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.

The War Zone – The carrier’s rush to the Middle East comes as the military build-up in the region appears to be approaching its crescendo.

USNI News – Fincantieri Marinette Marine, the shipyard that was building the cancelled Constellation-class frigate, will join Bollinger Shipyards in constructing the Marine Corps’ Landing Ship Medium, the Navy announced Wednesday.

The War Zone – The latest flurry of U.S. assets heading to the Middle East includes many of the missing capabilities needed for a sustained air campaign.

Naval News – Derivatives of the AGR-20F FALCO air-to-air missile are being rapidly prototyped to fulfill the urgent low-cost engagement requirement for one-way attack drone swarms numbered in the hundreds.

USNI News – Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), its escorts and embarked Carrier Air Wing 8 have been tasked from their current position in the Caribbean to the Middle East to support a U.S. naval buildup in the region, USNI News has learned.

USNI News – The Trump administration announced its plans Friday for expanding the nation’s commercial shipbuilding and maritime capabilities, a three-pronged approach that calls for bolstering U.S. shipbuilding, increasing the mariner workforce and regulating the industry to encourage use of U.S.-built and flagged vessels.

Breaking Defense – Vice Adm. Brendan McLane said that a medium unmanned surface vessel will deploy alongside the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group that is set to get underway later this year.

USNI News – Guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun (DDG-103) and fast oiler USNS Supply (AOE-6) collided during an underway replenishment on Wednesday, according to a U.S. Southern Command statement. “Two personnel reported minor injuries and are in stable condition. Both ships have reported sailing safely. The incident is currently under investigation.” 

Naval News – Boeing highlighted the anti-ship and mining payloads of its upcoming Joint Direct Attack Munition Long Range (JDAM LR) aboard U.S. B-52H and B-1B strategic bombers.

Breaking Defense – The new Trump-class battleship is needed due to limitations the Navy has found with what it could outfit its destroyers with, requiring the service to find a larger hull size, according to by the service’s top surface warfare officer.