War on the Rocks – In just over 20 years, the Marine Corps has gone from being America’s reliable middleweight force in readiness to more of a secondary, general purpose backup force. Today, marines are more likely to find themselves assisting special operations teams and U.S. Army crisis response task forces than spearheading operations. Without meaningful change, a dangerous question resurfaces: “Why do we need a Marine Corps?”
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
We Need a Marine Corps, Part I: A Corps in Crisis
War on the Rocks – Marines have spent too much energy in the past five years debating the merits of former Commandant David H. Berger’s Force Design 2030 plan. Force Design is now part of the Marine Corps. It is time for all marines on and off active duty to set aside their disagreements and focus forward, towards the vision articulated by current Commandant Eric M. Smith. And it is time for the allies of the Marine Corps to lean in and support this reorientation. The U.S. Marine Corps is facing a relatively slow moving but all too real existential threat.
HMS Spey has conducted a Freedom of Navigation exercise, passing through the Taiwan Strait
Navy Lookout – The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that on 18th June, Royal Navy OPV, HMS Spey, conducted a transit of the Taiwan Strait as a reaffirmation of the UK’s commitment to freedom of navigation and the rules-based international order.
HD HHI’s Future Drone Carrier Concept at MADEX 2025
Naval News – At MADEX 2025, HD HHI organized its booth into three sections—Export, Domestic, and Future—to effectively showcase its current progress and future vision for naval capabilities. In the Future section, the company unveiled two concept designs representing its vision for the next generation of drone carriers.
Choking the Artery: The Naval Dimension of a Future India-Pakistan Conflict
CIMSEC – The Line of Control still dominates the nightly news, yet war between India and Pakistan could spill seaward. In early May 2025, the two nuclear‑armed neighbors again traded strikes, suspended bilateral trade concessions, and placed elements of their fleets on alert.1 Nearly one‑third of Pakistan’s import bill, and, critically, 16 percent of its food supply, arrives by sea.2 With roughly 60 percent of that traffic funneling through the single port complex of Karachi, the question is no longer whether the coast matters, but how maritime leverage could shape the next crisis.
Don’t Sweep Minesweepers Under the Rug: America’s Critical Naval Vulnerability
Center for Maritime Strategy – The Trump Administration has prioritized making the American military more lethal, agile, and capable, with a hyper-focus is on making sure the U.S. Navy is ready for the next war. The Navy intends to invest in drones and a “hybrid fleet” of manned and unmanned systems. Unfortunately, while procurement debates focus on the gap between the United States and China, submarine procurement, and cruiser retirements, one critical capability remains dangerously neglected: mine warfare.
War without Surprises—Education for Command in the People’s Liberation Army Navy
US Naval War College Review – The PLA Navy will play a key role in any flash points and conflicts in the western Pacific. This study of professional military education for senior PLA Navy officers supplements analyses of platforms and capabilities with a look at how senior navy commanders are prepared to lead in combat.
Toward a Sea-Power Strategy—Chinese Communist Party Debates and Consensus Building under Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping
US Naval War College Review – China’s rise as a major maritime and naval power in recent decades resulted from a deliberate policy choice, but that choice was not an uncontroversial one. Internal Chinese Communist Party debate about naval power was resolved by balancing entrenched continental interests, resulting in an integrated but possibly compromised policy approach.
A Forgotten Dimension of Naval Diplomacy—The Production of Social Capital in the National Interest
US Naval War College Review – Naval diplomacy is a key noncombat mission for fleets to engage in as they communicate their nations’ broader political objectives. Most literature focuses on how different platforms affect this communication but neglects the social dimension of naval diplomacy and how personal relationships supplement and impact the strategic landscape.
Changes in U.S. Indo-Pacific Military Strategy and U.S. Bases in Okinawa
US Naval War College Review – The U.S. forces based on Okinawa in Japan’s Ryukyu Islands are critical to America’s strategic position in the western Pacific, its defense cooperation with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, and U.S. security guarantees to Japan itself. Local opposition to hosting those forces and the subsequent uncertainty and consolidation of bases have bearings on that position and demand reevaluation.
Proper Conceptualization of Naval Operational Doctrine—A Case Study of the Israeli Navy
US Naval War College Review – The character of naval warfare is changing profoundly, and traditional conceptions of victory may no longer apply. Naval warfare requires systematic reconceptualization to ensure that operational doctrine is applicable to the future environment and that navies are tasked with, train to, and are structured for missions they actually are able to accomplish. The Israeli navy’s early successes, more-recent challenges, and current contribution to the ongoing response to the 7 October Hamas attacks are illustrative.
A Mission in Trouble—Vietnamization and the U.S. Navy
US Naval War College Review – The troubled, expensive, and ultimately failed “Vietnamization” of the U.S. Navy’s assistance to the Republic of Vietnam demonstrates the pitfalls of imposing the American “way of war” on a partner without considering local needs or sustainability.
CMSI Translations #19: Lessons and Thoughts from the Struggle for Command of the Sea in the Red Sea
China Maritime Studies Institute – Since mid-November 2023 to the present Houthi armed forces in Yemen have continued to hijack and attack vessels in the Red Sea that “use Israeli ports” or “engage in trade with Israel” to oppose Israel’s military operations in Gaza and disrupt military assistance to Israel from the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries. As of April 1, 2024, over 86 vessels related to the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, and other countries have been attacked. The Houthis continue to maintain control over the Red Sea, forcing vessels from these countries to risk damage and loss of life while navigating through the area. The crisis in the Red Sea is worsening.
Is Autonomy the End of the Naval Warfare Officer
Wavell Room – In a rain-beaten marina on a rugged coastline, near a nameless village more familiar with fishing than fleet operations, a teenage Able Seaman sits inside a converted shipping container. Watching a laptop screen, they remotely pilot a small crewless boat through choppy waters via a suite of cameras and RADAR feeds. For all intents and purposes, they are the Captain…
Ramifications of the China-Cook Islands’ Partnership
RUSI – The China-Cook Island’s Comprehensive Strategic Partnership draws the island nation into a rising competition in the pacific between great powers.
After $885 million, GAO warns it’s ‘unclear’ if Navy’s major UUV program will become program of record
Breaking Defense – The Navy’s Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle program may not transition to a program record following eight years and approximately $885 million spent on its development, according to a new report by government auditors.
Troubled Constellation Frigate Is Now At Least 759 Metric Tons Overweight
The War Zone – Major changes to the Constellation’s base design have already caused delays a
Necessity of Evolution: CSG Deployment After Highmast
RUSI – The primacy of the Russian threat to Europe may not eliminate the value of CSG deployments but in the future they should take a different form as dictated by the threat environment. The current emphasis on diplomacy might be better served by less operationally valuable assets.
Two Chinese Aircraft Carriers Are Operating Beyond The First Island Chain For The First Time
The War Zone – The presence of Chinese carrier strike groups farther east than ever before is a taste of what’s to come as the PLAN’s reach expands.
Indian Navy to Commission its First Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, INS Arnala
Indian Defence Research Wing – The event marks the formal induction of the first of the 16 ASW-SWC class ships into the Indian Navy.
(Thanks to Alain)
Get Ready for the New Rules of War in the Indo-Pacific
War on the Rocks – If you play the game, you must know the rules. How will the laws of targeting and rules of engagement apply in such a contingency? Unfortunately, U.S. military commanders are poorly trained on these matters, if they are even trained at all.
As the Defense Department shifts toward deterring war or winning a conflict in the Western Pacific, a grasp of the legal concepts required for mission accomplishment has lagged.
PROTEUS – the Royal Navy’s uncrewed ASW helicopter nearing first flight
Navy Lookout – We spoke with Leonardo representatives at the recent Combined Naval Event in Farnborough about the current status of the PROTEUS Rotary Wing Air System (RWAS) project.
Israeli navy strikes Houthi-controlled port city of Hudaydah
BBC – Israeli navy ships have struck targets in the port city of Hudaydah in Houthi-controlled Yemen.
U.S. Project at Philippine Navy Base to Support Unmanned Surface Vessels
USNI News – The U.S. is planning to upgrade a Philippine naval base crucial for Manila’s South China Sea operations with a maintenance facility capable of supporting unmanned surface vessels, according to documents.
South Korea’s ADD showcases new Supercavitating Torpedo at MADEX 2025
Naval News – ADD (Agency for Defense Development), the agency responsible for South Korea’s defense technology research and development, showcased a Supercavitating Torpedo during MADEX 2025. The torpedo showcased this year featured a different shape and design compared to previously known ADD torpedoes.
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