be tracking coalition air assets.
While the aircraft can utilize anti-radiation missiles to strike enemy radar assets, their secondary role in this region is more likely to include intelligence gathering within the electronic spectrum.
By 2020, the USMC will have adopted a revolutionary change in how they address electronic warfare.
Rather than replace the Prowler with a dedicated platform, the USMC has adopted a distributed strategy, where “every platform is a sensor, shooter and sharer.”
This new paradigm brings together both electronic warfare and cyber capability with the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) in a structure called the (MAGTF EW).
USMC Captain Sarah Burns explains, “Under MAGTF EW the Marine Corps is leveraging emerging technologies and integrating multiple aviation platforms [unmanned, fixed-wing, tilt-rotor, and rotary-wing assets]; payloads; ground-based EW nodes; and cyber capabilities to provide commanders with an organic and persistent EW capability – for every MAGTF – large and small…”
Within the MAGTF EW each USMC aviation platform will have the capability to carry its own pods packed with sensors / jammer payloads (such as the Intrepid Tiger II).
2nd Lt. Samuel Stephenson indicates:
“This integration of manned and unmanned airborne and ground EW capabilities will provide the MAGTF commander with greater flexibility and control of the electromagnetic spectrum and, in many cases, giving the commander a capability where previously they had none.
“MAGTF EW assets will be modular, scalable and networked, utilizing an open architecture that is rapidly adaptable and remotely re-programmable at the tactical level to support future Marine Corps warfighting requirements.”
The US Navy EA-18G Growler will continue the Prowlers dedicated EW mission.
The USMC F-35B & C (replacing the AV-8B, F/A-18A-D and EA-6B) will provide the tactical aviation requirements of the USMC while offering a very robust EW capability. Combined, the two aircraft (EA-18G & F-35B/C) will bring immense EW capability to the Joint Force.
As Stephenson indicates, “These aircraft, combined with the assets available in the MAGTF EW, will ensure the Marine Corps will be able to quickly innovate and adapt to the changing EW mission set and the battlefield of tomorrow.”
During this time of dynamic change within the USMC, the Prowlers remain at the ready and heavily utilized.
The aircraft train out of MCAS Cherry Point and participate globally within exercises of USAF, USN and coalition forces.
The Prowler community and aviation enthusiasts have a few remaining years to celebrate the service and enjoy the flight of the Prowler.
They can do so knowing this cat is black, and will be on the prowl until the final hour.
Second Line of Defense thanks Maj. Nathan Baker, Operations Officer for Marine Aircraft Group 14, 2nd MAW, 1st Lt. John Roberts, and 2nd Lt. Samuel Stephenson Public Affairs Officers 2nd MAW, and Capt. Sarah Burns, Public Affairs Officer, Office of Marine Corps Communication, Pentagon.
For earlier articles on the Prowler and the Tron Warfare transition of the USMC, see the following:
2017-02-27 The F-35C is a key part of the evolving carrier air wing.
Its importance was highlighted in an interview we did with the current Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Systems (OPNAV N9) when he was head of Naval Air Warfare at N98.
Question: When we were at Fallon, the air wing training to go out on deployment was in real time communications with the Bush on deployment in the Middle East.
And the Fallon team is working hard to evolve the approach to Live Virtual Constructive Training in order to be able to fight effectively in the expanded battlespace with higher speed warfare and operational dynamics.
How do you view the impact of these new capabilities on shaping the sea base going forward?
Rear Admiral Manazir: The ability to share information between decision-makers and staffs that are not all geographically located, is getting better and better. This allows not only dynamic combat learning but provides greater fidelity to the training process as air wings prepare to deploy.
In the past, we only sent text reports. Now we are sending full motion video. The EA-18G Growler can send actual data back to the warfighting center and say: “We have not seen this signal before, what is it?”
And then the labs can run it through their data libraries and work the problem to ID the signal and send their findings back to the deployed fleet.
The F-35s coming to the fleet will add significantly to this process. It is about rapid combat learning in a dynamic warfighting environment.
We are shaping the foundation for “learning airplanes” to engage the enemy.
LVC will enable us to train in a more robust environment than we are on our current ranges that are geographically constrained, and currently do not have the full high end threat replicated. LVC will allow us to train to the full capabilities of our platforms across a variety of security environments and do so without exposing our training process to an interested adversary.
Question: What you are talking about is shaping real time combat forensics against an active and dynamic threat?
Rear Admiral Manazir: That is a great way to put it. And this capability is crucial going forward.
We’re back into a scenario where lots of threats around the world require us to react to enemy learning. Then, when they act in accordance to our reaction, we react again and so on. The enemy morphs to do X. We have to react and we now do Y.
What is not widely realized is that the evolving air wing on the carrier and on the large deck amphibious ships, is being shaped for a dynamic learning process. The F-35s will play a key role in this evolving process, but we are already underway with this process as you mentioned with regard to Fallon.
With regard to the air war, where it’s either air-to-ground missions or air-to-air missions, we can share that information and bring in more people into the discussion with our long-range information and communication systems.
That kind of capability is foundational to the evolving air wing.
We’re also working on the capability to bring in national technical means into a cockpit where the synapses that are required to do that are significant to be able to have something with a relatively low latency.
Imagine an off-board sensor that gives you a piece of information in the battle space that you can get into the cockpit and adds to the information you already have. It’s about closing down the information deltas that we have traditionally considered as a strategic national asset with a tactical naval asset.
And we’re closing down the connection lines between where we get that information and conveying to the warfighter.
There is a constant effort to enhance the ability to get intel to the warfighter so he can act on it.
Question: What you are describing is the fighter wing as sortieing of information, and not only weapons?
Rear Admiral Manazir: That is a good way to put it.
We are doing what Bayesian theory talks about, namely we are providing more and more information to get closer to the truth in targeting or combat situation. One can reduce that fog of war by increased understanding of what actual truth is, you’re going to have better effects.
This is why the technology that the F-35 brings to the fight is so crucial.
You have decision-makers in the cockpit managing all of this information.
With Block 3F software in the airplane, we will have data fusion where you transform data information to knowledge enabling greater wisdom about the combat situation.
The processing machines in the F-35 provide enough of the fusion so that the pilot can now add his piece to the effort.
This enables the ships to enhance their ability to operate in the networks and to engage with the air fleet in dynamic targeting at much greater distance.
It is about reach not range for the honeycomb enabled expeditionary strike group. The F-35 is a key enabler of this shift, but it is part of an overall effort to operate in the expanded battlespace.
Recently, the first F-35Cs have arrived at at Lemoore Naval Air Station beginning the new phase of naval airpower evolution and force structure integration.
According to an article by Vice Admiral Mike Shoemaker, Commander, Naval Air Forces, the significance of the arrival of the F-35Cs for the fleet was highlighted.
Naval aviation reached a significant milestone on January 25 when the first four F-35C Lightning II aircraft arrived at Naval Air Station Lemoore. It was also a historic day for NAS Lemoore, our only West Coast Master Jet Base, and the local community partners who’ve been so supportive of Naval Aviation’s presence in California’s central valley for more than 50 years.
I attended the arrival ceremony with Rear Adm. Roy “Trigger” Kelley, who is doing great work as the Director of the Navy’s F-35C Fleet Integration Office; Jeff Babione, Executive Vice President for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Program; and Capt. Markus “Goody” Gudmundsson, Commodore, Strike Fighter Wing Pacific.
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Lemoore has been home to the Navy’s west coast strike fighter community since 1980, when VFA-125 was the first squadron established to train Navy and Marine Corps aviators in the F/A-18 Hornet. Earlier in January, we reactivated VFA-125 as the Navy’s first F-35C fleet replacement squadron, and I am confident the squadron’s storied history and legacy will continue as they start to fly the Navy’s newest strike fighter aircraft.
The arrival of the F-35C at NAS Lemoore marks the beginning of what will be a critical element of our future carrier air wings and the future of Naval Aviation. To keep pace with global threats, we need to integrate a carrier-based 5th generation aircraft – the F-35C is that aircraft.
The four jets that flew in to Lemoore bring incredible new capabilities and truly game changing technologies.
The aircraft’s stealth technology will allow it to penetrate and conduct attacks inside threat envelopes, and its integrated sensor packages collect and fuse information to provide a common operational picture for the carrier strike group and joint forces, and most importantly, enable long range identification of air and surface targets….
January 25th was a historic day for Naval Aviation, for the broader NAS Lemoore community and for the new team of professionals at VFA-125. Naval Aviation has taken another major step forward with the arrival of F-35Cs at Lemoore, and these first four aircraft are just the beginning of an extremely bright future for our carrier air wings!
Norway is enhancing its core defense capabilities for national and coalition purposes.
Notably, air and naval power modernization is a key part of the Norwegian effort as well as shaping the kind of ground maneuver defense capability appropriate to its territory and Arctic operations.
And shaping forces to work hand in globe with core allies for the defense of NATO’s Northern Tier is an integral part of the effort.
2017-02-25 The Storm Shadow has been a very effective weapon in the arsenal of the UK and French air forces.
It is now about to receive a mid-life upgrade with joint investments from France and the UK in the MBDA program.
According to the UK Ministry of Defence:
The shared deal with MDBA will see the UK’s Storm Shadow and France’s SCALP missiles updated so they remain fit for purpose and ready for operational use.
During an inward visit by Laurent Collet-Billon, the Minister confirmed the strong partnership with France in a series of meetings at Lancaster House. The collaboration is providing a £50 million saving for both sides.
The contract will keep the missile in service for the next decade and beyond and help to sustain around 60 UK jobs. Storm Shadow is a combat-proven, long-range, precision cruise missile, already in service with RAF Tornados, deployed recently against Daesh in Iraq.
Minister for Defence Procurement, Harriett Baldwin said:
“Storm Shadow is a proven and vital missile for the RAF, and this £146 million upgrade will ensure it is always ready for whenever our Armed Forces might need it to defend our way of life.
“This contract is an important part of the Government’s £178 billion plan to ensure our armed forces have the right equipment at the right time.”
The midlife refurbishment programme has been developed in co-operation with the French Government who will be updating their own similar missile known as SCALP.
By taking advantage of the similarities, this collaboration not only reaffirms the strong defence relationship as outlined under the Lancaster House Agreement, but has also resulted in a £50 million saving for both the UK and France.
The regeneration will consist of a midlife refurbishment of current missile parts such as the turbo-jet engine, an upgrade of the navigational system, and a like for like replacement of items such as the cabling, seals and gaskets.
The work will sustain around 60 jobs at MBDA in Stevenage and Bolton, in a variety of roles including software and systems engineering. Over 40 jobs will also be sustained through the supply chain.
Pictured L-R: Laurent Colet-Billon and Harriett Baldwin.
Minister for Defence Procurement, Harriett Baldwin meets with French Defence Procurement Minister Laurent Collet-Billon at Lancaster House in London. Credit: UK Ministry of Defence
Chief Executive at the MOD’s Defence Equipment and Support Organisation, Tony Douglas said:
“The contract to regenerate Storm Shadow, a combat-proven, all-weather precision missile, provides a clear example of the MOD and UK industry working effectively together with our counter parts in France; providing our UK Armed Forces with the best equipment possible while sustaining dozens of UK jobs”.
Storm Shadow is designed to target substantial buildings and structures, such as military facilities, control centres, bunkers, missile sites, airfields and bridges, which might otherwise require the use of several aircraft over the course of numerous missions.
France is the UK’s most important European Ally, with both countries’ defence budgets together account for almost half of all European defence spending. This deal is the most recent example of collaboration in a long history of cooperation on defence and security. The £146 million investment in Storm Shadow will sustain the missile until its planned out of service date in 2032.
Laurent Collet-Billon, Délégué Général pour l’Armement said:
“This deep-strike missile mid-life update was jointly prepared. It represents a new step in the Franco-British cooperation roadmap and strengthens the Franco-British strategic partnership in the armament field.”
After the Norwegian Airpower Conference, 2017, I had a chance to talk with the head of the Norwegian Navy, Rear Admiral Lars Saunes.
Because this was an airpower conference, the focus on the maritime dimension naturally was primarily focused on air-sea integration in the extended defense of Norway.
The Chiefs of Navy, the Joint Forces, the Air Force and Army, respectively at the Norwegian Airpower Conference, February 2017.
A key theme within the Conference was the re-emergence of Russia as an air and maritime power globally, and most certainly in the Northern region.
The Northern Fleet and the defense bastion built around the Kola Peninsula are two aspects of the direct presence of the Russians in the Norwegian area of interest.
And clearly, the expanded reach of Russia into the Arctic also affects the nature of the air and sea domain of strategic interest to Norway as well.
In the Long Term Plan issued on June 17, 2016, this is how the Ministry of Defence characterized the Russian challenge.
The most significant change in the Norwegian security environment is Russia’s growing military capability and its use of force. The military reform in Russia has resulted in a modernization of Russia’s conventional forces as well as a strengthening of its nuclear capabilities.
The Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the continued destabilization of Eastern Ukraine both constitute violations of international law, which have had a dramatic effect on European security. Russia has repeatedly proven itself willing to use a wide range of measures, including military force, to sustain its political dominance and influence.
Even though Russia does not constitute a military threat to Norway, the combination of military modernization and the will to exert as a central factor in Norwegian defense planning.
Areas in Norway’s immediate vicinity are also central to Russian nuclear deterrence, and Russia’s military presence and activities in the North have increased in recent years.
The High North continues to be characterized by stability and cooperation, and Russian strategies for the Arctic still emphasize international cooperation. At the same time, we cannot rule out the possibility that Russia in a given situation will consider the use of military force to be a relevant tool, also in the High North
The Russian and Norwegian areas of strategic interest are clearly congruent with one another, which means that engaging and deterring Russia in the air and sea space of Norway and into the North Atlantic and the Arctic is central to Norwegian defense
And this means as well that Norway needs a solid relationship with allies to ensure that both the extended defense of Norway as well the defense of NATO’s Northern Flank are secured.
The map below highlights the situation facing Norway with regard to maritime zones and operational areas.
With the modernization of Russian forces, the addition of new surface and subsurface assets and enhanced precision strike capabilities, Norway and, indeed NATO, faces a formidable challenge, on both the conventional and nuclear level.
A key requirement is to have very accurate real time knowledge of the operation of Russian forces and sufficient capability to deal with those forces in times of crisis.
The Norwegians already have Aegis combat systems aboard their frigates which provides an opportunity to build out the fleet and to integrate them with the new air combat power coming to Norway and to NATO in the region.
Both the F-35s with their ability to have significant reach through the MADL linkages among the fleet and the ability to process data in real time, as well as the P-8 maritime domain awareness strike platform which can be cross linked among Norwegian, American and British platforms provides an important element of shaping a way ahead for the kind air-sea integration Norway needs to deal with evolving challenges.
During the Conference, one analyst focused on the bastion defense approach being taken by the Russians from the Kola Peninsula out and the challenges this posed for Norway.
The broad point is that not only are the Russians modernizing their forces they are working and extended reach for those forces from their own territories.
The Russian Bastion Defense Concept being discussed during the Norwegian Airpower Conference, February 2017
This was point made as well in an interview we did with the recently tired head of NORAD/NORTHCOM who highlighted the enhanced threat from the 10 and 2 Oclock from the United States and, of course, Norway lies in the 2:00 region as seen from North America.
This is a notional rendering of the 10 and 2 O’Clock challenge. It is credited to Second Line of Defense and not in any way an official rendering by any agency of the US government. It is meant for illustration purposes only.
The head of the Norwegian Navy highlighted the importance of the new air platforms, and the new submarines and the need to effectively integrate the data provided by those platforms as well as crafting and evolving the C2 necessary to leverage an integrated air-sea force.
He also highlighted the fact that the sensors and weapons onboard his surface ships can interact with the air assets to provide support and protection as well for the air systems.
I asked him about the opportunity notably to integrate Aegis with F-35s, something I referred to in earlier work as the long-reach of Aegis, and he commented” that was more than happy to be the wingman for the F-35 if it helped destroy adversary targets.”
But he noted that this was a work in progress for the USN and the Norwegian Navy would work closely with the US Navy on this issue.
The Rear Admiral underscored that flying the same assets as the US Navy, the USAF and the RAF and the Royal Navy would provide enhanced capabilities within the North Atlantic.
And it should be noted that the coming of the Queen Elizabeth will bring F-35s into the integration effort with P-8s, and as Royal Navy Officer pointed out in his presentation in Australia to the air-sea integration conference, that the Royal Navy was looking to integrate their surface fleet with the F-35s to provide for cross cutting fire support, similar to what the US and Norwegian navies are looking to do as well.
From Presentation by Captain Walker, Royal Navy, at the Williams Foundation seminar on Air-Sea Integration, August 2016
The P-3s have been “critical to understand the underwater domain for our forces. We are buying the P-8 because of its capability and the priority to focus upon this capability.
He argued that although they are interested in the future of autonomous systems, they will work with allied navies as they introduce such capabilities and to sort out a way ahead for Norway with regard to such systems in the future.
For example, in my recent interview with the USCG Commandant, he highlighted that he believed that Unmanned Underwater Vehicles might of interest, namely in the Arctic region.
I am sure the Norwegian Navy will watch this closely and interact with the USCG on their operational experiences as part of their own learning curve.
The Rear Admiral did point out that the P-8 and the F-35 are man-machine systems and as the Norwegian forces got operational experience with these systems, they would open the aperture with regard to expanding the scope of including autonomous systems as well.
Indeed, it should be noted that the USAF is working hard on fifth generation aircraft incorporating autonomous systems as part of future deployment packages (this is what Secretary Wynne has referred to as the Wolfpack operational concept).
The Rear Admiral closed by highlighting the challenge of shaping rapid decision making systems which can make effective use of the new systems.
In many ways his concern on this issue reminded of the comments by the Commander of the Australian Fleet:
“We are joint by necessity.
“Unlike the US Navy, we do not have our own air force or our own army. Joint is not a theological choice, it’s an operational necessity.”
It was clear both from his presentation and our discussion during the interview that Rear Admiral Mayer was focused on how the build out of the Navy in the period ahead would be highly correlated with the evolution of the joint network.
“The network is a weapons system.
“Lethality and survivability have to be realized through a networked effect.”
Editor’s Note: The slideshow earlier highlights Flotex 2016.
In these photos provided by the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, the Norwegian forces are viewed during the Flotex defense exercise held in the month of November.
Norway’s naval exercise Flotex might be the most beautiful of all military exercises, at least when it comes to surroundings.
The annual naval exercise is held every autumn.
Most of the Norwegian Navy’s capacities take part, including corvettes, support vessels, frigates and submarines.
In addition, rangers from the Coastal Ranger Command participate with their fast assault craft, Combat Boat 90.
The aim is to train all naval departments in planning and executing tactical operations at sea.
“Another aim is to build naval battle force, and to demonstrate visible and credible military presence in our northern seas”, says Head of Navy, Commodore Ole Morten Sandquist.
The Norwegian Navy spends about 40 per cent of its sailing hours in Northern Norway.
In an article published earlier this year, Norwegian officials are cited as looking for a revitalized NATO presence in the High North.
NATO has been called on to revitalise the notion of collective defence in the maritime domain by a senior Norwegian defence official. The move was suggested to offset what Ministry of Defence State Secretary Oystein Bo sees as strategic change in the nature of the maritime environment and the security risks therein.
Opening the UDT 2016 undersea defence and security conference and exhibition in Oslo on 1 June, Bo said that the need to revitalise the maritime leg of the collective defence concept was driven by the fact that “the strategic environment is changing [and] we are entering a new normal”.
He argued also that greater NATO presence is needed at sea in northern waters.
“Allied military peacetime activity in Norway and the North Atlantic remains an important part of a credible and robust policy. Therefore, we would definitely like to see a more frequent peacetime presence of allied forces in the High North and in the North Atlantic.”
For Norway, the development of the ‘new normal’ was evident in the High North, he said, noting that there are two sides to this development. On the one hand, he said, generating stability in the Arctic was a common interest that could form the basis for co-operation between the region’s stakeholders.
Norwegian and Russian maritime security agencies, for example, have long been co-operating on a number of low-level maritime security tasks including over-fishing, with the respective coastguards also co-operating to provide safety and security capacity for the benefit of both countries’ fishing communities.
In addition, the two countries have put in place a maritime delimitation agreement covering the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean, and a ‘hot line’ runs between Norway’s joint operational headquarters and the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet.
Recently, Norway has announced that they are adding a P-8 acquisition to their coming F-35 force as part of their enhanced defense posture.
To provide for a maritime surveillance capability that can meet current and future challenges, the Norwegian Government has announced their intention to acquire five P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft for the Armed Forces,” the Norwegian Defense Ministry said in a statement attributed to Defence Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide.
“P-8A Poseidon is a formidable platform for monitoring our oceans, and will provide both Norwegian and allied civil and military authorities with a sound basis for decisions.
With modern sensors and weapons, the new Poseidon aircraft continue and improve this capability.”
The aircraft would replace Norway’s six Lockheed Martin-made P-3C Orion aircraft and three DA-20 Falcons, jets made by the French company Dassault.
The contract for the Poseidon aircraft also includes sensors, surveillance systems, anti-submarine weapons and support systems, according to the release.
This joins with the UK emphasis on the return to ASW and North Sea defense efforts as well,
According to a story on the UK Ministry of Defence website, the UK and Norway have agreed on new cooperation on Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
With the coming of the P-8 to the RAF, the UK MoD is looking to ways to enhance its impact on defense in the North Sea and beyond.
Sir Michael, who visited Norway’s top military headquarters, close to the Arctic Circle on Thursday, announced that the UK and Norway would work closer on Maritime Patrol Aircraft cooperation, including in reducing costs and increasing operational effectiveness.
The UK announced that it would procure nine Boeing P8 MPA in last year’s Strategic Defence and Security Review.
The new capability, which will be based in Scotland, will allow for enhanced situational awareness in key areas such as the North Atlantic, and will also further increase the protection of the UK’s nuclear deterrent and our two new aircraft carriers.
Sir Michael also visited Norway’s Bodø Main Air Station, home of two F-16 squadrons and a squadron of Search and Rescue Sea King helicopters, where he signed a new agreement on host nation support for UK exercises in the country, further increasing the UK and Norway’s ability to exercise, train and operate together.
Mr Fallon welcomed the fact that British armed forces undertake yearly winter training in Norway, particularly 3 Commando Brigade in Harstad and Evenes and elements of Joint Helicopter Command at Bardufoss.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:
Britain needs Maritime Patrol Aircraft to keep watch over the seas.
As part of our £178 billion defence equipment programme, we’ve committed to new maritime patrol aircraft that are able to monitor threats to Britain and our armed forces.
By stepping up cooperation with Norway on maritime patrol, we will help keep Britain safer and more secure.
The Defence Secretary arrived in Norway following meetings with the Northern Group countries on Wednesday in Copenhagen, where he reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to European defence.
As part of this, the Defence Secretary announced that 5 Battalion The Rifles would lead the UK’s battalion in Estonia next year, part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence in the East.
Work on the UK’s MPA programme is progressing well, including the investment on infrastructure in Lossiemouth in Scotland, where the planes will be based.
Former armed forces personnel who previously served on UK Nimrod are also re-joining the RAF to help operate the future P-8s.
12 have recently re-joined and more will re-join in the future
Stewardship is also about development. How will the U.S. nuclear weapons program develop in the future? What warheads will be developed in the future as hypersonic weapons become operational? Credit Image: Bigstock
Pictured L-R: Laurent Colet-Billon and Harriett Baldwin.
The Chiefs of Navy, the Joint Forces, the Air Force and Army, respectively at the Norwegian Airpower Conference, February 2017.
The Russian Bastion Defense Concept being discussed during the Norwegian Airpower Conference, February 2017
This is a notional rendering of the 10 and 2 O’Clock challenge. It is credited to Second Line of Defense and not in any way an official rendering by any agency of the US government. It is meant for illustration purposes only.