Breaking Defense – South Korean firm HD Hyundai and North American Kiewit Maritime Co. have unveiled plans to launch a new shipyard in the US aiming to build both US Navy auxiliary and commercial vessels.
Army Activates Air Defense Guam Battalion Focused on Chinese, North Korean Threats
USNI News – The U.S. Army’s recently activated a Guam-based air defense battalion meant to protect the island from increasingly advanced air and missile threats fielded by China and North Korea.
Royal Navy to trial its first Large Uncrewed Surface Vessel next year
Navy Lookout – The MoD is close to placing a contract for a large uncrewed surface vessel (LUSV) that will be in the water next year as an early test of the RN’s Hybrid Navy concept. The demonstrator is the first hardware step towards replacing the Type 45 destroyers, which senior officers say they have no wish to keep beyond their planned retirement from 2035.
Collaboration on Autonomous Undersea Warfare is on Track, AUKUS Officials Say
USNI News – While the trilateral agreement initially focused on nuclear-powered submarines and the industrial base, military officials in AUKUS Pillar II have expanded the focus to new and emerging robotics and autonomous technologies for undersea warfare.
China’s first aircraft carrier forms ‘evolving pattern’ of voyages in disputed Asian seas
Defense News – So frequent are the Chinese aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning’s publicly visible voyages that military analysts presume that the People’s Liberation Army Navy has fixed a routine that will let the relatively aged carrier help train and equip the fleet’s two more modern ones.
Closing the Sea: Lessons From Ancient Mediterranean Blockades
CIMSEC – Practitioners of naval power have long looked to the past for warnings, lessons, and insights that might inform the challenges of the present and future. This post follows in that tradition by considering what antiquity might offer for understanding one of the most enduring applications of naval power, the blockade.
Royal Navy frigate crisis is even worse than Commons Defence Committee report suggests
Navy Lookout – The House of Commons Defence Committee has published its report on Defence in the High North. It concludes that RN strength falls far short of the government’s declared targets, particularly in frigates and attack submarines. The fleet available in 2030 may even be smaller than the report projects, and the Hybrid Navy concept will not be sufficiently developed in time to offset this collapse.
October Marks Highest Number of Strait of Hormuz Attacks
USNI News – October has had the highest number of ship attacks since the war between Iran and the U.S. began in late February.
China Maritime Report #59: Be Focused, Be Humble, Be Happy: Career Progression, Organization, and Training of PLAN Submariners
China Maritime Studies Institute – Led by the political commissar with the commanding officer serving as deputy, party committees are responsible for major decision-making, maintaining party control, training, and general leadership aboard People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) submarines. While Chinese sources extoll this collective leadership model, it is unclear how this command structure influences decision-making efficacy in practice.
How The U.S. Army’s ‘Navy’ Aims To Go More Autonomous With Its Vessels In The Pacific
The War Zone – he U.S. Army wants to infuse new autonomous capabilities into its current and future fleets of amphibious landing ships and other watercraft. The service is also aiming to acquire up to 100 new purpose-built uncrewed surface vessels (USV). The maritime assets the service has now, often referred to as ‘the Army’s Navy,’ are obscure and generally underappreciated. However, the small force offers an important additional set of naval logistics capabilities, especially for any future fight in the Pacific, which could be further bolstered with optionally-crewed or entirely uncrewed platforms.
Ghost Shark Uncrewed Submarine Shown Launching Aerial Drones For The First Time
The War Zone – New video shows a 12-tube drone launcher and two deployable masts in action, offering new insights to what Ghost Shark can do and how it could be used.
Royal Navy could acquire up to six Norwegian-built motherships
Navy Lookout – Norway has revealed plans to build up to six new vessels for the UK, potentially going beyond the three minehunting motherships currently announced for the RN. This raises questions about whether the additional ships could support other elements of the emerging Hybrid Navy, including Atlantic Bastion and seabed surveillance operations.
Royal Navy lacks resources to counter Russian threat in high north, MPs warn
The Guardian – Britain risks failing to deter future Russian aggression in the high north beyond the UK because of shortfalls in the number and availability of Royal Navy submarines and warships, MPs on the defence select committee have said.
Ghost Shark Extra-Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles’ Payload Bay Seen For First Time
The War Zone – Ghost Shark will deploy aerial drones, lay mines, and execute seabed resupply missions as part of Australia’s new undersea arsenal.
China built more than twice naval tonnage of US in 2024-25
Defense News – China built more than twice the naval tonnage of the United States in the 2024-25 period, narrowing the gap between the two countries’ navies, according to the World Defense Shipbuilding report published by Euronaval ahead of the 2026 edition of the naval defense show.
Russia’s naval posture in the Mediterranean has ‘significantly decreased’: NATO official
Breaking Defense – For the first time in a decade, no major Russian military vessels plied the waters of the Mediterranean for several weeks earlier this year, according to a NATO official, a gap that could signal that Moscow’s maritime forces are stretched.
Sweden Signs Agreement to Lease Submarine HMS Södermanland to Poland
Ocean News – FMV and the Swedish Armed Forces have signed an agreement on the implementation of Sweden’s lease of the submarine HMS Södermanland to Poland. The agreement covers, among other things, training of the Polish submarine crew, preparations ahead of the lease, and support during the lease period.
CMSI Translations #37: The Technical Evolution and Future Development of Chinese Navy’s Third Generation Conventional Submarine
China Maritime Studies Institute – While construction of the Type 039A submarine was underway, the Chinese Navy, guided by anticipated technological developments in future conventional submarines, its own operational requirements, and the potential threats it faced, initiated research/development and improvement efforts for a new generation of submarine technologies. By around 2010, several key technologies and systems required for these new submarines had achieved breakthroughs or completed development, clearing the obstacles for commencing construction of the new Type 039B. At the same time, this marked the beginning of the large‑scale production of the Chinese Navy’s core conventional submarine force for the 2020s.
Norway Outlines Procurement Strategy for Up to 20 P1118 Standardized Vessels
Naval News – Norway’s Defence Materiel Agency has revealed the acquisition model for Project P1118, splitting up to 20 ocean-going standardized vessels for Norway, the UK, and Lithuania across two parallel contracts.
(Thanks to Alain)
U.S. Marine Corps Stands Up First NMESIS Anti-ship Missile Battalion
USNI News – The U.S. Marine Corps stood up its first Medium-range Missile Battalion last week as the service works to integrate longer range and maritime strike capabilities across the force.
The case for AUKUS nations building floating submarine dry docks together
Navy Lookout – In this guest article, Rear Admiral Peter Briggs, RAN (Rtd), argues that the UK, US and Australia should combine their efforts to build nuclear-capable floating dry docks. A common design with the basic steelwork done in South Korea and the high-value nuclear outfitting done domestically could deliver docks to all three navies years earlier than separate national programmes.
Second Chinese Submarine Drone Mothership Emerges
The War Zone – It is a scaled-down version of the first and was built by Guangzhou Shipyard International, which is well-known for pumping out special use vessels.
Intensifying drone attacks on ships in Black Sea bring war ever closer to Nato shores
The Guardian – Six attacks in 10 days by suspected Russian drones mark dramatic escalation in maritime conflict.
Chinese Mine Warfare Surface Drone (USV)
Covert Shores – Better images have emerged of a new Chinese Navy (uncrewed surface vessel. The new type was first observed in Chinese social media reports in August last year. The type is known to be related to mine hunting.
The Army’s Plan For Employing LUCAS Kamikaze Drones Against Its Adversaries
The War Zone – A vision of Army units launching long-range one-way attack drones at enemy warships and ballistic missiles in the Pacific and Europe is taking shape.
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