Chinese build five nuclear subs

China has surprised the Pentagon with the pace of development of a new class of submarine that threatens the nuclear balance by providing Beijing with a more robust nuclear deterrent.

According to the 2007 Pentagon China military power report – details of which were obtained by the FT – the Chinese navy is developing a fleet of five nuclear ballistic missile submarines [SSBNs]. The Jin class submarines would provide a much stronger nuclear deterrent because they would be armed with the new long-range JL-2 missile.

The Pentagon last year signalled concerns about the possible development of the Jin submarine. But a senior US official said the US had been surprised by its “very quickened pace” of development.

“When they develop five vessels like this, they are making a statement,” said the US official. “China’s first effort at developing a SSBN force was not serious, but the next generation presumably will be serious…China is diversifying its ballistic missile capability [to have] more sophisticated regional capability and a more survivable force.”

China says it is engaged in a “peaceful rise”. But some US officials and Chinese military experts say that the submarine could alter the strategic nuclear balance.

U.S. developing anti-ship JSOW smart bomb

The United States is upgrading its naval combat capabilities by adapting the JSOW smart bomb for use against moving ships.
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If all goes as planned, the Navy could be getting a weapon that will add to the versatility of carrier battle groups and fit in with the U.S. strategy for operations in “littoral” coastal areas where hit-and-run attacks by small boats could pose a threat to amphibious ships.

Raytheon said in Tucson it would base the new weapon on its AGM-154C1, formerly known as the JSOW Block III, and plan to have it ready for production in 2009.

The plan specifically calls for addition of a weapons data link that will receive targeting information from carrier-based F/A-18 E and F planes. Raytheon has already awarded the subcontract for the component, which is nicknamed Strike Link, to Rockwell Collins. Strike Link will also be available for other ordnance such as the Harpoon anti-ship missile.

The stealthy bomb will also keep its anti-radar cross section and low infrared signature. Its range will be consistent with the JSOW standard of about 80 miles.

Rules Skirted, Millions Wasted on Navy Boat Barriers

Pentagon officials vowed that nothing like the Oct. 12, 2000, attack in the Yemeni port of Aden would happen again. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service embarked on a plan to shield U.S. ships around the world with rings of floating, rubberized barriers.

The investigative service is responsible for security and probing criminal wrongdoing, including fraud in Navy contracts. But auditors concluded that NCIS hired companies that did little or no significant work on the boat barriers yet collected millions of dollars in fees.

Invoices, e-mails and audit documents obtained by The Washington Post also show that the General Services Administration, the agency that awards and oversees federal contracts, allowed the Navy to sidestep federal procurement rules designed to ensure competition and protect taxpayers from abuse and fraud.

Navy readies new policy to safeguard personal data

The Navy is on the verge of releasing a new policy that will govern the safeguarding of personally identifiable information, the service’s chief information officer, Robert Carey, told Federal Computer Week today.
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Last year, the Navy and Marine Corps reported 38 cases of lost data stored on government laptop computers, BlackBerries, thumb drives or other storage media that contained personally identifying information on military personnel, he told an audience of industry executives today an event sponsored by the American Council for Technology.
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Carey said the loss of personally identifiable information is a serious matter, similar in scope to the loss of classified material. With the new policy, the Navy will begin to turn up the heat on the issue and hold offenders accountable, he added.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 25th, 2007 and is filed under Acquisition Policy, China, Maritime Strategy News, Personnel Policy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.