The War Zone – Recent satellite imagery shows a host of highly specialized features on the ship that’s under construction, as well as a large cradle sitting beside it.
Chinese Cutters, Warships Block Philippine Resupply Mission to Second Thomas Shoal
USNI News – Chinese warships and cutters blocked a Philippine resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal on Thursday in the most significant development at the disputed South China Sea feature.
RFA Fort Victoria begins refit to rebuild Royal Navy replenishment skills
Navy Lookout – The Royal Navy has confirmed that RFA Fort Victoria will have a refit at Birkenhead that is intended to return the veteran support ship to service next year. After almost five years without conducting a replenishment at sea, the ship will be used to rebuild solid stores handling and RAS skills ahead of the arrival of the new Fleet Solid Support ships.
What Naval Power Cannot Buy
CIMSEC – Ships can deter a competitor, compel a rival, and escort a convoy. What they cannot do is build the institutions, relationships, information systems, and rules that keep maritime order running when the guns are silent. China has worked this out. Washington and most of its partners treat governance as an appendage to naval strategy, rather than a domain of competition in its own right.
Royal Navy’s newest attack submarine HMS Agamemnon leaves shipyard after 13 years under construction
Navy Lookout – The RN’s latest SSN, HMS Agamemnon, has sailed from BAE Systems’ Barrow-in-Furness shipyard for the first time and is heading for her new home at HM Naval Base Clyde. The departure marks the first in a series of sea trials and training evolutions before she can join the operational fleet.
3 Years of Middle East Combat Altering How Navy Supplies, Maintains Fleet, Leaders Say
USNI News – The ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran is morphing how the Navy fixes and supplies ships operating thousands of miles from logistics hubs as extended time at sea and the prospect of an extended naval commitment in the Middle East are creating a maintenance wave back home, service officials said this week.
2027 Will Test New Zealand’s Defence at the Speed of Relevance
RUSI – New Zealand’s 2025 Defence Capability Plan is a promise, not a result. A Defence Capacity Statement could keep national-security risk, readiness and delivery connected.
Britain’s missile export success: the rise of the CAMM air defence family
Navy Lookout – Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) has become one of Britain’s most successful modern missile exports, growing from a weapon first introduced into Royal Navy service as Sea Ceptor into an increasingly important international air defence family. Now adopted by several European and overseas navies, the system is also at the centre of a major industrial partnership with Poland, where production is being established on a scale that could eventually rival the UK operation.
The Robot Ships of Route 90
USNI News – Three Louisiana shipyards are vying for a stake in the navy’s autonomous future
Do We Have Enough Dry Docks?- Part 2
Center for Maritime Security – The answer to the question posed in the title of this essay is, ultimately, a conditional yes followed by an urgent no.
Do We Have Enough Dry Docks?- Part 1
Center for Maritime Strategy – Do we have enough dry docks? The question is simple, but the answer is deeply consequential.
Somali Piracy in 2026 is Not Just a Resurgence of a Past Problem
RUSI – Piracy off Somalia has surged in 2026. More than a ‘resurgence’ of a past problem, this reflects a rapidly evolving maritime security environment.
US Navy destroyers tested in Middle East as demands mount
Defense News – Navy destroyers are concentrated in the Middle East as U.S. forces conduct operations against Iran, according to U.S. Central Command — a move that puts renewed operational demands on a fleet that has experienced prolonged maintenance periods.
Review of Polar War: Submarines, Spies and the Struggle For Power in a Melting Arctic
CIMSEC – The countdown ticks forward, each second marching the Arctic ice closer to its liquid form. Some see opportunity in what will be left behind: new sea lanes, access to resources, and expanded commercial activity. Others see danger in a region where governance structures and territorial claims are outpaced by national ambitions. Is the United States prepared for the risks of a rapidly changing Arctic?
Author Kenneth R. Rosen confronts this question through more than two years of investigative reporting with military units, scientific stations, and remote communities in Polar War: Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic. Rosen argues that the United States has fallen behind evolving threats along its northern flank, hampered by decades of inadequate investments.
CMSI Translations #36: The First Joint Underwater Patrol: Starting with the China-Russia “Joint Sea-2025” Exercise
China Maritime Studies Institute – In August of this year (2025), deep within the waters of the Northwestern Pacific, an underwater patrol was reshaping the strategic landscape of the Asia-Pacific. The Russian submarine Volkhov and the Chinese Navy’s submarine Changcheng 210 came together in a joint formation for the first time, traversing the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea to complete a joint underwater patrol spanning more than 2,000 nautical miles.
Russians Painted Houses on Project 1331-M Ships to Protect Against Drones
Militarynyi – Russia’s Baltic Fleet has applied unusual camouflage to its ships to mislead drones equipped with artificial intelligence.
(Thanks to Alain)
Russia sends sanctioned ships to the Mediterranean, NATO monitors the “Syrian Express”
EuroNews – Four Russian ships, including a cargo ship and a tanker under sanctions escorted by a destroyer, entered the Mediterranean via Gibraltar on August 27, ending the first interruption of the Russian naval presence in the region since 2013.
(Thanks to Alain)
Rules for Navy uncrewed surface vessels make progress
UK Defence Journal – The Ministry of Defence is continuing work with the Defence Maritime Regulator to define how uncrewed surface vessels should be regulated and classified as the Royal Navy expands its use of maritime autonomous systems.
(Thanks to Alain)
Australia and New Zealand strengthen naval partnership
Naval News – The Royal Australian Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy have reinforced their enduring maritime partnership through the signing of Plan Tasman.
German Navy tests Israeli LORA ballistic missile
Defence Blog – The German Navy successfully completed a dual firing trial of Israel Aerospace Industries’ Naval LORA ballistic missile, launching the weapon from an operational German vessel and hitting its target with precision in both test scenarios.
(Thanks to Alain)
Chinese Next-Generation Submarine Developments Spotted In New Satellite Imagery
The War Zone – A Chinese submarine now taking shape at Bohai Shipyard has a number of significant features and offers new insights into China’s undersea ambitions.
Italy to deploy warships to protect shipping through Bab al-Mandeb
Al Jazeera – Italy will deploy warships to ensure safe passage for its commercial vessels through the Bab al-Mandeb strait, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said, adding that Rome would not wait for a joint decision from the European Union.
(Thanks to Alain)
U.S. Destroyer Practices Underway Refueling with Seahawk USV
USNI News – A U.S. destroyer refueled an Unmanned Surface Vessel earlier this month in the Pacific as part of the Navy’s latest development effort to hone at-sea drone sustainment.
Spanish Navy Names Navantia-Built Submarine Rescue Vessel Poseidón
Ocean News – Designed as the successor to the Navy’s rescue and salvage vessel Neptuno, Poseidón will become the service’s primary platform for underwater operations. The program was launched in response to the operational requirements associated with the S-80 submarine fleet, ensuring dedicated support and rescue capabilities for submarine crews throughout their operational life.
(Thanks to Alain)
Royal Navy’s autonomous submarine fires heavyweight torpedo in AUKUS trial
Navy Lookout – The test firing took place last week and, according to the UK government announcement, the weapon, developed jointly by the United States and Australia, was launched from XV Excalibur. The event is the first UK-US torpedo firing from an uncrewed undersea vessel.
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