The Arsenal of Autonomy – Why Taiwan Must Learn From Ukraine’s Drone Defense Before It’s Too Late

CIMSEC – Operation Spiderweb should haunt Taiwan’s strategic imagination. It demonstrated that cheap, expendable drones can neutralize assets once considered untouchable. For Taipei, the message is urgent: the future battlespace will be saturated by unmanned systems, and deterrence will depend on numbers, resilience, and adaptability. But ambition without follow-through is a liability. Taiwan must move from speeches and declarations toward mass production, component autonomy, doctrinal change, and tightly integrated partnerships, especially with the United States and with Ukraine.

Chinese Destroyer’s Encounter With U.S. Drone Boat Highlights Future Rules Of Engagement Issues

The War Zone – During a long-endurance trek across the Pacific, a small uncrewed surface vessel (USV) owned by a California company had an encounter with a Chinese guided missile destroyer near the Philippines. The Lightfish USV, owned by Seasats, came close enough to the Type 052D guided missile destroyer that it was able to capture the warship on video.

HII – Odyssey Autonomous Control System Briefing

European Defence Review – HII (Huntington Ingalls Industries), America’s largest shipbuilder and producer of the Romulus Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) and the Remus Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV), hosted a media briefing on July 20, 2026, discussing its Odyssey Autonomous Control System and recent developments.

(Thanks to Alain)

US Navy deploys GARC uncrewed surface vessel in first live-fire training exercise

Defense News – The U.S. Navy is rapidly advancing its unmanned surface fleet. Just a little over two weeks after U.S. Central Command utilized three Corsair unmanned surface vessels to strike a submarine and ship maintenance facility at the Bandar Abbas naval base in Iran, marking the “first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations,” the Navy confirmed its first live-fire training exercise of its Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft uncrewed surface vessel.

Sweden rejected 24 offshore wind farms in two years because its military says the turbines could delay missile and submarine detection

Energies Media – Sweden generates more than 20 percent of its electricity from onshore wind and has staked its industrial competitiveness on a green power future. Yet when it comes to the sea, the country keeps saying no. In the latest round of offshore wind decisions, the Swedish government denied 11 permit applications while approving just two — following 13 rejections in 2024. For a nation racing to expand renewable capacity, the pattern is striking. What keeps blocking development just beyond the shoreline is a question the numbers alone don’t answer.

(Thanks to Alain)

Five Plays to Seize Time and Deter War in the Western Pacific

Modern War Institute – Deterrence today is a contest over time. The United States and its Pacific allies and partners need time to decide, move, repair, and coordinate. Beijing needs speed, ambiguity, and an opportunity to present the region with a fait accompli. Those opposing clocks point to five practical plays available to the United States and its allies and partners to deter Chinese aggression in the region now.

US Navy’s nuclear battleship plan raises questions for carriers, submarines and AUKUS

Navy Lookout – The US Navy has confirmed that its planned Trump-class guided-missile battleship, whose lead ship would be USS Defiant, will be nuclear-powered. The propulsion decision could have consequences extending beyond the BB(X) programme (now redesignated BBGN), placing additional pressure on US aircraft-carrier construction and the naval nuclear industrial base, with potential second-order implications for AUKUS and the submarine programmes of Australia and Britain.