Beijing’s South China Sea Campaign of Intimidation Has Run Aground

War on the Rocks – During a June 17 speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, U.S. Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Steve Koehler declared that despite an ongoing campaign of intimidation against its smaller neighbors in the South China Sea, “China’s pressure is not working well. It has failed to intimidate Southeast Asian claimants and make them surrender their sovereign rights.”

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.

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.

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.