China Maritime Studies Institute – Despite its impressive expansion, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is more of a “decision-taker” than a “decision-maker,” with its growth driven by top-down political directives from leaders like Xi Jinping rather than by its own institutional influence. The PLAN’s bureaucratic influence within the high command remains modest, with minimal representation on the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) or in its subordinate departments. The PLA Army (PLAA) continues to dominate top leadership and management roles, limiting the navy’s ability to compete for resources and influence key decisions despite a strategic shift toward the maritime domain.
Ukraine sinks Russian patrol ship near Novorossiysk
Defence Blog – Ukraine’s navy sank a Russian border guard ship near Novorossiysk using an unmanned strike boat. The Ukrainian Navy said its sailors sank the Rubin-class patrol ship Izumrud (354), a Russian Federal Security Service border guard vessel, using the Sargan-3000, a domestically built unmanned surface strike platform that has entered service with Ukraine’s naval forces over the past year.
(Thanks to Alain)
History in the Making: Ukraine Conducts First Fully Unmanned Amphibious Raid at Kinburn Split
Naval News – The Ukrainian armed forces have reportedly conducted a groundbreaking amphibious raid against Russian-held positions at the Kinburn Split. Executed entirely by unmanned vehicles operating across the sea, land, and air domains, the operation marks the first completely automated amphibious assault in military history conducted under wartime conditions.
Romania Destroys Five Naval Drones in Black Sea
Kyiv Post – Romanian Defense Minister Radu Mîruță announced on Friday, July 10, that authorities have intercepted and destroyed five naval drones in the Black Sea, some of which were armed with explosives. Four of the drones were discovered prior to a June 5 incident where a stray Ukrainian drone exploded in the port of Constanța, with a fifth found subsequently. Mîruță also clarified that the military is not primarily responsible for port security during peacetime, explaining the lack of a separate army report on the Constanța explosion.
(Thanks to Alain)
Here Are The U.S. Navy Warships Available To Support The Blockade Of Iran
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.
U.S. Navy buys drone boats modeled on drug smuggler design
Defence Blog – The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command awarded ReconCraft LLC, a boatbuilder based in Anchorage, Alaska, a $24.96 million contract for autonomous low-profile vessels, a category of uncrewed watercraft the military has openly borrowed from the same low-visibility, semi-submersible design smugglers pioneered to avoid radar and visual detection while running narcotics through open water.
(Thanks to Alain)
Specialized U.S. Marine Corps Group Trains to Defend the Northern Philippines
USNI News – A specialized contingent of Marines have operated in the Northern Philippines over the last three months, honing their ability to monitor maritime movements and lock down strategic waters with anti-ship missiles.
USMC Eyes General Atomics’ Bullseye Cruise Missile to Counter China
Naval News – American lawmakers want to fund a U.S. Marine Corps test of General Atomics’ Bullseye cruise missile in the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act.
The Defence Investment Plan: setting up for failure?
Navy Lookout – The long-delayed Defence Investment Plan finally landed on 30th June, promising £298 billion of defence spending over four years and a transformed Royal Navy. Here we look at the financial profile of the DIP in more detail and consider the implications of both the obvious and the more subtle flaws.
U.S. Reinstates Naval Blockade in Strait of Hormuz
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.
3 Lethal U.S. Drones Attack Iranian Sub, Port Facility
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.
Ukraine Lands Armed Robot Ashore In Russian-Held Territory Via Drone Boat
The War Zone – Described as a first of its kind, the mission could be a glimpse of what’s to come for amphibious operations.
US Navy Seeks ‘Seabed Superiority’ in Undersea Warfare Push
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.
Danish Naval Drone Shows What European Navies Should Do
Covert Shores – A Danish USV manufacturer, Stormborn, has accidently provided an excellent example of how Denmark, and other European Navies, can better monitor increased Russian Naval activity and hybrid warfare operations at sea.
HMCS Ottawa Fires MK 46 Torpedoes with Operational Test of New Underwater Warfare Suite Upgrade (UWSU)
Ready Aye Ready – The UWSU project modernizes the underwater sensor suite across the Halifax-class fleet. Led by General Dynamics Mission Systems–Canada in partnership with Ultra Maritime and other Canadian industry partners, it replaces or upgrades key components to restore and enhance tactical superiority against modern submarines and torpedoes.
The Grid is the Arsenal: Power Wars and the New Foundations of Military Strength
CIMSEC – Just as oil fueled the mechanized warfare of the 20th century, electricity is becoming the foundational resource for militaries of the 21st century. Echoing First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill’s historic decision to switch the Royal Navy from domestic coal to imported oil, today’s energy transition means the ability to generate, store, and deliver electricity will increasingly dictate national power. In order to meet this urgent challenge, the United States government and military must treat grid expansion as a national security priority by creating “Defense Energy Security Zones” to expedite federal permitting, intentionally and aggressively leveraging the Defense Production Act (DPA) to secure critical grid components, and integrating power resilience into how the Pentagon chooses to fund firms that produce munitions and weapon systems.
The Cost of Abandoning Taiwan: How Appeasement Leads to an Outcome Far Worse Than Defeat
CIMSEC – The strategic situation, in other words, is not that the United States might defend Taiwan and suffer severe consequences. It is that choosing not to defend Taiwan would impose even greater long-term costs on American power. The preferred outcome remains a peaceful resolution that maintains preservation of Taiwan’s democratic autonomy and the cross-Strait status quo. But a peaceful appeasement that effectively abandons Taiwan to coercive unification would be cataclysmic for America and the entirety of the western world.
China is Rehearsing More Than Amphibious Landings
CIMSEC – For years, the public debate over a possible Chinese Communist invasion of Taiwan has focused on a single question: Does the People’s Liberation Army have sufficient amphibious lift to move an invasion force across the Taiwan Strait? That question remains important. However, recent Chinese exercises suggest that the People’s Liberation Army is not simply trying to solve the problem of getting forces onto a Taiwanese beach. It is rehearsing how to move, sustain, and conceal a large amphibious campaign across multiple locations.
Iran Series Concludes on CMISEC
CIMSEC – In the last two weeks, CIMSEC featured writing submitted to our Call for Articles on maritime conflict with Iran. Authors covered a wide range of topics, including strategic differences between allies, new paradigms in warfare, and underappreciated yet decisive dimensions of the conflict. The maritime domain has prominently featured in this conflict and exerted a major influence over the terms of war termination. The broader impacts of the war still remain to be seen, but could include a wider degradation of freedom of the seas and lesser readiness for great power conflicts. This war deserves the most careful examination from navies and maritime forces to better understand how the changing character of warfare and global connectivity is evolving the security maritime domain.
Anti-Drone Warfare at Sea: Matching Sensors and Effectors to the Threat
Naval News – Effective Anti-Drone Warfare demands a complete kill chain – detection, identification, tracking, and hard-kill engagement – with every link matched to the physics and economics of the Tier 2 OWA drone threat. This article examines the technology choices for each link: why only AESA radar meets the detection requirement, what the electro-optic director must deliver, and how the principal effector classes compare against the demands of the ADW mission.
XV Excalibur – Royal Navy learning to fight with autonomous submarines
Navy Lookout – The RN’s experimental extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle, XV Excalibur, has entered a new phase of development. MSubs of Plymouth was recently awarded a £6.68 million contract to support the RN trials. We spoke with the company about the programme as the RN moves from learning how to operate XLUUVs to deploying functional payloads.
Australian Naval Shipbuilding At The Henderson Defence Precinct – A Naval News Outline
Naval News – The future Henderson Defence Precinct near Perth in Western Australia is one of two primary shipbuilding and maintenance facilities supporting operations and future growth of the Royal Australian Navy. In this outline Naval News will provide a detailed overview of the present structure at this facility, policy planning for future modernisation and expansion, and finally, some of the most notable challenges in these regards.
Chinese J-15 Fighter Seen Launching From A Carrier With Four Anti-Ship Missiles For First Time
The War Zone – The catapult-equipped Fujian is now unlocking the J-15T’s strike potential.
Supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln Passes 200 Consecutive Days At Sea Mark
The War Zone – The flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3, which is currently operating in the Middle East, has not made a port call since December 2025.
U.K., Partners Commit to ‘Persistent Maritime Presence’ to Counter Russia in High North
USNI News – The U.K.-led Joint Expeditionary Force will advance its integrated maritime enterprise and commit to a persistent maritime presence in the High North, North Atlantic and Baltic to counter Russia’s increasing activities in the region, the Royal Navy announced Thursday.
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