Philippines to take delivery of first OPV from South Korea
Naval News – The Philippines is set to take delivery of the first of six offshore patrol vessels (OPV) built by South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries.
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
Babcock, Frankenburg plan launcher for ‘smallest’ anti-drone missile
Defense News – British defense firm Babcock plans to develop a containerized launch system for low-cost missiles manufactured by Estonian startup Frankenburg Technologies, with the goal of providing cheap maritime defenses against one-way attack drones.
(Thanks to Alain)
Choices for next destroyer paved way for Navy’s new battleship program
Breaking Defense – Tough choices about whether to put hypersonic weapons or big guns on the Navy’s latest destroyer were one of the factors that put the sea service on a path to develop a new battleship, the Navy’s director of surface warfare said today.
SECNAV: Shipbuilders Need to Hire 250,000 Workers Over the Next Decade for ‘Golden Fleet’
USNI News – To build the Navy’s planned Golden Fleet, U.S. naval shipbuilders must hire a quarter million shipbuilders over the next decade, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan said Tuesday.
Germany orders 8 MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones to boost P-8A missions
Breaking Defense – Germany has placed an order for eight General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones with deliveries set to begin in 2028.
The Royal Navy and the SSN-AUKUS combat system question
Navy Lookout – The SSN-AUKUS attack submarine is being defined by a tightly integrated, trilateral combat system whose architecture will shape the RN’s operational freedom and industrial dependencies for decades to come. Despite frequent emphasis on Australian industrial outcomes, this remains a British-led submarine design programme, with UK decisions establishing the framework within which partners must operate.
Taiwan Spotlights Invasion Defense Lines During Chinese Drills
Naval News – Taiwan highlighted its national defense plans against a Chinese invasion during the height of Beijing’s military drills around the island last month, revealing a map detailing potential defense lines and strategies against an attack from the mainland.
Why the U.S. Navy Doesn’t Build Battleships Anymore
War on the Rocks – Trent Hone writes that to Japanese leaders, Yamato was more than a ship. It was a symbol of national power, technological prowess, and imperial ambitions. That symbolism has returned to American politics. President Donald Trump recently announced plans for a new U.S. Navy battleship, reviving a type of warship the Navy abandoned generations ago. Evaluating that proposal requires separating two distinct questions that Yamato itself embodies: whether the battleship still makes operational sense in modern naval warfare, and whether it retains political and symbolic value even after its military utility has passed.
Inside US Plans To Reopen WWII Air Bases for War With China
Newsweek – Across sleepy and remote islands in the Pacific, U.S. military engineers are working around the clock to revive strategically important airstrips that American troops first built under fire over 70 years ago during World War II.
The Evolution of Russian and Chinese Air Power Threats
RUSI – Russian and, particularly, Chinese capabilities now pose greater threats to Western air power than in 2020.
Chinese, Russian, Iranian Warships Gather Near South Africa for Multilateral Drill
USNI News – Warships from China, Russia and Iran amassed in the waters off South Africa to kick off a weeklong drill alongside the South African National Defense Force.
Latest Pentagon Report: China’s Military Advancing Amid Churn
War on the Rocks – Simultaneous disruption and progress, with a relentless Taiwan-focused capability development deadline.
That’s the overriding theme of the 25th edition of the Department of Defense’s China Military Power Report, released on Dec. 23, 2025. Despite extensive leadership purges and ongoing disciplinary investigations across China’s military and defense industry, the 2025 report concludes that China continues to make progress toward General Secretary Xi Jinping’s 2027 “Centennial Military Building Goal” and associated warfighting capabilities against Taiwan.
Big Chinese drones, European fighters: the 2026 combat-aircraft outlook
ASPI – Bill Sweetman’s military aviation predictions for 2026.
Ukraine Gets Latvia’s Fog Surface Drone
Covert Shores – Ukraine has received the Fog surface drone (USV) from Latvian firm NEWT21. The small vessel is intended primarily for patrolling and surveillance, search and rescue missions, and has a offensive possibility. It is marketed for both sea and riverine use, and both offensive and defensive missions.
What Would Mahan Think About Trump’s Venezuela Strategy?
National Interest – James Holmes writes that naval theorist Alfred Thayer Mahan would likely be baffled by Trump’s war on drugs—but would be instantly familiar with his broader geopolitical motives in the Caribbean.
Italian Navy discloses Maritime Counter-Terrorism Training and more SF activities
Naval News – With the rising concern about sabotages to critical infrastructures at sea, terrorism and maritime security, the training activities and participation to operations of the Italian Navy special forces operational group known as Gruppo Operativo Incursori (GOI), have surfaced in more occasions in the recent past. The GOI together with the Divers Operational Group (GOS), represent the two souls of the COMSUBIN (COmando raggruppamento SUBacquei e INcursori) “Teseo Tesei” command based in the Gulf of La Spezia.
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Russia-bound tanker reportedly attacked in Black Sea
Lloyds List – A Russia-bound tanker was reportedly attacked on Wednesday while sailing off the Turkish coast in the Black Sea.
CMSI Note 18: Flooding the Zone: The Use of Civilian Landing Craft (LCTs) in PLA Amphibious Operations
China Maritime Studies Institute – In July and August 2025, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) employed a unique type of civilian deck cargo ship known as a Landing Craft Tank (LCT) to transport military vehicles directly to shore as part of an amphibious landing exercise. While civilian deck cargo ships of this type have been observed in previous PLA over-the-shore logistics exercises, they had only been used to transport vehicles and equipment from port-to-port—simulating the transport of forces into a captured port—not directly to an unimproved beachhead. If the PLA develops the ability to coordinate and employ significant numbers of civilian LCTs to transport forces directly onto Taiwan beaches, it could significantly improve its over the-shore assault capacities and logistics capabilities.
Electric Boat receives new floating dry dock to support Columbia-class submarines
Naval News – The new dry dock, designated “Atlas” was announced as received by General Dynamics Electric Boat’s primary shipyard in Groton, Connecticut. The primary purpose of Atlas is targeted towards supporting the construction of the Columbia-class of Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBN) currently under construction.
Is This Russian Rescue Ship Really “Putin’s New Yacht?”
The War Zone – There are longstanding rumors that the Project 23700 class ship may have a secondary function as a luxurious leisure vessel.
Coast Guard Seizes Russian-flagged Tanker in North Atlantic, Second Tanker in Caribbean
USNI News – A U.S. Coast Guard team and additional federal law enforcement, with support from the U.S. military, seized a Russian-flagged oiler tanker that the U.S. says violated American sanctions, coinciding with the seizure of a second tanker in the Caribbean.
SWO Specialization – Specialize By Platform Groups To Win The High End Fight Part 1
CIMSEC – To win the fight against a peer adversary, the navy’s surface warfare officer (SWO) community must display a level of warfighting proficiency – one of excellence – not yet seen in many years. The collisions of 2017 and continued near misses and actual mishaps since, such as the grounding of USS Howard (DDG 83) in 2023 and the Harry S. Truman (HST) Carrier Strike Group (CSG) friendly fire incident in 2024, reveal that the surface force lacks a high level of operating proficiency, in terms of both shiphandling and tactical skill. However, while sweeping reforms were swiftly implemented to increase shiphandling proficiency, the SWO community has not shown the same kind of fervor to implement the sweeping changes needed to dramatically increase tactical proficiency.
Italy’s DDX Destroyer Tender Path Starts Now
ItaMilRadar – Italy has formally set the procurement machinery in motion for two new-generation destroyers—labelled DDG in official language and widely referred to as DDX. This is not just another shipbuilding line item. By signalling a negotiated procedure run through OCCAR and already framing Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN) as the unavoidable industrial counterpart, the Ministry of Defence is effectively locking in the governance, the industrial architecture, and the strategic intent of Italy’s next “high-end” surface combatants.
(Thanks to Alain)
Design of floating dry docks for Royal Navy submarines underway
Navy Lookout – The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that project EUSTON is progressing towards a future manufacturing contract, subject to completion of detailed design work and a procurement process.
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