USNI News – East Coast carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) is now operating in the Middle East after a sailing around the southern tip of Africa, U.S. Central Command announced on Thursday. Bush’s entrance into CENTCOM marks the first time three carriers have been in the Middle East since the height of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
Navy Tests Long-Range Munition Capable of Maritime Strike, Mining Missions
USNI News – The U.S. Navy tested a new guided munition capable of striking naval targets or deploying sea mines from aircraft hundreds of miles away, service officials revealed Monday.
U.S. Navy’s New Anti-Radar Missile to Suffer ‘Strategic Pause’
Naval News – Stated in the U.S. Navy’s budget documentation for Fiscal Year 2027, the Navy is putting the AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile Extended Range (AARGM-ER) air launched anti-radiation missile program on a strategic pause, resulting in drastically reduced funding levels.
Everything New We Just Learned About The Trump Class Battleship Program
The War Zone – We are getting a clearer idea of how the Navy thinks it can use these ships, which have an estimated cost of $17B per vessel.
Iran Conflict Holds Lessons for U.S., Adversaries, INDOPACOM Commander Says
USNI News – While the war in Iran has siphoned assets from the Pacific and is using “finite levels” of munitions, it is also providing valuable lessons that will ultimately strengthen regional defense, Indo-Pacific Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo said Tuesday.
Not one-drone-fits-all: Admirals stress unmanned systems tailored to the mission
Breaking Defense – As the Navy looks at maritime warfare in the Gulf, the Black Sea, and potentially the West Pacific, its leaders are increasingly convinced the future fleet requires a wide range of unmanned systems, each specialized for a different region and mission.
U.S. Army Stages Equipment at American-owned Subic Bay Facility for Balikatan, Alliance Contingencies
USNI News – The U.S. Army is using a facility in Subic Bay to stage equipment for exercises and alliance contingencies, according to a recent think tank report and imagery released by the Pentagon.
Why has HMS Dragon spent the last month in Crete?
Navy Lookout – After being rushed into theatre to help protect Cyprus during the recent regional crisis, Royal Navy destroyer, HMS Dragon, conducted a brief patrol off the island but has remained at Souda Bay in Crete since 23rd March, around 920 km away. While the optics are poor, the destroyer’s enforced time in Greece has not proved critical, and the time has not been wasted.
China Maritime Report #52: Everything Everywhere All At Once: The Growing Complexity of PLA Amphibious Exercises
China Maritime Studies Institute – In August 2025, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) conducted a large-scale exercise to simulate an invasion of Taiwan. This “capstone” amphibious exercise suggests that People’s Liberation Army (PLA) training and preparations for a future Taiwan campaign are becoming more focused, realistic, and sophisticated.
Australian Defence Strategy 2026 Spends Big On Submarines, Frigates
Naval News – The Australian government published the biennial National Defence Strategy (NDS) and the corresponding Integrated Investment Program (IIP). The publication occurs amidst a background of conflict in the Middle East and a shifting American national security posture across regions directly affecting Australia and the Indo-Pacific region.
Anduril announces partnership with Kraken for small USVs
Breaking Defense – Anduril is teaming up with UK-based Kraken Technology Group to make small unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for the US Navy at a time when the service is increasingly focused on unmanned tech.
Lockheed Martin Awarded $200 Million to Integrate PAC-3 MSE on U.S. Navy Ships
Naval News – The U.S. Navy is moving forward with PAC-3 MSE integration on the service’s surface fleet in a move to rapidly expand interceptor inventories, pushing forward a capability that Lockheed Martin has been developing for nearly a decade, according to its top missile defense executives.
In a first, Ukraine’s drone force launches interceptor drone from USV to destroy Shahed
Breaking Defense – Ukraine has said that its elite drone force has destroyed a Russian Shahed unmanned aerial vehicle using an interceptor drone launched from an unmanned surface vessel (USV), marking the first downing of its kind in this new era of drone-on-drone warfare.
Australia, Canada, and U.S. conduct multilateral operations in South China Sea
Ready Aye Ready – Ships from the Royal Australian Navy, Royal Canadian Armed Forces, and U.S. Navy conducted multilateral operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific in the South China Sea, April 12-18.
Japan’s JS Izumo shows off its new bow for the first time
Naval News – The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Izumo-class helicopter carrier JS Izumo (DDH-183) has appeared in public view with a dramatically redesigned bow, marking a key milestone in its conversion to operate F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) fighter jets.
Navy to Deploy Thousands of Unmanned Surface Vessels to the Indo-Pacific by 2030
USNI News – The U.S. Navy is looking to field thousands of unmanned surface vessels to the Indo-Pacific by 2030, according to the service’s drone boat development group.
Navy Wants to Buy $17B Trump-class Battleship in FY 2028
USNI News – The Navy wants to buy the first Trump-class battleship in next year’s budget submission, a schedule that would allow the service to make the purchase before President Donald Trump leaves office.
Navy Reviewing Ford-class Carrier Design Ahead of Future Contract Awards
USNI News – The Navy is finalizing a new study that is examining the Ford-class carrier to determine whether it should alter the design of the next two in the class, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan said on Tuesday.
On Time Columbia-class Delivery is ‘Life or Death Imperative,’ Sub Czar Gaucher Says
USNI News – The architects of the Navy’s new shift in building submarines were given the green light by senior Pentagon leaders to “bust things up” to get submarine repair and construction back on track as the service races to deliver the first Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine on time.
“Strategic Warning Time”: Britain’s Taiwan Challenge
Center for Statecraft and Naval Security – The study finds that we are in a period of strategic warning time on Taiwan and that the risk of serious escalation around the Strait of Taiwan is a real possibility well within a ten‑year timeframe.
PLAN Carrier Fujian Expected to Achieve Full Readiness This Year, Chinese State Media Says
USNI News – Beijing’s newest and largest aircraft carrier is expected to achieve full operational readiness this year, Chinese state media reported when highlighting the rapid progress of the country’s carrier program and naval aviation developments.
US Navy conducts autonomous minehunting operations in the Strait of Hormuz
Navy Lookout – With Iran possibly having mined the Strait of Hormuz, it has been confirmed that the US Navy is deploying autonomous systems in an effort to assess and then clear the mine threat. This will be a major test of autonomous mine countermeasures capabilities in a very demanding operational environment.
CMSI Translations #29: Can “Armchair Strategizing” Secure Victory from a Thousand Miles Away?
China Maritime Studies Institute – In 440 BC, Mozi and Lu Ban—using a belt to represent a city wall and wooden tablets as weaponry—launched a “paper confrontation” in front of the palace of the King of Chu that changed the trajectory of warfare. This simulation of nine victorious battles not only neutralized the power of the State of Chu’s siege ladders in an abstract strategic contest, but also revealed the ultimate value of wargaming: utilizing simulated combat to anticipate the realities of the battlefield and employing logical deduction to avert the calamities of war.
Device found near Bali and Lombok identified as Chinese undersea monitoring system
ABC – A large torpedo-shaped device was found last week by a fisherman near an island in the Lombok Strait, a strategically important sea lane linking Australia to the South China Sea. It has been identified as a Chinese undersea monitoring system designed to be moored to an anchor on the sea floor while sending data home via communication buoys deployed to the surface.
(Thanks to Alain)
Saildrone Unveils new Spectre USV at Sea Air Space 2026
Naval News – The new Spectre unmanned surface vessel (USV) is saildrone’s largest offering yet, standing in at 52 meters (~170 feet) in length, enabling the carriage of a multitude of payloads matching different mission sets. The Medium-size USV was unveiled today at Sea Air Space 2026.
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