Anatomy of War

The Art of War: The Fujian Aircraft Carrier

Its no secret that China has sought to bring the island-nation of Taiwan to heel and eventually back into the fold of the Communist-led mainland. The crisis began way back in 1949 when then ruler Chang Kai-Shek and his Nationalist Army were forced to flee the mainland by the pursuing Chinese Communist Army once they realized that they could no longer defeat the Communist forces under the control of Mao Tse-Tung.

The situation remained in stasis for the past 75 years largely because the Communists weren’t strong enough to attempt a forcible invasion of Taiwan. Over the last few years, however, as the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has continued to gain strength through an unprecedented build up of both its sub-surface and surface assets, the Chinese have gone on record to indicate that it will take back the island, by force if necessary. With this goal in mind, they have gone so far as to acquire a former Soviet-built aircraft carrier from Ukraine in 2012, all in an effort to learn the basics of naval aviation. Since then, the PLAN has steadily developed its own nascent force of home-grown aircraft carriers, first by funding, building and launching the Shandong class of steam-driven carriers and now a more sophisticated class of carriers, capable of launching aircraft through a cutting edge Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), and known simply as the Fujian.

Recently, two YouTube analysts took up the issue of the soon-to-be-deployed Fujian and how it both compares and contrasts with the more robust Gerald R. Ford class of aircraft carriers the US has been building and launching over the last few years. The results of their analysis are sobering, even for the most ardent critics, who have repeatedly warned the West of the growing influence the PLAN has been exerting in the Western Pacific. While both analyses are lengthy, we invite you to watch the accompanying videos to form your own impression of what we could be up against should a shooting war erupt in the not-too-distant future.

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Anatomy of War: Down to the Sea in Subs

Recently, The Infographics Show posted a slick animated video to YouTube that highights one of the latest ways the US Navy plans on dealing with a larger adversarial fleet in a near-term conflagration. The Manta Ray submersible is an Unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), also known as an un-crewed underwater vehicle or underwater drone, that is a submersible vehicle which can operate underwater without a human occupant. These vehicles may be further divided into two sub categories: Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles (ROUVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). ROUVs are remotely controlled by a human operator. AUVs, on the other hand, are automated and operate independently of direct human input.

The Manta Ray, which is an example of a Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle (ROUV), is a sub class of UUVs with the primary purpose of replacing humans for underwater tasks due to difficult underwater conditions. ROUVs are designed to perform educational, industrial or military missions. They are manually controlled by an off-site operator to perform tasks that include surveillance and patrolling. The structure of ROUVs disqualify it from being able to operate autonomously. In addition to a camera, actuators, and sensors, ROUVs often include a “gripper” or something to grasp objects with. This may throw off the weight distribution of the vehicle, requiring manual assistance at all times. Sometimes ROUVs require additional assistance due to the importance of the task being performed. For instance, the US Navy developed a Submarine Rescue Diving Recompression System (SRDRS) that can save up to 16 people up to 2000 feet underwater at a time. Such a large vehicle with the primary role of saving lives requires an operator(s) to be present during its mission.

Produced by Northrop Grumman as part of a US Navy project to develop long-range underwater weapons, Manta Ray is a sophisticated underwater drone capable of hibernating on the sea floor for “very long periods” without refueling. In May 2024, Northrop Grumman unveiled the submersible, which was developed for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Modeled after an actual oceanic creature, the drone underwent four years of development to mimic the movements of a real Manta Ray. The product is engineered for extended-duration and long-range military operations with minimal human intervention. Additionally, it features the capability to harness energy from the ocean. Manta Ray successfully completed full-scale at-sea trials off the coast of Southern California in February and March 2024. According to DARPA, Manta Ray demonstrates a first-of-its-kind capability for an extra-large UUV due to its “cross-country modular transportation, in-field assembly, and subsequent deployment.”

That being said, if you think all of this futuristic stuff lies in the realm of the fanciful instead of the real world, I would suggest you think again. Last month, the New York Post both obtained and posted an overhead photograph of the Manta Ray docked at Port Hueneme naval base in California. Clearly the Manta Ray has already reached operational status. Its likely that it will be painted either a dark blue or black to further conceal its whereabouts particularly if it needs to surface for repair or conduct communications with its remote operator.

While the recently conducted RIMPAC exercises held off the shores of Hawaii made no mention of either the testing or integration of the vessel in its massive multi-day wargaming scenario, its a good bet that it was quietly undergoing sea trials along with other UUVs that are designed to bring parity between the smaller US-led naval forces and those of the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

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Anatomy of War: The Abrams Gets a Bigger Gun

Defense News has obtained images of what they refer to as the M1 Thumper — essentially an upgunned version of the M1 Abrams main battle tank. This new variant features a huge 140mm gun embedded in an enlarged turret as well as a supposed autoloader to handle the over-sized munitions. Its not clear if the US Army will give this ubiquitous version of the Abrams the go-ahead for full production and how effective the new gun is against some of the latest tanks being fielded by other adversarial nations.

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Anatomy of War: “Mess with Us at Your Peril”

Sixty Minutes Australia recently aired a lengthy episode focused on a potential war between the PRC and 29 western nations in the Indo-Pacific region. Based upon a recent military exercise known as RIMPAC which took place off of the Hawaiian shores, the massive wargame, which encompasses air, ground and sea power, is not only designed to ensure that our forces work in concert with one another should war break out but is also meant to send a signal to our potential adversaries that we are ready should a conflict brew up. Needless to say, the most obvious target of a war would be Taiwan, since the PRC has expressly said that it wants to return the island nation to the fold of mainland China some time within the next decade. That said, there are other regions that could come into play should a conflict erupt, among them South Korea, Japan and even The Philippines.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal went so far as to postulate how a conflict would likely take place given what they know about the two sides military preparedness. And, as recently as May, Chinese general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and chairman of the Central Military Commission, Xi Jinping, said that the PRC must be ready to take the island, by force if necessary, no later than 2027. We invite you to spend a few minutes and watch the accompanying video and bone up on what could come should diplomacy fail.

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Anatomy of War: America, The Arsenal of Democracy

Perhaps because they are located off the beaten trail in Dubois, Wyoming, The National Museum of Military Vehicles has been increasing its awareness by steadily releasing a series of videos discussing US participation in the Second World War. Over the course of the last few weeks, we’ve covered several of their most recent discussions, posting videos that explain the evolution of US tank destroyers and light tanks, as well as a discussion on the development of the M26 Pershing tank. Earlier today the Museum added yet another video — this one detailing the lessons learned from our earliest defeats in both the PTO and ETO and how these translated into the meteoric rise in US arms production during World War II. We hope you get a better understanding of how the US proved to be instrumental in stopping then turning back the Axis powers once our military forces and defense production was ratcheted up to provide badly needed reinforcements across the globe.

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Anatomy of War: The Pershing

In the wake of their excellent series on both US light tanks and tank destroyers that saw service during WWII, comes news that the National Museum of Military Vehicles has produced yet another video — this one dealing with the Pershing heavy tank. The discussion traces the evolution of the so-called T-20 series of heavier tanks and why it took so long for it to enter combat towards the latter stages of the Second World War. Designed, in effect, to deal with some of the latest German tanks, and running contrary to US military doctrine of the time, the Pershing arrived just as US forces were entering Germany proper, only to be parceled out to a couple of US armored divisions. They proved successful nonetheless, and demonstrated why they were needed when most war planners had considered the war won and the Sherman a war winner.

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Anatomy of War: Base Building in the Pacific

In a growing sign of the times, and a demonstration to the Peoples Republic of China that the US is prepared to defend its interests in and around the Indo-Pacific region, the US Marine Corps has refurbished its airfield on Peleliu and begun flying aircraft in and out of the tiny island. Seized by the US Marines from the Japanese during their island hopping campaign in the Second World War, the Marine Corps had largely abandoned the island in recent years, preferring to locate its assets to other more robust island bases. However, with the PRC continuing to flex its muscles and repeatedly indicating they are prepared to take Taiwan by force, if necessary, should diplomacy fail, US war planners have upgraded and re-certified the so-called “Sledge” runway (named after Marine Corps veteran, Eugene Sledge), thus spreading out their forces across the Pacific should a surprise attack by the PRC take place. Along with this, the Marine Corps has been rapidly expanding and hardening their other Indo-Pacific bases, most notably on Guam, and introduce newer weapons platforms to bolster their force structure.

For more information, feel free to stop by Task and Purpose and review their latest analysis on the Indo-Pacific region.

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Anatomy of War: US Tank Destroyers of WWII

While perusing YouTube for some of the latest military-related videos, I came across this excellent narrative that provides a lengthy overview of how the US Army planned to grapple with Axis armor in both the ETO as well as the PTO. Prepared by the National Museum of Military Vehicles which is based in Dubois, Wyoming, the video describes the way in which the US Army created its nascent tank destroyer branch, covering everything from the earliest 37mm towed anti-tank gun to half-tracks to the larger and much more capable self-propelled tank destroyers. Each weapon is shown in detail, along with its main gun, projectiles, engine and armor. Since many of these weapons were provided to our allies, the narrator also explains why some of the vehicles had to be modified to conform to each nation’s armament. Enjoy!

And, if you’re interested in learning about the evolution of the US Army’s light tanks during the Second World War, the National Museum of Military Vehicles has published a similar treatment in the accompanying video.

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Anatomy of War: Turtles and Cope Cages

Admittedly, I haven’t been following the day-to-day coverage of the Russo-Ukrainian War as I should be, largely due to other previous commitments that take up most of my time. That said, I do try and review some of the news and videos that circulate online, all in an effort to see how they can be adapted to our business model.

Recently, I watched with curiosity some of the field modified vehicles both sides have been deploying in response to the latest anti-tank weaponry being tested and operated on the battlefield. The Russians, for instance have modified some of their older T-72 tanks with all sorts of added if strange-looking protection, which give these once proud main battle tanks a peculiar look. These “turtles”, as they are being called by some analysts, resemble small barns or quonset huts with a gun protruding out the front, which prevents the gun from rotating its turret a full 360 degrees and, for all intents and purposes, turning the tank into an assault gun.

On the other side of the ledger, some of the older US-built M1A1 Abrams tanks have been similarly “upgraded” by the Ukrainian army, all in an effort to protect them from top down drone attacks that have destroyed or disabled many a tank. As the accompanying videos demonstrate, both adaptations create problems for the crew to both enter and leave their vehicles, to say nothing of the loading of the vehicle’s main armament. While I have no comment regarding the effectiveness of this “hillbilly armor” that have been used in previous conflicts, I do wonder how new systems such as the M10 Booker and T-14 Armata can survive on the battlefield if they are already being outgunned by the latest anti-tank weaponry reaching the battlefield.

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Anatomy of War: The Bradley Gets an Upgrade

As we get set to head off for a well-deserved vacation, we noticed that the US Army unveiled the latest iteration of its Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Dubbed the M2A4E1, the newest variant boasts a wide array of enhancements that are designed to make it more lethal, survivable and mobile on today’s battlefield. There’s a good chance that many of the upgrades discussed in the accompanying video will be incorporated into the upcoming M10 Booker armored fighting vehicle, a lighter and more maneuverable combat tank than the M1 Abrams. The Bradley, which was named after General of the Army Omar Bradley, has served the US Army well for over four decades, first entering service way back in 1981. Over the years, it has been continuously upgraded and reconfigured, all in an effort to keep it current with the latest technological advancements achieved by DARPA.

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