USNI News – Washington is funding a project that will expand the maintenance and repair capability of a shipyard in the Philippines frequently used by U.S. Navy warships.
NATO allies foil Russian subsea cable sabotage plot
Defense News – Deep in Arctic waters near the remote Svalbard archipelago this spring, NATO allies caught Russian subs training to unleash a secret weapon designed to disable critical undersea cables without leaving any fingerprints.
Why Eurasia, Not the Indo-Pacific, Matters Most in Next Phase of Taiwan Deterrence
War on the Rocks – Washington is preparing for the right war, but in the wrong theater. For years, U.S. strategic thinking has centered on the Indo‑Pacific: the militarized atolls of the South China Sea, China’s churning naval shipyards, and the tense waters of the Taiwan Strait. Yet the next phase of competition will likely play out on the Eurasian landmass, contested through pipelines, swing states, and shifting alignments along routes that overlap with the ancient Silk Road. This is where China is building alternative trade and energy corridors beyond the immediate reach of U.S. military power.
Royal Navy patrol ships mark five years deployed in the Indo-Pacific region
Navy Lookout – HMS Spey and HMS Tamar have completed five years continuously deployed to the Indo-Pacific, establishing the RN’s first persistent presence in the region since the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. Between them, the two Batch II OPVs have now travelled almost 593,000km (320,000nm), undertaking a mixture of maritime security, defence engagement and diplomatic tasks.
Future USS Baltimore to Serve as U.S. Navy’s Elite Seabed Warfare Submarine
Naval News – U.S. Navy and General Dynamics are converting the future USS Baltimore into an elite seabed warfare submarine to succeed the USS Jimmy Carter.
China’s Warrior Scientists: Insights from Recent Operations Around Taiwan
War on the Rocks – All states should come to terms with the fact that China’s survey operations east of Taiwan are either a prelude to war or to the slow strangulation of Taiwan’s separate status. China’s fleet of civilian vessels is, in essence, military assets at Beijing’s beck and call, and China increasingly uses its civilian fleet for military purposes, such as containerized missiles and amphibious lift. All states with an interest in peace and stability in East Asia have an interest in deterring China from using its research vessels to engage in military activities such as underwater sabotage, installing or employing fixed undersea sensors, or perhaps prepositioning sea mines. In fact, this applies globally. Beyond East Asia, China’s fleet of research vessels enables Beijing to conduct activities supporting military operations and political objectives anywhere in the world. Unless states recognize and respond to the political, legal, and military impact of their operations, Taiwan’s challenge today may be another country’s tomorrow.
Implications of the Hangor-class for Pakistan’s operational naval posture and strategic sovereignty
Naval News – This Naval News outline examines the importance of the Hangor-class submarines acquisition for the operational priorities of the Pakistan Navy, the industrial perspective for Islamabad and Beijing. The feature also looks at implications for Pakistani strategic sovereignty evolving because of acquisitions of Chinese materiel.
World’s First Naval Drone Duel Results In Ukrainian Success
Naval News – Naval drones (USVs) have become increasingly prominent in the Russo-Ukrainian War since 2022. Today, in a world first, two naval drones engaged in combat. The Ukrainian Sargan-3000 USV sunk the Russian USV.
The Surface Navy in an AI World: Rethinking the FFX
CIMSEC – Instead of going back to the drawing board to pack more high-end warfighting capability into an ever-smaller package, rethinking what a frigate contributes to the human-machine team allows us to see a small surface combatant in a new light. Instead of a platform for employing weapons, it provides a ringside seat for the humans to influence events, especially when mindful, eyes-on, hands-on actions are needed for success. It is a way to use the science of war to empower the art of war. It is a way to demonstrate that the United States is willing to risk involvement in a sticky situation and engage opponents in a meaningful way. The LUSVs, MUSVs, or XLUUVs that could serve as the primary weapons systems for the FFX will help its crew give as good as they get until the Joint Force Arrives. Even in the age of sail, no one could realistically expect a small surface combatant to do more than that.
Ukrainian Magura MV11 Anti-Air Surface Drone (USV)
Covert Shores – Ukraine’s original maritime drone company, Magura (now owned by UFORCE), are building an interceptor-drone optimised USV (uncrewed surface vessel), the MV11.
The Looming Armageddon of the U.S. Military’s New Anti-Beard Policy
CIMSEC – In the military today, a quiet Armageddon is about to occur as we watch the potential separation of up to 5% of the force for a condition known as Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (PFB).
No Photos! – Canid Photos Show New Chinese Stealth Catamaran
Covert Shores – Hiding behind signs warning onlookers not to take photographs, a previously unreported stealth boat has been seen in at least two Chinese ports. The vessel has been in the water for some time but had evaded the attention of onlookers, until now.
The Iran War Makes the Case For the United States to Recognize Somaliland
CIMSEC – The chokepoints are the symptom, but the region is the system. The big Gulf bases have just shown how vulnerable they are, and strategic inertia moves toward dispersal and partnership. In that setting, Somaliland offers something rare: a stable, democratic partner you can keep rather than rent, one whose own course is already making the argument. Israel has taken the step to seize the opportunities afforded by an official relationship with Somaliland. To best secure its regional interests, the U.S. should be the next country to do the same.
China’s Innovative new Uncrewed Submarine Mothership
Covert Shores – China is building a new form of drone mothership, one large enough and specially shaped and equipped, to carry drone submarines. The vessel is under construction at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai.
From the Parcels to the Far Seas: How China Closed Their Maritime Medical Platform Gap
CIMSEC – The evolution of the PLAN’s maritime medical platforms from the 1970s to the present day is a study in implementing a methodical and deliberate modernization strategy. From the complete absence of dedicated maritime medical capabilities in the Battle of the Paracels, the PLAN’s trajectory has taken it to makeshift adaptations in the 1990s and early 2000s, to a robust, layered network of twelve dedicated vessels today. This fleet looks set to be increasingly augmented by a growing PRC-built civilian capability, providing a blueprint for scaling up platforms as required . This diverse ecosystem provides the PLAN with a dependable maritime medical capacity for routine operations in the South China Sea; a dedicated capability to rapidly service large numbers of casualties in the event of a regional contingency close to the mainland (such as a Taiwan conflict scenario), as well as support PLAN ambitions to project maritime power around the world in the coming years.
US Navy’s ‘Sub Tsar’ Unveils Four-Pillar Plan to Accelerate Submarine Deliveries
Naval News – Vice Adm Rob Gaucher – the US Navy’s (USN’s) Director, Submarine Programs – has set out a four-pillar strategy for accelerating the navy’s submarine-building output. This process is designed to reflect and underpin the USN’s Chief of Naval Operations’ (CNO’s) testimony that a raised production rate will be in place by 2032.
Japan’s Onomichi Dockyard Partnering With Bulwark Dynamics On Caravel USV
Naval News – A commercial Japanese shipyard is partnering with US defense tech startup Bulwark Dynamics to build autonomous landing craft—offering a crucial manufacturing bridge for US Navy and US Marine Corps littoral operations.
Russia is ‘Greatest Threat’ to U.K. Security, Says First Sea Lord
USNI News – The head of the Royal Navy called for Britain to expand its maritime capabilities and strengthen the U.K.-led Joint Expeditionary Force coalition in preparation for a potential conflict with Russia in the North Atlantic during a speech last week.
The Acquisition Lessons of the 1980s and Their Continuing Relevance
US Naval War College Review – Evaluating strategic frameworks for today’s Navy involves updating historical strategies for current realities. Given the deindustrialization of the nation, paired with China’s rapid economic expansion, new strategies for maintaining a relevant naval force must be considered.
Research & Debate—Forms of Military Strategy: Historical Parallels between the American Confederacy and Imperial Japan, and a Way Forward
US Naval War College Review – Two cases, almost eighty years apart, in which a weaker power—the Confederacy and imperial Japan—sought to achieve an end to the war before the United States could mobilize its material advantages and before the weaker side’s limited resources ran out provide useful insights into this western Pacific conundrum. Studying the failure of both challengers bears particular lessons for the United States in its potential conflict with China, in ways that studying our past victories against these adversaries cannot.
The Cognitive Dimension of Mobilization—Reconsidering American War Preparation in an Age of Persistent Cognitive Warfare
US Naval War College Review – American war mobilization doctrine is built on an industrial-era paradigm that assumes the primary contest is material: who can most efficiently convert economic capacity into military power. An evaluation suggests that this paradigm, while necessary, is no longer sufficient.
Narrowing Seas—The Littoral Strike Complex and the Future of Naval Warfare
US Naval War College Review – Ukraine’s suppression of Russian naval activity by using unmanned surface and aerial vehicles provides a backdrop against which the concept of a “reconnaissance strike complex” is updated for naval warfare today. This framework reflects a path forward for future naval operations.
Countering Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance in the Pacific—Mobile Missile Launcher Survivability against the People’s Liberation Army
US Naval War College Review – With the survivability of mobile missile launchers in question for newly established U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps multidomain task forces and Marine littoral regiments, the role of countering intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in the Pacific may prove crucial to preventing sea denial from the land in future conflicts.
U.S. and NATO Strategic Sealift and the Role of Norway
US Naval War College Review – U.S. sealift capability, crucial in the defense of allies in Europe and beyond, has withered over many decades. Recent developments have left European allies scrambling to provide their own defense, leaving some looking to Norway’s large merchant fleet to cover the gaps in U.S. sealift capabilities.
People’s Republic of China Stratagems and Surprise Attacks—Implications for the Defense of Taiwan
US Naval War College Review – As the People’s Republic of China continues to amass military forces across the strait from Taiwan, Chinese military doctrine holds the keys to preparing for potential conflict. Elements of surprise and deception, akin to those used by Russia during the invasion of Ukraine, may drive strategy and preparation for a potential invasion of Taiwan.
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