USNI News – Japan’s largest minelayer practiced defending a chain of strategic islands near Taiwan last week in what Tokyo described as a demonstration of “determination not to allow unilateral changes to the status quo by force.”
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
Russia’s blacklisted tankers keep dumping oil in Europe’s seas
Politico – Russian-linked vessels are continuing to leak oil off Europe’s shores — despite Western sanctions — underscoring the continent’s inability to rein in Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet.
A Wargame to Take Taiwan, from China’s Perspective
War on the Rocks – In August 2025, 25 international experts gathered at Syracuse University to do something unusual: plan China’s invasion of Taiwan. For two days, academics, policy analysts, and current and former U.S. officials abandoned their typical defensive postures and attempted to inhabit Beijing’s offensive strategic mindset in a wargame. They debated not how America should respond to Chinese aggression, but how China might overcome the obstacles that have so far kept it from attacking the island nation.
This role reversal yielded an uncomfortable insight. The invasion scenarios that dominate U.S. military planning — involving massive amphibious assaults on Taiwan and preemptive strikes on American bases — may fundamentally misread Beijing’s calculus. As the wargame revealed, analysts seeking to understand China’s intentions should pay greater attention to plausible alternative military pathways to reunification that involve far less force and far more political calculation.
North Korea’s New Destroyer Reemerges with Major Modifications
Naval News – Only months after its commissioning on April 25, 2025, North Korea’s most advanced surface warship, the missile destroyer Choe Hyon (51), has reappeared featuring significant modifications to its weapon and sensor suites.
Made in China 2025’s Impact on Chinese Shipbuilding
CIMSEC – Ten years ago, the Chinese Communist Party, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, introduced two major policy initiatives: Made in China 2025 and military-civil fusion. Each represents an upgrade of existing policies aimed at boosting China’s economic and military strength, and now receives more attention and resources. Made in China 2025 aims to establish China as the world’s leading advanced manufacturer in ten key sectors by 2025, while military-civil fusion seeks to foster a closer, innovation-driven relationship between defense and civilian industries. Much was written about both, but there is little analysis of how these policies impacted Chinese shipbuilding.
US Naval Build-Up Highlights Sea Power Projection in Latin America
RUSI – Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Peru are preparing their fleets to secure resources and expand influence in the event of rivalries spilling into their maritime domains.
Royal Navy aims for jet-powered carrier-launched drone at sea within two years
Navy Lookout – The RN has launched project VANQUISH, seeking proposals from industry for a Fixed-Wing, Short Take Off and Landing, Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP). This is the first step towards meeting the First Sea Lord’s vision for a large technical demonstrator UAS to be flown from an aircraft carrier in a very short timeframe.
ROK Navy Holds 80th Anniversary Fleet Review
Naval News – The ROK Navy held a Fleet Review marking its 80th anniversary off the coast of Busan from September 25th to September 27th. The event featured a naval parade of 31 warships, including Aegis destroyers, ROK Navy’s submarines, amphibious assault ships, and landing vessels, alongside aircraft and unmanned systems.
How Russia is Helping China Prepare to Seize Taiwan
RUSI – Russia has agreed to equip and train the PLA to air-drop armoured vehicles and special reconnaissance capabilities.
China Sends Anti-Ship Bomber, Frigates to Scarborough Shoal
Naval News – The Chinese naval and air combat drills at Scarborough Shoal is the latest deployment of high-end military forces at the disputed feature to counter Philippine and American forces in the South China Sea.
Plan For the Worst: Why the Marine Corps Stand In Forces Concept Demands a Premortem
Modern War Institute – Marine Corps leadership has not clearly articulated the demands stand-in forces will face and the joint dependencies they will generate. To prepare for war in the Pacific, leadership must anticipate and define these forces’ worst day. Through this necessary—yet sobering—visualization, the Corps can identify and train for the challenges they will face when (not if) crisis strikes in the Pacific.
Technical Interoperability in Contested Environments is a Must
CIMSEC – The Navy must ruthlessly pursue two seemingly disparate capabilities – technical interoperability and the capability to operate in contested communications environments. The need for interoperability in naval operations has never been more critical. However, these operations will increasingly be forced to occur in contested communication environments, where data access and connectivity cannot be guaranteed. Balancing these two imperatives—interoperability and resilience in contested conditions—will be vital to successful maritime operations.
Houthis Attack Dutch Ship in the Red Sea
USNI News – The Houthis are claiming an attack on a Dutch cargo ship that resulted in a fire and left two crew members injured.
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The Imperative For Integrated Maritime Operations
CIMSEC – As the 21st century’s strategic environment becomes increasingly complex with peer competitors, the enemy’s advanced anti-access/area-denial capabilities, and the proliferation of long-range precision fires, the Navy and Marine Corps must embark on a new phase of naval integration. The CNO, in conjunction with the CMC, should provide guidance on how to enhance maritime lethality to transcend the traditional ARG/MEU construct, thereby forging an integrated naval force capable of securing contested littorals and responding to emergent threats.
Coast Guard ‘naming and shaming’ amid spike in Chinese activity near Alaska
Breaking Defense – Multiple officials, including the head of US Northern Command, told Breaking Defense China’s activities in and around American waters have increased this past year, the latest development in a broader pattern that started in 2021. But the subsequent public responses and objections by the Coast Guard is new, a trend that analysts said is designed to deter Chinese activity that close to the US.
Conduct Legal Preparation of the Battlespace
CIMSEC – The U.S. Navy must rebuild its capacity to shape and influence international maritime law.
Initial Operating Capability declared for Royal Navy Sea Venom anti-ship missile
Navy Lookout – The Fleet Air Arm’s Wildcat helicopters have achieved Initial Operating Capability (IOC) with the Sea Venom missile, bringing a modern long-range strike option into front-line service. The weapon can now be carried on global deployments, restoring a capability absent since the retirement of Sea Skua in 2017.
Start Building Small Warships
CIMSEC – Small warships have a long history in the U.S. Navy and are poised to offer an evolutionary leap in capability. Small, highly automated, lightly crewed, blue-water warships will help offset the capabilities of competing fleets and ensure enduring maritime superiority for the U.S. Navy. It is time to build a prototype of the Lightly Manned Automated Combat Capability ship and its flotilla of innovations.
Expand the Navy’s Over the Horizon Targeting Solutions
CIMSEC – The emergence of the Space Force’s fully funded, Long-Range Kill Chains (LRKC) satellite program for tracking moving land and maritime targets offers the Navy the opportunity to dramatically improve fleet tactical situational awareness and over-the-horizon targeting.
Flood the Zone: III Marine Expeditionary Force’s Mobility Mandate
War on the Rocks – In the Indo-Pacific, the first to arrive may not just win — their very arrival may prevent the fight. Without reliable mobility, III Marine Expeditionary Force risks becoming the most forward-postured but strategically stranded force in the joint arsenal. The task ahead is clear: fund the platforms, train the crews, and flood the zone before deterrence fails.
To Win the Fight We Must First Win the Mind: Create NDP-1.1 Naval Warfighting
CIMSEC – The central challenge of modern naval warfare is grappling with profound decision-making under uncertainty. Our current doctrine, NDP-1 Naval Warfare, is an essential description of our forces, but it is insufficient as a guide for thinking through the friction, fluidity, and ambiguity inherent in conflict. To truly equip our Sailors to fight and win for tomorrow, the CNO should supplement this document with a doctrine focused on the cognitive art of warfighting. The solution is to champion a new, companion publication – NDP-1.1 Naval Warfighting.
BAE Systems’ large uncrewed warship proposal
Navy Lookout – As part of the Royal Navy’s Future Air Dominance System (FADS) concept, BAE Systems has proposed low-cost, rapidly-built uncrewed/ minimally crewed vessels to supplement the Type 83 destroyer. Drawing on the legacy of the Triton trimaran demonstrator built for the RN in 2000, the proposed Sensor-Effector Platforms (SEP), could form a key element of the disaggregated air defence architecture.
The Indian Ocean an Opportunity to Strengthen Alliances and Deter China
CIMSEC – The U.S. Navy and its Pacific allies can promote cooperation with European navies in Indo-Pacific theater. It can mark a catalyst that mobilizes and focuses Western resources while improving burden sharing. This initiative will strengthen our friendship and naval cooperation, and will represent a key factor in strengthening deterrence.
Why the Gotland-Class AIP Submarine is the Smartest First Sub for Morocco
Morocco World News – With Morocco now actively exploring submarine options, the Gotland-class offers the cleanest first step: a proven, ultra-quiet AIP design built for exactly the shallow, noisy, high-traffic waters Morocco must dominate.
(Thanks to Alain)
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