Naval News – Following Poland’s order for Saab A26 submarines, Naval News breaks down the weapons package, undisclosed missile integration, HMS Södermanland lease, and 2031 delivery timelines.
Congress Needs 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.
The First Waves of Amphibious Assault Will Be Unmanned
War on the Rocks – Uncrewed amphibious forces obviate the traditional and gravest risks of an amphibious assault. Those nations that adapt to this reality can execute such assaults as a viable course of action during future military operations.
Covert Maritime Intelligence and Russia’s Shadow Fleet
CIMSEC – At present, Russia is exploiting European seaports and maritime infrastructure. Despite port interception and seizure operations from allied nations, Russia’s acquisition of ghost vessels continues in an upward trend. While primarily used as a strategic tool to augment sanctions evasion and sustain defense expenditures, Russia’s irregular tactics, alongside vulnerable seaport ecosystems, create conditions that could facilitate covert human movement under commercial cover for the Russian Federation.
Coast Guard searching for tech to defeat unmanned underwater vehicles
Breaking Defense – The US Coast Guard wants technology solutions to take down unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) as a way to bolster port security.
Performance is Not Eundurance – Sustaining Combat Power in Contested Operations
CIMSEC – Recent naval operations in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz have demonstrated that the United States Navy remains extraordinarily capable in combat. Precision strike operations, integrated air and missile defense, continuous maritime presence, and sophisticated joint operations have reinforced the credibility of American naval power. By nearly any operational measure, the force has performed at a very high level under demanding conditions.
That success should not be mistaken for proof of how the Navy would perform in prolonged conflict against a peer adversary. The true benchmark in high-end warfare against a peer is whether naval power can be sustained over the course of a prolonged Pacific conflict. Therefore, it is important to establish a framework for examining the details that will determine success in protracted conflict. The framework suggests that success hinges on distributed forward-based logistics, renewed emphasis on neglected warfare competencies, and sufficient operational depth in munitions, ships, and manpower.
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?
Toward a Navy Fatigue Management Program
CIMSEC – The first week of June 2026 marked a seminal event in the history of sleep and fatigue in the military. The Department of War (DOW) Fatigue Related Management Working Group hosted the first ever Sleep and Fatigue Summit with over 130 experts in the field from all military services, providing a huge burst of momentum in the area of fatigue management as an operational imperative for our warfighters. For the first time in years, there is hope that the military, and especially the Navy, is finally turning a corner in this critical arena. But there remains much work to be done.
Should the Royal Navy establish a coastal drone flotilla to monitor Russian warships?
Navy Lookout – With an increasing number of Russian warships operating close to the UK, the overstretched Royal Navy is being forced to employ lightly-armed OPVs, RFAs and minehunters to monitor them. This sends a message of weakness. This editorial argues that also deploying multiple small, fast uncrewed surface vessels offers a rapid and affordable means to provide more effective deterrence.
Polar Primer: Arctic and Antarctic Governance
CIMSEC – As great power competition expands into new domains and climate change alters global geography, the Arctic and Antarctica have become central pieces of the national security conversation. However, the conversation around these strategic regions often lacks a nuanced understanding of the distinct governance frameworks that regulate each polar region. There is a frequent, yet flawed, tendency to view “the poles” as a single, uniform operational environment.
Guam’s Logistic Capacity Must Be Increased
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.
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
You must be logged in to post a comment.