Canada moves to 2% GDP end of FY25/26 - PMMC

[daftandbarmy]

I didn't realize this.

In December, when the US relinquished command of Joint Forces Commands Brunssum, Naples and Norfolk to the Dutch, Italians and Brits respectively, the Swedes, Danes and Finns joined the Norwegians under the new Brit led command.

That casts new light, for me, on two other areas of interest.

The Joint Expeditionary Force incorporating the UK with Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, together with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as the Netherlands, has been a dual function organization. Within NATO it has been an RN led endeavour focusing on the High Arctic and the North Atlantic. But it has also established its independence of NATO and its willingness to make its own decisions on where, when and how to act.

It appears as if that JEF grouping is now formalized at Norfolk where the US can keep an eye on things.

It also sheds some light on the flurry of activity regarding these projects


Atlantic Net
Atlantic Bastion
Norwegian Type 26s
Swedish Type 31s
Danish Type 31s
British Multi Role ships from Norway
Norwegian Type 212s

And the RN advancing the private contract for Atlantic surveillance
Procurement of

Rattler USVs, 7.2 m
ARCIMS USVs, 11 m
Cetus/Excalibur XLUUV, 12 m and 19 tonne
Proteus VTUAVs

And looking towards

the Type 92 LUSV in the 45 m and 500 to 1000 tonne range.

...

What is the overlap with our national coastal needs and our commitments to our responsibilities in the NW Atlantic? Both civil and military?

....

Second area of interest

The Brit led Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, which includes the Danish Division currently leading the Multi-National Division - North under which our Latvian Brigade falls, also includes our 1st Division.

The Brits appear to be in the process of spinning up ARRC as an active Corps rather than just an HQ. This seems to parallel our own efforts to create a warfighting division out of our bits and pieces.

If all of our bits and pieces are going to be committed to a single warfighting division and if we are committed to supplying a division to ARRC does that suggest that all of our warfighting assets are committed to ARRC, and by association, JEF?

Or is our 2nd Div, the Domestic Div, ultimately going to retain some of those warfighting assets once the shake-out is complete?

WRT what is necessary for warfighting these days, that seems to be in the forefront of everybody's mind.

Given that the whole of the UK's military could fit into Wembley Stadium - seats 90,000 - with alot of space left over these 'Joint' efforts look more like an employment program for spare Generals and Staff Officers than an actual investment in strategic level war fighting formations.

 

[MilEME09]

Stay tuned for ammo news, hopefully its not sone token announcement

https://twitter.com/x/status/2033930713922142223

 

[Kirkhill]

Given that the whole of the UK's military could fit into Wembley Stadium - seats 90,000 - with alot of space left over these 'Joint' efforts look more like an employment program for spare Generals and Staff Officers than an actual investment in strategic level war fighting formations.

The Brits are back to the good old days.

British Generals.
Hessian soldiers.

 

[Kirkhill]

And another couple of new names to add to the menagerie

Autonomous USV launches ocean glider in first

ZeroUSV demonstration for Royal Navy programme shows uncrewed vessel deploying subsea system without crewed support.

ukdefencejournal.org.uk

The Oceanus 12 and the Slocum.

An unmanned powered 12m and an unmanned glider.

....

Ocius Bluebottle - 6.8 m USV powered by sun, wind and waves - 3 MUSD
Saildrone Surveyor - 20 m USV powered by sun and wind with diesel-electric back up - 7.5 MUSD
Saildrone Blue Shield - Surveyor USV with a 30 m Towed Array from Thales

Rattler - 7 m USV powered by battery
ARCIMS - 11 m USV with water jets
Oceanus 12 - 12 m USV hybrid electric
USS Nomad - 53 m 1000 tonne USV (an autonomous OSV known in USN service as a MASC for carrying 4 Mk70 PDS or similar payloads)
HII Romulus - 58 m MASC
Type 92 - 45 m 500 tonne USV (ISR)
Type 91 - 100 m 2500 tonne USV (missile barge)

Kongsberg Vanguard - 100 m 3000 tonne manned OSV for use as a UxV mothership.
Barentshav is a 92 m 3200 tonne OSV employed by the Norwegian Coastguard with a secondary role as a submerged vessel rescue ship.
The vessel is privately owned and managed and leased to the Coastguard to operate.

...

Under the water

Slocum - 70 kg UUV
Remus family of UUVs
Solus
Explorer
Theseus

Type 93 Chariot
Excalibur - 12 m XLUUV
Ghost Shark - 6-12 m XLUUV
Orca -
Manta -

....

Over the water

MW-35 V-Bat - VTUAS
Camcopter - VTUAS
Malloy T650 - VTUAS capable of lifting and dropping a Mk54 class torpedo
MQ-8C Firescout - VTUAS
Proteus - VTUAS
U-Hawk - VTUAS ( I throw this in as a possible - the conversion of older UH-60L/Ms to autonomous mode)
MQ-58 Valkyrie - runway independent LRUAV.

And of course the P8 - dropping Mk54s from 30,000 ft by means of the HAAWC kit
The MQ-9B Sea Guardian - also able to drop HAAWCs
And Mk54s delivered by ASROCs from Mk70 PDS launchers on any available flat deck, manned, unmanned, at sea or on shore, efforts underway to extend the range of those.

....

And those systems cost in the low millions and are produced at a rate of units per week.

The largest hulls, the OSVs, cost in the 10 to 100 MUSD range and take 6 to 24 months to build.

...

Are we sure we know what our Billion Dollar subs and destroyers are going to be facing in 2040?

Edit. I forgot the magic words - Satellites, Pseudosatellites and CSE Sigint.

 

[Kirkhill]

Norway and UK plan joint acquisition of up to 30 new Joint Commando Craft - Naval News

Norway and the United Kingdom are considering a joint acquisition of up to 30 new vessels for coastal operations. The initiative will strengthen the ability to operate together in demanding maritime areas in the North Atlantic and the High North.

www.navalnews.com

Another Norway/UK project

30x Coastal Craft - 24m and 60 tonnes

The vessels will be able to transport personnel and equipment, land them and retrieve them from coastal areas under demanding conditions. The goal is to develop a capacity that provides better speed, endurance, survivability and manoeuvrability than today’s vessels. The vessels will also contribute to better situational awareness, target designation and operate sensor systems from the vessel.

An enhanced CB-90?

 

[Kirkhill]

Joint statement from Finland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom on joint defence financing and procurement

Finland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have made a joint statement on defence financing and procurement

www.gov.uk

And another work around, just like JEF.

Macron won't like this.

 

[Kirkhill]

And should we be getting in on this?

A 2000 km delivery system?

UK and Germany advance deep precision strike missile programme

The United Kingdom and Germany have taken further steps to advance the joint development of a Deep Precision Strike missile system capable of travelling more than 2,000 kilometres.

defence-industry.eu

One that will rival this?

Lockheed completes first flight test for PrSM Inc 2 aimed at hitting moving maritime targets - Breaking Defense

Lockheed’s announcement comes shortly after the Army announced its Increment 1 PrSM capabilities were used for the first time in combat during the ongoing conflict in Iran.

breakingdefense.com