USNI News – The South Korean Navy stood up its first American-made MH-60R Seahawk helicopters Wednesday in the service’s latest move to bolster Seoul’s submarine hunting forces.
Hormuz disruption will change trade — and defense — at other chokepoints
Breaking Defense – Disruption at the Strait of Hormuz will set off a chain reaction of pressure through the global shipping network, requiring international defense efforts.
French, Italian Carrier Strike Groups Wrap NATO’s Neptune Strike Drills
USNI News – The French and Italian Navy carrier strike groups spent the past week carrying out maritime strikes and air patrols in the Mediterranean and Black seas as part of NATO’s Neptune Strike 26-1.
Defending Global Order Against China’s Maritime Insurgency – Part 2
CIMSEC – Part 2 of an interview with Hunter Stires. Hunter Stires, who served as the Maritime Strategist to the Secretary of the Navy during the tenure of Secretary Carlos Del Toro, views each of these challenges as interconnected parts of a global struggle for the Freedom of the Sea and the international order, with the central front in the South China Sea. Stires believes the future of global order rests on the extent to which China succeeds in claiming ownership to one of the world’s most important waterways and disrupting the centuries-old concept of the freedom of the seas upon which the modern global order was founded. Stires helped found the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Counterinsurgency (COIN) Project to better conceptualize and combat China’s battle to overturn the international order at sea. This interview captures Stires’ thoughts on the history of the Maritime COIN project and its ongoing relevance for intensifying strategic competition between the US and China.
The Folly of Seizing Kharg Island
War on the Rocks – If the whole point of seizing Kharg — operationally feasible — is to crush or significantly degrade Iran’s ability to disrupt oil traffic through the strait, it may not work because Iran will still have asymmetric military capabilities to do just that.
Asymmetry Rising – How Autonomous Systems Enforce Sea Denial on High Value Targets
CIMSEC – High-value naval platforms carry significance far beyond their military utility. They are symbols of national prestige, and damage to them carries political consequences even when losses are limited. By contrast, unmanned systems carry little political risk. Losing an autonomous platform does not provoke domestic backlash or escalation pressure.
As competition intensifies in regions such as the Indian Ocean, the balance of advantage may increasingly Favor those who can impose denial rather than project dominance. The decisive question is shifting away from who fields the most impressive platforms, and toward who can most effectively deny the use of contested maritime spaces. In that environment, low-cost autonomous systems are not force multipliers; they are force limiters, capable of eroding the operational freedom of even the most advanced navies.
Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Departs Croatia After Liberty, Additional Repairs
USNI News – USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) departed Split, Croatia, following a five-day port visit, the Navy announced Thursday. It is unclear where the aircraft carrier is headed. Ford has been out for 282 days and is set to have a record-breaking deployment.
Hedge With Non-Kinetic Defense
CIMSEC – The Navy needs hedge strategies that keep the force relevant in high‑end conflict without breaking the bank in peacetime—ways to augment the general purpose force and cover the most dangerous scenarios, which specifically includes a potential war with China. Layered non-kinetic defenses—employed as a combined system—offer one such hedge. For surface forces, the Navy should update the PCMS program with a new tile‑and‑paint system and pair it with radar reflectors that distort imaging seekers. For air forces, it should field decoys and radar reflectors, as seen in Ukraine, to cast doubt on the precise location of U.S. air assets. Finally, the Navy and joint force should combine small, mobile jammers and dazzlers to saturate adversary ISR and degrade battle damage assessment, preserving operational surprise.
Amid Fears Houthis Could Close Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Red Sea Task Force Ready For Attacks
The War Zone – Concerns grow that the Iranian-backed rebels could close the waterway, drastically exacerbating the global oil crisis and opening a new front.
Chinese official media reveals new details on Type 054B frigate as AI algorithms nearly eliminate air defense blind spots
Global Times – An official media report on Sunday disclosed multiple new developments regarding the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s Type 054B guided-missile frigate Qinzhou. The report highlighted one of its most distinctive features: a next-generation architecture powered by advanced AI algorithms, enabling near-zero blind spots in air defense. Experts say the Type 054B represents a major leap in integrated combat capability and positions the vessel among the most advanced frigates in service today.
The Navy’s ‘Fighting Instructions’ fails its own test
Breaking Defense – Adm. Daryl Caudle’s Fighting Instructions aims to guide the Navy’s future, but it does not make the tradeoffs or force-design decisions a true strategy requires.
Royal Navy accelerates shift to uncrewed ocean data gathering
Navy Lookout – The RN has signed a contract with Teledyne Marine for advanced uncrewed sensing systems. The move signals further momentum behind the transition from traditional survey ships to distributed, persistent data gathering across the North Atlantic and beyond.
The US Navy brought a ‘one-of-a-kind’ laser weapon back from the dead
Defense News – The U.S. Navy spent at least six months resurrecting a high-energy laser weapon that previously graced the bow of a warship for a new military exercise last year, the service recently revealed.
Chinese intelligence company tracking US military assets during Iran operations
Flight Global – Shanghai-based MizarVision has been publicly posting satellite imagery of American military movements throughout Operation Epic Fury, including locations of F-22 fighters, command and control aircraft, and aircraft carrier strike groups – with some sites subsequently targeted by Iranian retaliation.
USS George H.W. Bush Departs for Deployment, USS Gerald Ford Could Be Extended to 11 Months
USNI News – The sun peeked over the horizon tinting the haze gray hull of carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) orange while sailors on Pier 14 busied themselves preparing for the carrier to shove off across the Atlantic.
Japan Deploys New Longer-Range Missiles, Formally Designates ‘Type 25’ Systems
Naval News – Japan has taken a major step in advancing its stand-off defense capabilities, with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) announcing on March 31 the first operational deployment of two domestically developed longer-range missile systems—alongside their formal redesignation as “Type 25” weapons.
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Japanese Destroyer Finalizes Tomahawk Missile Integration
Naval News – The Japanese Ministry of Defense has announced that the JS Chōkai (DDG-176) has completed crew training and ship modification, enabling the employment of RGM-109 Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles.
Russian vessels sought shelter in Norwegian fjords more than 230 times since 2022
Barents Observer – The manoeuvres of Russian fishing vessels in northern Norwegian waters are blurring the line between seeking shelter from bad weather and potential intelligence-gathering.
Italian Navy to fly TB3 drones from Cavour aircraft carrier
Naval News – The Italian Navy is preparing to acquire the Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), marking a new step in expanding its carrier-based unmanned aviation capabilities. The announcement was made by Chief of the Italian Navy, VAdm Berutti Bergotto, during his first parliamentary hearing since taking command on 6 November 2025.
Italian Navy: New programs and future developments
Naval News – The Italian Navy Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto outlined the main lines of development the Marina Militare is pursuing in the medium and long term to guarantee security, effectiveness and operational relevance, during his first hearing at the helm of the service in front of the Italian Parliament Foreign Affairs and Defence committee at Senate on 25 March, after taken the command on 6 November 2025.
Royal Navy strengthens mine countermeasures posture for possible return to the Gulf
Navy Lookout – RFA Lyme Bay is to be equipped with autonomous and remotely-controlled mine hunting systems in Gibraltar. This will prepare the ship to support mine clearance operations in the Gulf region, if called upon.
China building more giant Zubr-class hovercraft
Naval News – Super-sized hovercraft provide a rare and specialized capability that only a handful of navies can afford. China is the only nation investing in these massive platforms, pursuing series production of the Zubr-class vessels for amphibious assault operations. These offer key operational advantages and may signal a growing level of preparedness for a potential invasion of Taiwan.
Defending Global Order Against China’s Maritime Insurgency – Part 1
CIMSEC – The international order has come under immense strain in recent years. Major wars have erupted between the great powers in Ukraine and the Middle East. The U.S.’s top geopolitical rivals have increasingly coalesced, with China and Russia both rapidly modernizing and expanding their arsenals of strategic weapons. Meanwhile, a Chinese invasion of Taiwan looms, possibly backed by Moscow. The current challenges make China’s years-old claims to the entirety of the South China Sea seem quaint and insignificant in comparison.
Hunter Stires, who served as the Maritime Strategist to the Secretary of the Navy during the tenure of Secretary Carlos Del Toro, views each of these challenges as interconnected parts of a global struggle for the Freedom of the Sea and the international order, with the central front in the South China Sea. Stires believes the future of global order rests on the extent to which China succeeds in claiming ownership to one of the world’s most important waterways and disrupting the centuries-old concept of the freedom of the seas upon which the modern global order was founded. Stires helped found the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Counterinsurgency (COIN) Project to better conceptualize and combat China’s battle to overturn the international order at sea. This interview captures Stires’ thoughts on the history of the Maritime COIN project and its ongoing relevance for intensifying strategic competition between the US and China.
The Unwitting Fleet
CIMSEC – The maritime sector’s cybersecurity gaps are typically framed as a defensive problem – vessels at risk of attack, operations vulnerable to disruption. This framing, while accurate, is incomplete.
The unwitting fleet is not merely vulnerable. It is already functioning as adversary intelligence infrastructure. Thousands of vessels transit strategic waters broadcasting position, transmitting communications through exploitable links, and maintaining connections to shoreside networks – all without security adequate to the operating environment.
The commercial fleet provides positioning, sensors, and connectivity. Operators maintain the infrastructure and pay the bills. Collection requires only the will and skill to access what is already exposed.
A vessel does not need to be gray-hulled to present intelligence value – or strategic risk. Naval and intelligence communities attentive to military communications security should extend that awareness to the unwitting fleet operating every day on the world’s oceans.
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