USNI News – The Navy’s oldest aircraft carrier will remain in the fleet 10 months longer than expected, according to a Friday contract announcement from the service.

Center for Maritime Security – As the threat from naval mines persists, and in some regions grows, the United States is gradually moving away from one of its most effective countermeasures: airborne mine warfare.

Naval News – The US Navy’s planned procurement of two new surface ship types will deliver capabilities that will enable the navy to meet the output requirements of its new surface force structure and continued global presence, the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) told the Paris Naval Conference in early February.

The War Zone – The Trump class “battleship” has breathed new life into the Navy’s railgun ambitions, which it previously shelved after hitting technical hurdles.

The War Zone – Escorting oil tankers in the strait is an incredibly high-risk mission, and might not even be enough to ensure their safe passage.

Defence Blog – The U.S. Navy launched Operation ICE CAMP Boarfish in the Arctic on March 7, 2026 with the submarines USS Delaware and USS Santa Fe to test under-ice operational capabilities. The three-week multinational operation brings together U.S. and allied forces to train and evaluate submarine operations in the Arctic environment.

(Thanks to Alain)

Defence Blog – The United States Department of War allocated $65 million in fiscal year 2026 funding to integrate the Patriot PAC-3 MSE interceptor with the Navy’s Aegis combat system on guided-missile destroyers. The integration would allow the Army’s Patriot interceptor to launch from Mk 41 vertical launch systems, expanding layered missile defense capabilities for U.S. naval forces.

(Thanks to Alain)

USNI News – The U.S. Military is Weighing How to Move Ships Through the Strait of Hormuz as Oil Prices Surge.

CNAS – In the Department of Defense’s priority scenarios—a “defense by denial” of China and homeland defense—dedicated airborne sensing and battle management aircraft and their crew generate indispensable connective tissue and flexibility for the Joint Force.

War on the Rocks – The U.S. Navy got some serious nautical miles under its belt during the first year of this administration, with combat operations from the Caribbean to Iran to Nigeria alongside its more regular duties. With no sign of President Donald Trump slowing down on global interventions and a tense geopolitical atmosphere, the United States remains in need of a navy that can fight and win wherever it is called to do so.

The new chief of naval operations, Adm. Daryl Caudle, has now published his response to this challenge: the U.S. Navy Fighting Instructions. 

Naval News – Revealed in a LinkedIn post by Christine Clark, Boeing’s Supplier Program Manager, the second Orca Extra Large Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) dubbed the XLE2 has been commissioned.

1945 – The sinking of the IRIS Dena on March 4, 2026, by a U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarine is more than a tactical footnote in Operation Epic Fury; it is a profound disruption of the global maritime order. As Dr. James Holmes, J. C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy at the Naval War College, observes, this “quiet death” off the coast of Sri Lanka marks a radical geographical escalation that challenges the long-dormant “Indian Monroe Doctrine.”

Defense News – The United States and Iran have offered sharply different accounts of the sinking of an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean last week, with Washington rejecting Tehran’s claim the vessel was unarmed and Iranian officials insisting it was operating in a noncombat role.

US Naval War College Review – Today, the U.S. Navy’s primary mission is changing from power projection to sea control, and as a result its primary weapon is changing from the aerial bomb to the missile. Those shifts in mission and weapon will inevitably drive the Navy to a new fleet design, one different from the carrier-centric model that has dominated since World War II.

US Naval War College Review – On the basis of Cold War–era munitions accidents and World War II combat experience, U.S. carriers of today are far more resistant to battle damage than commonly believed.

US Naval War College Review – The reintroduction of the submarine-launched nuclear cruise missile into the U.S. Navy’s arsenal signals a shift in U.S. nuclear policy, challenging long-standing declaratory norms and public statements such as the “neither confirm nor deny” stance on the presence of nuclear weapons on warships.

War on the Rocks – Guam deserves defenses built for the storm it faces — not the one we hope arrives more slowly.

USNI News – U.S. and Israeli forces kicked off an ongoing strike campaign against targets in Iran on Saturday.

USNI News – More than a dozen warships and support ships will leave the U.S. Navy’s battle force this year, according to the Fiscal Year 2026 ship inactivation schedule released last week.

USNI News – U.S. naval aviation equipped with long-range air-to-air missiles and a B-2 stealth bomber held an integrated maritime strike exercise off California, the Air Force announced Tuesday.

USNI News – The U.S. has captured oil tanker MT Bertha, a ship allegedly sailing under a Cook Islands flag, in the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.

Naval News – Two of the Philippine Navy’s newest ships entered active duty during a commissioning ceremony at the Naval Operating Base in Subic Bay on Tuesday. The offshore patrol vessel BRP Rajah Sulayman (PS-20) was inducted into service alongside the fast attack interdiction craft BRP Audrey Bañares (PG-910).

National Defense – James Holmes writes that the new plan calls for six fundamental—and badly needed—changes to America’s ailing shipbuilding sector.