Breaking Defense – CSIS’s Mark Cancian responds to a recent op-ed in Breaking Defense about the relative standstill at the strait.

The War Zone – The Navy has a plan for a revolutionary modular surface-to-air missile arsenal, and submarines are intended to be added as launch platforms.

Modern War Institute – Deterrence today is a contest over time. The United States and its Pacific allies and partners need time to decide, move, repair, and coordinate. Beijing needs speed, ambiguity, and an opportunity to present the region with a fait accompli. Those opposing clocks point to five practical plays available to the United States and its allies and partners to deter Chinese aggression in the region now.

Navy Lookout – The US Navy has confirmed that its planned Trump-class guided-missile battleship, whose lead ship would be USS Defiant, will be nuclear-powered. The propulsion decision could have consequences extending beyond the BB(X) programme (now redesignated BBGN), placing additional pressure on US aircraft-carrier construction and the naval nuclear industrial base, with potential second-order implications for AUKUS and the submarine programmes of Australia and Britain.

National Defense – Traditional sea mine countermeasures tend to flounder in contested environments, and the Navy is looking to add more autonomy to its demining practices.

(Thanks to Alain)

CIMSEC – Congress already requires long-range reporting for ships and aircraft because force structure cannot be understood in a single fiscal year. Readiness and risk evolve over similarly long periods. Yet no comparable statutory mechanism exists to track the condition of the fleet, the persistence of readiness deficiencies, or the consequences of failing to address them.

CIMSEC – Recent naval operations in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz have demonstrated that the United States Navy remains extraordinarily capable in combat. Precision strike operations, integrated air and missile defense, continuous maritime presence, and sophisticated joint operations have reinforced the credibility of American naval power. By nearly any operational measure, the force has performed at a very high level under demanding conditions.

That success should not be mistaken for proof of how the Navy would perform in prolonged conflict against a peer adversary. The true benchmark in high-end warfare against a peer is whether naval power can be sustained over the course of a prolonged Pacific conflict. Therefore, it is important to establish a framework for examining the details that will determine success in protracted conflict. The framework suggests that success hinges on distributed forward-based logistics, renewed emphasis on neglected warfare competencies, and sufficient operational depth in munitions, ships, and manpower.

CIMSEC – The first week of June 2026 marked a seminal event in the history of sleep and fatigue in the military. The Department of War (DOW) Fatigue Related Management Working Group hosted the first ever Sleep and Fatigue Summit with over 130 experts in the field from all military services, providing a huge burst of momentum in the area of fatigue management as an operational imperative for our warfighters. For the first time in years, there is hope that the military, and especially the Navy, is finally turning a corner in this critical arena. But there remains much work to be done.

CIMSEC – Guam is the westernmost territory of the United States in the Pacific region. The Congressional Research Service notes that Guam is closer to Beijing than Hawaii, making it vital to the United States’ national defense for air and naval operations in the Indo-Pacific region. The Port of Guam is designated as one of eighteen National Port Readiness Network commercial seaports. Military and civilian logistical experts believe that Guam will be a critical logistical hub for any conflict in the Asia-Pacific. Despite the geographic importance of the island, Guam’s logistical capacity is far below the needs of the United States in the event of a conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.

CIMSEC – Congress already requires long-range reporting for ships and aircraft because force structure cannot be understood in a single fiscal year. Readiness and risk evolve over similarly long periods. Yet no comparable statutory mechanism exists to track the condition of the fleet, the persistence of readiness deficiencies, or the consequences of failing to address them.

Breaking Defense – In this op-ed, Steven Wills of the Center for Maritime Security rebuts the idea that the US Navy shoulders the blame for instability around the critical waterway off the coast of Iran.

USNI News – Big deck amphibious ship USS Tripoli (LHA-7), lead ship of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group, wrapped up on Wednesday a six-month patrol that took the group to the Indo-Pacific and Middle East.

Defense News – Concerned by the lack of docks on the West Coast that can service large vessels such as aircraft carriers, the U.S. Navy is moving forward with plans to build a new dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

Breaking Defense – The mission has not succeeded in its core goals, and it’s using up military manpower and munitions at a time when the US is stretched on both, writes Daniel R. DePetris.

The War Zone – Saronic, the company that makes the first sea drones ever to be used as kinetic weapons by American forces, announced it will build a big new shipyard in Brownsville, Texas where they plan to construct an array of crewed and uncrewed ships as big as 850 feet. It is a big step for a company whose largest vessel is a 180-foot drone boat called Marauder.

The War Zone – What looks to be the largest at-sea replenishment ship anywhere in the world is taking shape at a Chinese shipyard.

Defense News – The U.S. Navy’s expensive effort to install hypersonic missiles on three Zumwalt-class destroyers is two years behind schedule, according to government auditors.

Breaking Defense – Why can’t the world’s most powerful military secure the Strait against a country that has no navy?

US Navy – As part of the ongoing Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026 naval exercises, a Splash Industries Typhoon Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) successfully landed in the well deck of the Wasp-class Landing Helicopter Dock USS Essex (LHD-2), marking the first instance of a USV performing an underway replenishment for a larger, crewed vessel.

The War Zone – More than 20 U.S. Navy warships, including two carrier strike groups and an amphibious ready group, are underway in the Middle East.

USNI News – The U.S. will resume its blockade of Iranian ports, coasts and ships, according to a Monday announcement from U.S. Central Command, signaling an end to the 60-day ceasefire between Iran and Washington.

USNI News – Three Saronic Corsair unmanned surface craft were used in a Sunday attack on an Iranian port, U.S. Central Command announced on social media.

Naval News – The US Navy (USN) is seeking “seabed superiority” in both offensive and defensive operations around the ocean floor as part of enhancing asymmetric advantage in underwater warfare, the USN’s Commander, Submarine Force (COMSUBFOR) told the annual Combined Naval Event 2026 (CNE26) conference.