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CIMSEC – Naval mines need a new kind of delivery platform, specifically by either rocket or missile. Mine missiles will be used here to describe this delivery method and differentiate it from rocket-propelled naval mines activated after deployment, like the Chinese EM-52/T-1.
The War Zone – The USAF has offered new views of the Quicksink anti-ship bomb after a B-2 stealth bomber deployed the weapon off Norway in a test.
War on the Rocks – What if China’s global port empire isn’t the master plan Washington fears, but a patchwork of messy deals shaped as much by local politics as Beijing’s ambitions?
War on the Rocks – NATO’s maritime readiness gap is not simply a matter of numbers but also a question of credibility. In an environment where adversaries are investing heavily in naval capabilities and contesting critical maritime domains, the alliance’s reliance on three overstretched national fleets is a vulnerability that could limit deterrence and operational reach. Without coordinated investment in shipbuilding capacity, workforce regeneration, and fleet modernization among some of its main players, NATO risks having a maritime strategy that outpaces the means to deliver it.
CIMSEC – Guadalcanal, the Coral Sea, Tarawa, New Guinea, and Iron Bottom Sound highlight the strategic location of the South Pacific during the Second World War. Today, U.S. and allied preeminence in this vital region is under threat. The People’s Republic of China (PRC,) through a sophisticated blend of economic inducements, political influence, and maritime coercion, is executing a campaign to erode U.S. and allied presence and reshape the Indo-Pacific order. Such activities mirror the tactics of insurgency, where control is gained not just through force, but by blurring legal boundaries, exploiting economic vulnerability, and using civilian fronts to advance strategic ends.
USNI News – Coast Guard law enforcement operations in the Caribbean Sea are continuing as the Pentagon formulates its mission in U.S. Southern Command following a lethal military strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat.
Navy Lookout – The new First Sea Lord, General Gwyn Jenkins, used his opening address at DSEI 2025 to set out an uncompromising plan to move the Royal Navy to full war-fighting readiness within four years. He stressed that the era of incremental change is over and that taut delivery timelines must drive every programme from now on.
Breaking Defense – Singapore has decided to acquire the Boeing P-8A Poseidon multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft.
The Strategist – Bill Sweetman analyses the air power on display in last week’s military parade in Beijing.
CIMSEC – In March 2025 testimony before the House Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, Ronald O’Rourke, naval analyst for the Congressional Research Service since 1984, sharpened an excellent recommendation he has raised over more than a decade: the U.S. Navy should establish a dedicated institutional mechanism for systematically capturing, analyzing, and transmitting lessons learned from its shipbuilding programs.
Naval News – India’s Ministry of Defence released the Technology Perspective Capability Roadmap (TPCR) 2025, conveying the perspective of the Armed forces on emerging futuristic combat technologies and their stated requirements.
The War Zone – The Navy just issued a flurry of drone contracts even though it has said it would take a ‘wait and see’ approach on Collaborative Combat Aircraft.
CIMSEC – A fundamental problem facing the US military is that the services have fielded capable, long-range missile systems, but only possesses limited deep-reach Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Targeting (ISRT) capabilities, limiting the effective employment of long-range missile systems. The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and Air Force/Space Force are developing satellite ISRT constellations to address the problem, but the services need to use a ‘Maritime Strike System of Systems’ approach to address the true functionality of US maritime strike capability.
CIMSEC – As the U.S. Navy pivots toward preparing for high-end maritime conflict, the SWO community must ask itself a difficult question – Are we allocating our limited time to develop the warfighters we need, or are we clinging to legacy requirements that no longer align with the modern threat environment?
Naval News – Military parade reveals extensive new missile developments with significance for naval applications. Drones also feature heavily in commemorative display. Naval News provides an exhaustive overview.
Naval News – Both Russian and Ukrainian media and government sources confirmed an attack on the Laguna-class SIGINT ship Simferopol, a Ukrainian intelligence gathering vessel, that was operating near the mouth of the Danube River.
Naval News – The Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy’s transition toward a MUM-T fleet is becoming increasingly defined, with shipbuilders and aerospace firms unveiling platforms and systems to support future unmanned naval operations via a drone carrier project.
Naval News – The U.S. Marine Corps is planning to branch out across the West Pacific with new prepositioning sites as the force continues to shape its force design and long term planning goals around restricted mobility and a lack of hardened supply chains, according to documents published by the service last month.
National Interest – James Holmes writes that rather than trying to emulate China’s hostile and aggressive communications strategy during disputes in the Indo-Pacific, US Navy leaders should poke fun at it.
China Maritime Studies Institute – An authoritative source has confirmed what many had long suspected: Admiral Yuan Huazhi is no longer serving as the Political Commissar of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). As the chief political officer, the Political Commissar shares responsibility with the PLAN Commander for leading the service.
While the details of ADM Yuan’s departure are unknown, it is very likely that he was a victim of the massive purge within China’s military that began in mid-2023. Unlike other senior PLA officers implicated in the purge, however, ADM Yuan’s status has not been publicly disclosed.
NBC News – Undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea disrupted internet access in parts of Asia and the Middle East, experts said Sunday, though it wasn’t immediately clear what caused the incident.
Global Times – Japan is using a large coast guard drone, the SeaGuardian, to monitor the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, according to Kyodo News on Tuesday. A Chinese military expert said that if Japan’s military drones intrude into the airspace of China’s Diaoyu Islands, such new illegal activities will further complicate the situation, and China will take corresponding countermeasures.
Center for Maritime Strategy – Taiwan, then, is not an especially acute case of the security dilemma. Operationally, Taiwan in China’s control would only somewhat harm American security while significantly improving China’s. Much like West Berlin in the Cold War, the primary significance of Taiwan is as a demonstration of uncompromising American resolve to deter an adversary and prevent allied bandwagoning. With a favorable military balance, that demonstration is easy. The United States’ military advantage in East Asia is eroding, however, and it is safe to assume that China will become increasingly assertive towards the island. Soon, American policymakers will have to make choices with no easy answers. Their decisions will be aided by an informed public that approaches the debate with the sobriety and humility that it deserves.
Defense News – Once tempted to ditch its acquisition of a Chinese-built S26T diesel-electric submarine, Thailand has decided the project will now proceed.
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