USNI News – U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II fighters will join Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (R09) on its Pacific deployment, according to the Royal Navy.
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
U.S. Navy to Upgrade More Tomahawks with Anti-Ship Capability Naval News –
Naval News – The U.S. Navy is looking to upgrade up to 96 Tomahawks with seekers capable of supporting anti-ship strikes in the service’s latest effort to bring Maritime Strike Tomahawks into the fleet.
France’s 2025 Indo-Pacific Strategy
USNI News – The following is the English translation of France’s 2025 Indo-Pacific Strategy that was released this week.
Black Sea battle: how Ukraine’s drones overpowered the Russian Navy
Navy Lookout – In less than three years, Ukraine has achieved staggering successes against the Russian navy in the Black Sea through an agile, low-cost campaign of uncrewed surface vehicles (USV) and drone strikes. Here we look at the details of this campaign and the profound implications for procurement, tactics and doctrine for global navies.
Pentagon Eyes Southern Philippines as Refueling Hub for U.S. Warships, Military Aircraft
USNI News – The Defense Logistics Agency is looking to expand its maritime refueling capacity from the Philippines by contracting companies on the southern island of Mindanao to supply up to 42 million gallons of fuel a year, according to new documents.
Royal Navy’s Last Nuclear Attack Submarine Of The Cold War-Era Heads Into Retirement
The War Zone – After a four-decade period of service, the UK has called time on the Trafalgar class, as it looks to an expanded future force of hunter-killers.
Marines Use MV-22B Ospreys in East Coast Anti-Submarine Warfare Exercise
USNI News – The Marine Corps recently refined how MV-22B Ospreys can support anti-submarine warfare during an exercise alongside U.S. and Dutch forces off the East Coast.
China’s J-35 Naval Stealth Fighter Looks Set For Service
The War Zone – There are signs that the J-35 has now entered limited series production, with carrier trials the likely next step.
Insights on the French ‘Clemenceau 25’ Indo-Pacific Deployment
Naval News – At a private event focusing on France’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific, senior officers from the French Navy, including an Admiral, shared some details about Clemenceau 25 revealing behind-the-scenes details of a particularly intense deployment in terms of operations, diplomacy and technology. The latter enabled the full capabilities of the French carrier strike group (CSG) to be deployed and major technological firsts to be conducted.
Navy’s shipyard revamp strategy evolves amid obstacles, years into $20B effort
Breaking Defense – The two senior officials overseeing the Navy’s shipyard revamp told Breaking Defense that the shipyards one day should return submarines to the fleet 90 days faster than they do today.
HMS Anson returns to Faslane – no Royal Navy attack submarines at sea
NavyLookout – HMS Anson arrived back on the Clyde this morning. This confirms no RN submarine has been deployed in support of the Carrier Strike Group deployment for the Indo-Pacific leg, and there are no RN SSNs at sea for now.
Great Inspectations: PRC Maritime Law Enforcement Operations in the Taiwan Strait
China Maritime Studies Institute – People’s Republic of China (PRC) law enforcement operations function as forms of cognitive and legal warfare. They represent a clear effort to undermine international maritime law as well as Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Royal Navy aircraft carriers maintenance programme explained
Navy Lookout – Having already spent part of 2024 in dry dock, HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth today for another period in Rosyth. Here we look at how the aircraft carriers are being maintained and the rationale behind the work programme.
Army Unit in Hawaii Receives Long-range Rocket Artillery for Pacific Operations
USNI News – The U.S. Army’s 25th Infantry Division, one of the service’s most frequently deployed units throughout the Indo-Pacific, received its first High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems this week, a move that the unit said will increase their effectiveness in the region.
This S-2 Tracker Is The Last Of Its Kind In Military Use
The War Zone – Argentina first introduced the classic S-2 Tracker back in 1962 and just one example of the sub-hunting plane is still active today.
U.S. Army Watercraft Repositions from Hawaii to Japan
Naval News – The U.S. Army has deployed a logistics support vessel to the first island chain to support Indo-Pacific exercises.
In Combat Shipbuilding, Allies Show that Cheaper Doesn’t Always Mean Better
Defense Opinion – U.S. Navy warships are often more expensive than their foreign nation counterparts.
South Korea’s New Naval Base Throws a Jab, But Should Train for a Haymaker
War on the Rocks – In February, South Korea’s navy took a significant step, inaugurating a task fleet command at its Jeju naval base. This development, though years in the making, didn’t go unnoticed by domestic and foreign media, and it certainly caught the attention of the Chinese military’s official media. The idea, first floated 36 years ago, has now materialized at the strategically vital Jeju naval base, which itself opened in 2016 with the 7th Task Flotilla as its backbone.
Submarine USS Connecticut Severely Damaged In Pacific Crash To Return To Service In 2026
The War Zone – Getting USS Connecticut, one of just three prized Seawolf class submarines, back to the fleet has been a top priority for the Navy.
The U.S. Navy’s “Saints of the Sea” – Stories that Should be Told (and how MSC’s Force Medical app is doing just that)
Center for Maritime Security – In February 2024, the Secretary of the United States Navy, Carlos Del Toro, visited the USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), one of the Navy’s two hospital ships, and shared an inspiring message with the sailors. He addressed them directly, saying, “I believe that everyone in uniform is a hero, but you are all saints. You are saints because you heal people. You work in adverse conditions, and you train in adverse conditions, and you bring comfort to those in need.”
Pacific Military Balance Tilting in China’s Favor, Says New Defense of Japan Report
USNI News – Officials in Tokyo released their Defense of Japan 2025 white paper this week with findings the international community is facing its greatest risk of conflict since World War II. The paper pointed to Russia, China and North Korea as primary regional security threats. The report also found U.S. U.S.-China strategic competition has been escalating and that the military balance between China and Taiwan has been rapidly tilting in China’s favor.
U.S. Navy Pairs Heavyweight Torpedo with USV in a New Program Effort
Naval News – A new line item in the U.S. Navy Fiscal Year 2026 budget is supporting a containerized Mark 48 Advanced Capability (ADCAP) torpedo launcher for use on unmanned surface vessels (USV) and small combatants.
Ukraine fielding new crop of unmanned boats optimized for river combat
Defense News – Ukraine’s fleet of unmanned surface vessels is expanding with the emergence of a new, smaller type dedicated to riverine warfare for countering Russian presence in key waterways.
U.S. to Construct Philippine Fast Boat Base Near South China Sea Flashpoints
USNI News – The U.S. plans to fund and build a facility capable of hosting watercraft and assault boats on the western coast of Palawan in support of Manila’s operations into the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
Unmanned & Unfinanceable? The Problems with Scaling America’s Autonomous Fleet
War on the Rocks – America’s defense establishment is rightly excited about the potential of unmanned ships. Companies like Saronic, Havoc.ai, Saildrone, and Blue Water Autonomy are developing fast, lethal, and scalable autonomous systems that could define the Navy’s future fleet. These firms, flush with venture capital and successful demonstrations, promise to rewrite maritime supremacy. And, it should be said upfront that as a commercial real estate advisor currently focused on these issues, I have a professional stake in these issues.
That said, even if startups clear the Pentagon’s “valley of death,” the fleet could remain a paper promise. Without financing for billion-dollar shipyards to build at scale, America’s unmanned ambitions could sink.
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
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