CIMSEC – In 2022, Congress established the independent National Commission on the Future of the Navy to conduct two overarching studies, one examining naval force structure and the other focused on shipbuilding and innovation. The former will recommend the size and composition of the Navy, while the latter will identify opportunities to better integrate advanced technologies into shipbuilding, new construction, and repair shipyards. China now possesses the world’s largest navy by ship count, and its shipbuilding capacity vastly exceeds that of the United States. Chinese shipyards are producing warships faster than American yards can repair them. China has spent a generation building a fleet capable of contesting sea control and converting industrial scale into military power, while the United States has allowed its shipbuilding capacity, naval industrial base, and force structure to deteriorate over the same period. The Commission is required to submit an unclassified report in 2027, and its recommendations could shape American naval power for years to come. To fulfill its mandate, the Commission must resolve five foundational issues.
Taiwanese Forces Deploy American-made Attack Drones Against Maritime Targets
USNI News – Taiwan’s newly acquired American attack drones struck maritime targets for the first time last week along the island’s west coast during live-fire drills designed to validate long-range strike systems that would play a crucial role in a potential invasion of the self-governing island.
Four Fleet Designs: Which Navy is Best For America?
CIMSEC – Four options for fleet composition have gained purchase within the U.S. Navy.
Chinese Small-Sail Submarine
Covert Shores – In the past month China has launched the first two boats of a new class of submarine. The new type is longer than the proceeding Type-093C designs at around 120 meters, and appears 10-11 meters across. This makes it longer but slightly narrower than the other new boat, the presumed Type-095, which was launched in February at the Huludao shipyard.
Selective Sea Denial: The Rise of Land-Based Anti-Ship Missiles as Political Instruments
CIMSEC – Land-based AShMs should be understood not primarily as tactical enablers, but as relatively easy-to-use instruments of controlled strategic escalation. Accordingly, the strategic focus must shift from targeting platforms to shaping the behavior of the actors and networks that employ them.
Upcoming U.S. Depot in the Philippines to Support Fueling of Navy Destroyers, Combat Logistics Force Ships
USNI News – The Pentagon’s planned energy depot in the Philippines will be able to refuel the U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyers and Combat Logistics Force ships, according to new documents.
New S-300 unmanned helicopter selected by EU for next-generation submarine hunting
Interesting Engineering – The European Union has selected Austria-based Schiebel’s CAMCOPTER S-300 unmanned aerial system (UAS) as the airborne platform for a major new anti-submarine warfare initiative to strengthen Europe’s ability to detect and counter underwater threats.
(Thanks to Alain)
Coast Guard, Saildrone team up in northern waters to boost border security, surveillance
Breaking Defense – The Coast Guard is deploying more than a dozen Saildrone Voyagerunmanned surface vessels (USVs) to the Great Lakes and the North Atlantic region in an effort to bolster maritime domain awareness.
From MAN to “Almaz” – How Western equipment gets on ships for the FSB
Dossier Center – Russian ships continue to be built on equipment from Europe and the United States, despite sanctions and an official ban on supplies. In 2025, Vladimir Putin said that over the past five years Russia has built 49 warships of various classes. The Dossier Center and the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper found out how critical Western equipment, without which it is impossible to build a modern ship, still ends up in Russian shipyards. We talked to experts in the field of shipbuilding, employees of supply companies and studied financial documents that show that despite the rules and procedures, European and American manufacturers cannot control where their products are ultimately sent.
(In Russian) (Thanks to Alain)
Pentagon Eyes New USV for Indo-Pacific Contested Logistics
Naval News – The Pentagon is looking to procure dozens of unmanned surface vessels (USV) to deliver to support U.S. Army logistics operations under contested environments in the Indo-Pacific.
British Attack Submarine Availability Falls to Landmark Zero Percent as Maintenance Issues Worsen
Military Watch Magazine – The British Royal Navy’s entire fleet of attack submariners is currently out of service, with all five sups currently in port undergoing maintenance or repair, highlighting worsening fleet readiness issues.
(Thanks to Alain)
This Is The Corsair Drone Boat That Plucked The Downed Apache Crew Out Of The Gulf Of Oman
The War Zone – The U.S. Navy’s top drone task force in the Middle East only started operating the Corsair uncrewed surface vessels in March.
Finland tests acoustic monitoring system to protect subsea cables
TGS – Elisa, the Finnish Border Guard and the Finnish Navy have completed field tests of a Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) system designed to monitor and protect submarine cables in the Gulf of Finland. The technology uses optical fibre to detect vibrations on the seabed and identify potential threats to critical infrastructure.
(Thanks to Alain)
Turkish Navy Confirms 2032 Delivery Date for MUGEM Aircraft Carrier
Naval News – Rear Admiral Hakan Uçar, Commander of the Turkish Navy’s Naval Technical Command (formerly head of the Design Project Office), gave a detailed presentation on Türkiye’s indigenous aircraft carrier project known as MUGEM at the Combined Naval Event (CNE) 2026, held in Farnborough, UK, from 19 to 21 May. The presentation revealed updated specifications, new design details, and confirmed that the construction is already underway with a 2032 delivery target.
The Philippines meets its NMESIS in Balikatan exercise
Naval News – Two new pieces of equipment have recently joined the ranks of the US Marine Corps (USMC): the NMESIS – short for Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System – and the MADIS (which stands for Marine Air Defense Integrated System). Both items were put through their paces in the Philippines in the multinational Exercise Balikatan held from 20 April to 8 May 2026.
Building RFA Resurgent: inside the Royal Navy’s Fleet Solid Support ship programme
Navy Lookout – Fleet Solid Support ship construction is now advancing across three nations, with the first steel cut on RFA Resurgent in Cadiz, steelwork erection underway at Appledore and shipbuilding capacity being regenerated at Harland & Wolff, Belfast. At CNE 2026, we spoke to Navantia UK about the programme and the company’s ambitions beyond FSS.
Legislators Demand Navy Prove Trump Class Battleships Won’t Sink U.S. Nuclear Shipbuilding
The War Zone – Concerns are building the Trump class battleship will exacerbate delays in critical aircraft carrier and submarine construction.
Japan considers AEW radar pod for MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones
Naval News – On May 18, 2026, the Yomiuri Shimbun, one of Japan’s leading national newspapers, reported that the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) are considering equipping unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with airborne early warning (AEW) radar systems.
NATO Collective Legal Interpretations: Strengthening Alliance Deterrence and Protecting Baltic Undersea Assets Against Grey-Zone Threats
Center for Maritime Security – Although UNCLOS was not adequately fabricated for irregular activities, NATO’s ability to ultimately address hybrid threat vectors solely relies on its political willingness. If adversaries suspect fissures within the alliance’s force structure, hybrid activities will escalate with grievous repercussions. Although NATO, particularly European member states, operates within a rules-based international order, allied governments must remain cognizant that adversarial states, most notably Russia, are increasingly willing to employ coercive and asymmetric maritime measures for strategic and geopolitical gain, despite being signatories to UNCLOS. Simultaneously, the United States must recognize that maintaining maritime order and alliance credibility requires operating in tandem with its European counterparts as a cohesive and perceivable hegemonic bloc, as the durability of U.S. strategic influence and the preservation of the state system’s rules-based order remain inherently connected to allied interoperability and joint deterrence.
No safe harbour: Ukrainian drones strike Russian warship in the Baltic for the first time
Navy Lookout – This week, Ukrainian one-way attack drones struck the Russian corvette RFS Boiky in Kronstadt naval base, more than 1,100 km from the Ukrainian border. The attack signals another extension of Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign and carries implications well beyond the conflict itself.
U.S. Forces Interdict Ship Connected to Iran in Indian Ocean, Iranian Oil Exports See Decrease
USNI News – U.S. Indo-Pacific Command forces interdicted and boarded a stateless vessel in the Indian Ocean late Thursday as part of the expanded U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.
HMS Dragon joins French carrier strike group in the Arabian Sea
Navy Lookout – Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon has joined the French Navy carrier strike group centred on the aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle in the Arabian Sea, marking the latest phase of the Type 45 destroyer’s deployment east of Suez.
Ukrainian drones strike Russian corvette RFS Boiky near Saint Petersburg
Naval News – Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) struck the Russian Steregushchy-class corvette RFS Boiky on the morning of June 3rd.
French Navy Seizes Sanctioned Russian Tanker, 4th Since September
USNI News – The French Navy seized sanctioned tanker MT Tagor on Sunday while it operated in the Atlantic, marking the service’s fourth shadow fleet seizure since September.
China Maritime Report #54: Chairman Xi’s Navy
China Maritime Studies Institute – Xi Jinping has played a critical role in the Chinese Navy’s rapid transformation into a large, technologically advanced sea service capable of conducting an expanding catalog of maritime operations, from the littorals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the Atlantic Ocean.
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
You must be logged in to post a comment.