CIMSEC – Guam is the westernmost territory of the United States in the Pacific region. The Congressional Research Service notes that Guam is closer to Beijing than Hawaii, making it vital to the United States’ national defense for air and naval operations in the Indo-Pacific region. The Port of Guam is designated as one of eighteen National Port Readiness Network commercial seaports. Military and civilian logistical experts believe that Guam will be a critical logistical hub for any conflict in the Asia-Pacific. Despite the geographic importance of the island, Guam’s logistical capacity is far below the needs of the United States in the event of a conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.
Chinese Amphibious Exercise With Ferry
Covert Shores – Chinese social media is sharing official imagery of an amphibious exercise using a civilian ferry. While these are routine in China, they bear special attention as indications of readiness and hints at capabilities which may apply to cross-strait scenarios with Taiwan.
Congress Nees to Fix Navy Posture Statements
CIMSEC – Congress already requires long-range reporting for ships and aircraft because force structure cannot be understood in a single fiscal year. Readiness and risk evolve over similarly long periods. Yet no comparable statutory mechanism exists to track the condition of the fleet, the persistence of readiness deficiencies, or the consequences of failing to address them.
Selection of New Russian Port Defence Systems shown at Vyborg in Baltic
Covert Shores – Russia’s annual Navy Day parades have given way to small-scale demonstrations of port defence technologies designed to counter Ukrainian threats. In Vyborg near St. Petersberg, the Governor of the Leningrad Region Alexander Drozdenko viewed a selection of hopeful designs.
Taiwan Navy Commissions First Batch 2 Tuo Chiang-Class Corvette
Naval News – On July 24, 2026, the Republic of China (ROC) Navy (Taiwan’s Navy) commissions its first Tuo Chiang-class Batch 2 catamaran corvette.
Russian Navy Reverts To Dazzle Camouflage To Hide From Drones
Covert Shores – In an awkward twist for those of us who has spent recent years explaining to the internet that Russia painting the bow and stern of warships black was not Dazzle Camouflage… now they have. The Russian Navy has begun painting some valuable warships in a World War Two dazzle-inspired camouflage.
Uncrewed and untested: The wrong lessons for a hybrid navy
Lowry Institute – Ukraine’s drones achieved sea denial – but that’s not what a blue-water navy needs to maintain.
U.S. Coast Guard Seeking Technology To Hunt And Kill Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles
The War Zone – The risk of attacks on ships in port and harbor infrastructure from UUVs is growing and the USCG wants defensive solutions.
With no Iran war end in sight, Germany pulls back two navy ships eyed for Hormuz mission
Defense News – The German government is pulling back two navy ships from the Gulf of Aden sent there weeks ago on stand-by to support an eventual post-war Strait of Hormuz security mission, as hope is fading in Berlin that the conflict in Iran will end anytime soon.
CMSI Translations #33: A Super-AIP Submarine Under the Bayi Flag
China Maritime Studies Institute – Foreign media sources believe that, in recent years, the Chinese Navy has shown keen interest in “small-reactor” nuclear submarines—vessels utilizing compact nuclear reactors as air independent propulsion (AIP) systems—and do not rule out the possibility that engineering trials have already been conducted. So, what exactly is the Chinese Navy’s requirement for such submarines, and through what technical pathways might this requirement be realized?
A guide to the Type 31 frigate
Navy Lookout – The Type 31 frigate is a class of five general-purpose warships being built for the Royal Navy at Rosyth. This guide examines the origins of the Inspiration class, its design, weapons, sensors, construction programme, intended roles and the strengths and limitations that will shape its service.
EU naval mission will now intercept Russian shadow tankers in the Indian Ocean
Defense News – The European Union has authorized its naval mission in the Indian Ocean to stop and board Russian shadow fleet tankers suspected of operating under false flags, the bloc announced on Wednesday.
There has been no US naval ‘failure’ in the Strait of Hormuz
Breaking Defense – In this op-ed, Steven Wills of the Center for Maritime Security rebuts the idea that the US Navy shoulders the blame for instability around the critical waterway off the coast of Iran.
Y-9 anti-submarine aircraft debuts with upgrades in S.China Sea exercise following 2025 military parade display
Global Times – Official Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) media consecutively released photos showing that the Y-9 anti-submarine patrol aircraft – following its debut during the 2025 V-Day military parade – has now appeared in military exercises for the first time, with an upgraded variant also making its first official public appearance. A military affairs expert said that this indicates that the new anti-submarine aircraft has been put into operational training and achieved initial combat capability, with upgraded radar and magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) enhancing its search, attack and survivability.
Amphib USS Tripoli Wraps 6-month Indo-Pacific, Middle East Patrol
USNI News – Big deck amphibious ship USS Tripoli (LHA-7), lead ship of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group, wrapped up on Wednesday a six-month patrol that took the group to the Indo-Pacific and Middle East.
US Navy moving forward on West Coast dock for aircraft carriers
Defense News – Concerned by the lack of docks on the West Coast that can service large vessels such as aircraft carriers, the U.S. Navy is moving forward with plans to build a new dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
Houthis Now Attacking Saudi Oil Tankers In Red Sea, Major Energy Supply Implications
The War Zone – Just as the war with Iran looks about to fully erupt again, the Houthis are going to put an even tighter squeeze on the world’s energy supply.
Taiwan President Pushes $6.6B Attack Drone Plan
USNI News – Taiwan President Lai Ching-te reviewed domestic drone industrial efforts last week ahead of his administration’s push for a $6.6 billion attack drone plan to enhance the island’s defense against Chinese aggression.
Belgium Eyes ASWF Alternatives as Damen Timeline and Costs Soar
Naval News – Belgium’s long-running plan to replace its ageing M-class frigates has entered a new and potentially consequential phase. Defence Minister Theo Francken has publicly stated that the joint Dutch-Belgian frigate programme is moving “completely in the wrong direction” on both delivery dates and price, an outcome he described as unacceptable.
The US military campaign to stop drug trafficking has failed. It’s time to move on.
Breaking Defense – The mission has not succeeded in its core goals, and it’s using up military manpower and munitions at a time when the US is stretched on both, writes Daniel R. DePetris.
Heavily Armed Ukrainian Sea King At Farnborough Airshow
Naval News – An armed helicopter on display at the Farnborough Airshow is representative of several being transferred from German stocks to Ukraine. The helicopters may be the first in the world upgraded with Shahed drone killing interceptor drones.
Israeli firm wants to convert commercial ships into floating drone bases
Defense News – Elbit Systems detailed a new maritime concept centered on its Hermes 650 Spark unmanned aircraft, envisioning the conversion of commercial vessels into dedicated platforms for unmanned aviation. Each platform would carry between nine and 12 Hermes 650 Spark aircraft along with the deck infrastructure, control systems and mission support needed to operate them. Elbit described the approach as an alternative to acquiring a traditional aircraft carrier, aimed at giving naval forces extended maritime reach without the associated cost and complexity.
(Thanks to Alain)
Russian navy welcomes new Prime Minister by holding live fire exercise off Plymouth
Navy Lookout – The Russian Navy marked the first full day of Andy Burnham’s premiership by conducting a live-fire gunnery exercise in the English Channel while under close surveillance from the Royal Navy, in what appears to have been a calculated show of military presence close to the UK.
Houthi Blockade On Saudi Red Sea Oil Transits Threatens To Widen War, Strangle Energy Supply
The War Zone – If the Houthis start attacking ships near the Bab El-Mandeb Strait, it could peel-off U.S. resources from the Iran operation and exacerbate oil shortages.
Royal Navy carrier strike group spearheads NATO Arctic deterrence mission
Navy Lookout – The UK Carrier Strike Group led by HMS Prince of Wales, has taken command of a major NATO maritime activity in the High North. Exercise Neptune Strike 26-3 marks the first time the Alliance’s recurring enhanced Vigilance Activity has expanded into the Arctic and North Atlantic, reflecting NATO’s growing focus on deterring Russian activity in one of its most strategically important regions.
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