The Guardian – A Nato flotilla likened to “the security camera of the Baltic” has assembled off the coast of Estonia as the military alliance seeks to protect European undersea cables and pipelines from sabotage.
Russia’s Options for Naval Basing in the Mediterranean After Syria’s Tartus
RUSI – Russia’s Mediterranean foothold faces uncertainty, with Tartus’s future hanging in the balance and alternative bases in Libya and Algeria offering limited, politically fraught substitutes.
The Eastern Mediterranean: Cyprus and the Geopolitics of Turkish Irredentism
RUSI – As Turkey asserts its ‘Blue Homeland’ doctrine, Cyprus faces mounting challenges over maritime rights and energy security in an increasingly volatile Eastern Mediterranean.
Littoral Combat Ship Can Now Rapidly Shoot Down Aerial Drones With Hellfire Missiles
The War Zone – Houthi attacks in the Red Sea prompted the Navy to rush the counter-drone Hellfire capability to the Freedom class LCS.
Navy To Simplify Drone Ship Plans, Focus On Containerized Payloads That Look Alike
The War Zone – After spending years charting a way forward to a family of unmanned surface vessels in a specific array of sizes and configurations, the Navy is eyeing a major course alteration that would see it pursuing a simpler and more interchangeable design. According to Rear Adm. William Daly, head of the Navy’s surface warfare division (N96), the wish list is now simple: he wants to amass a large number of these unmanned boats quickly and equip them with payloads that fit in common containers and are designed to confuse the enemy.
Swedish Officials Warn of Hybrid Warfare Threats from Russia, China
USNI News – The Swedish Armed Forces issued a statement this week warning about the threat of hybrid warfare, stating Russia, China and Iran were conducting intelligence operations against Sweden and the nation’s political, military and civil authorities must be prepared for indirect and direct threats. On Sunday, Sweden’s Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, said that while Sweden was not at war, there was no peace either and the country and its neighbors are exposed to hybrid attacks.
Drone Boats Being Rushed To Help Prevent Baltic Seafloor Cable Sabotage
The War Zone – At least 20 drone boats will take part in NATO’s new Baltic Sentry effort spurred by suspected sabotage of undersea cables.
France Decries Russian S-400 Radar Locking Onto Its Maritime Patrol Aircraft Over Baltic Sea
The War Zone – French Navy Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft was illuminated by the fire-control radar of a Russian long-range air defense system, while flying over the Baltic Sea earlier this week, according to France’s Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu.
China’s other new combat aircraft: a crewed fighter, maybe for aircraft carriers
ASPI – Bill Sweetman says Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group’s J-36 scooped up most of the publicity around China’s late-December revelations, but a second combat type, one from Shenyang Aircraft and referred to for now as J-XX, was revealed at the same time.
Houthis Claim 7th Strike on Carrier Truman as Red Sea Conflict Continues
USNI News – The Houthis announced that they targeted the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group on Friday, casting doubt on whether the Yemen-based terrorist group would stop its attacks on ships in the Red Sea following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Navy Warships Have To Leave Red Sea Fight For Weeks To Reload Their Missiles
The War Zone – Such a reality, and its implications for a war with China, are driving the development of the Transferrable Reload At-sea Method used to reload missiles underway.
Iran Unveils New Spy Ship Based On Corvette Hull
The War Zone – While most intelligence-gathering ships are based on commercial designs or specifications, Iran’s new spy ship uses a Mowj class corvette hull.
French Navy Kicks Off La Perouse 2025 Exercise In East Indian Ocean
Naval News – The multinational La Perouse exercise, which takes place every two years, has begun in the eastern Indian Ocean around the Indonesian archipelago. Nine French allied and partner navies are participating. The focus is to train to secure strategic sea lines of communication in the Indo-Pacific.
Russian Ship Sinking: Spy Ship Yantar Diving On Wreck
Naval News – During the forenoon of January 15th, the Russian oceanographic research vessel Yantar arrived in a position 40 nautical miles north of Oran, Algeria, and 216 nautical miles east of Gibraltar.
Navy admiral ‘skeptical’ of Large USV’s future amid congressional scrutiny
Breaking Defense – A senior Navy officer overseeing the service’s investments into unmanned surface vehicles says he’s “skeptical” of fielding the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel.
DDG(X) Next-Generation Destroyer’s Capabilities And Costs Are Solidifying
The War Zone – The Navy’s head of surface warfare says DDG(X) is a “clean-sheet imperative” that will prioritize electricity production, endurance and advanced weapons.
Navy Now Seeking Commercial Ship Design To Propel Its Long-Delayed Medium Landing Ship Program Forward
The War Zone – The Navy halted the Medium Landing Ship effort last month after high cost estimates and is now seeking commercial vessel designs to move Marines in a Pacific fight.
Chinese scientists have dabbled in undersea cable-cutting tech
Defense News – Chinese scientists have been researching ways to cut undersea cables since at least the late 2000s, according to a recent report in the U.S. magazine Newsweek. Reporters at Newsweek uncovered two patent applications Chinese researchers filed for towed undersea cable-cutting devices and associated methods to inflict such damage.
State of Navy’s shipboard laser efforts is embarrassing, says top fleet commander
Breaking Defense – A top Navy fleet commander says the service should be “embarrassed” by the fact it hasn’t managed yet to scale directed energy weapons onboard its ships despite having experimented with the technology since the Reagan administration.
NATO launches Baltic patrol mission, eyes standard for detaining ships
Defense News – Following a series of sabotage incidents against underwater infrastructure, NATO has launched a maritime patrol mission in the Baltic Sea that will include frigates, naval drones, submarines and surveillance aircraft in a show of force against a shadowy fleet of vessels suspected of doing Moscow’s bidding.
The United States Can’t Afford Not to Harden Its Air Bases
War on the Rocks – Executing an effective campaign to enhance the resilience of U.S. airfield operations will require informed decisions to prioritize projects and sustained funding. What is clear, however, is that U.S. airfields do face the threat of attack, and the current approach of largely ignoring this menace invites Chinese aggression and risks losing a war. Passive defenses, including hardening, are essential, and other countries have invested heavily in them to sustain airfield operations amidst attack. It is past time for the United States to do so again.
What The Navy’s Massive Orca Submarine Drone Is Actually Capable Of
The War Zone – We dive deep with the captain in charge of the Orca program on the drone’s current abilities and what it could be capable of in the future.
Super Hornet Incident, Houthi Attacks Help Refine How Surface Force Fights, Say Admirals
USNI News – Training and learning from ships that already spent months in the Red Sea was focus of a panel that included the heads of naval surface forces and aviation at the Surface Navy Association Symposium Tuesday.
Russia’s “Admiral Nakhimov” Battlecruiser Is Returning to the High Seas
The War Zone – It is believed that this iconic boat will split its time between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic, while avoiding the relatively cramped spaces of the Black Sea.
(Thanks to Alain)
Navy Just Revealed Tally Of Surface-To-Air Missiles Fired In Ongoing Red Sea Fight
The War Zone – Navy surface combatants have fired off hundreds of missiles and five-inch shells to repel Houthi drone and missile attacks.
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
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