War on the Rocks – Although Japan is well-positioned to support high-tech manufacturing at scale, there are still significant legal, political, and security barriers on both sides of the Pacific. Overcoming these barriers, including security risks overseas and political resistance to offshoring in the United States, requires the correct balance of policy and financial incentives.
South Korea Could Build Nuclear Submarines, But It Shouldn’t
War on the Rocks – South Korea’s nuclear-powered submarine program risks leading South Korea’s defense industry off course. The high costs and technological complexity of developing a niche capability like nuclear submarine shipbuilding are more costly, complex, and less beneficial than Seoul may realize. Moreover, these dynamics run counter to the export-oriented strategy that has made K-defense an international success and could drain talent and resources from an innovative economic engine. Ultimately, the entire endeavor risks creating unintended budgetary and political pressures that could undermine South Korea’s procurement flexibility and constrain long-term defense spending.
Tanker capture: political theatre, or genuine crackdown on shadow fleet?
Navy Lookout – The seizure of the tanker, MV Smyrtos, on 14th June showcased the ability of the Royal Navy and other agencies to conduct a complex maritime interdiction operation. However, the timing of the boarding, against a backdrop of political turmoil over defence spending, raises questions over the political motivation and scale of assets involved.
HMS Scott finally goes back to sea on completion of life extension refit
Navy Lookout – HMS Scott, the Royal Navy’s ocean survey vessel, sailed from Falmouth yesterday on completion of her Ship Life Extension Programme (SLEP), which will see her in service until 2033.
British armed forces intercept Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in Channel
The Guardian – British armed forces intercepted and boarded a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the Channel in the early hours of Sunday.
Royal Navy considers lessons from 2025 carrier strike group deployment
Navy Lookout – Operation HIGHMAST was the RN’s major set-piece of 2025, a 222-day global carrier strike group deployment. At CNE 2026, Rear Admiral Anthony Rimmington, Director, Force Generation, laid out some of the lessons the RN can draw from the deployment.
SWOs Assume Amphibious Command: Why it Matters
CIMSEC – The Surface Fleet must help maximize the Marine Corps’ ability to execute its mission from the sea. That mission remains the foundation of the amphibious force, and every institutional decision surrounding amphibious command must be judged—without stint or reference to parochialism—against that standard.
The Weaponization of Frozen Assets: A New Instrument of Maritime Financial Warfare
CIMSEC – Financial warfare is conventionally understood as an instrument applied to declared, identifiable assets. Common tactics include freezing accounts, cutting off correspondent banking access, and market delisting of entities. The Hormuz conflict of March 2026 introduced a structurally distinct mechanism operating on none of those principles. What follows is an analysis of that mechanism — how it emerged, how it functions, and why existing maritime security frameworks are not adapted to recognize it.
U.S. Disables 3 Tankers As Part of Iranian Blockade, 3 Mariners Killed in Tuesday Strike
USNI News – American forces disabled three merchant ships in the Gulf of Oman this week that were allegedly violating a U.S. naval blockade of Iran.
Latin America: Donations and Sales of Second Hand Hulls
CIMSEC – Latin American shipyards are undergoing a golden age, with a variety of platforms being produced regionally. This trend includes submarines, frigates, corvettes, and patrol vessels. Brand-new platforms from extra-regional suppliers are also being procured. However, second-hand platforms are cost-effective alternatives that provide additional capabilities to the fleet and serve as a stopgap until other procurement projects are completed. Donation of vessels serves to strengthen alliances or create new partnerships.
Five Issues For the National Commission on the Future of the Navy
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.
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