Surface Warfare News

Amphibious Squadron Eight (PHIBRON 8) held a change of command ceremony aboard Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) at Naval Station Norfolk, June 26.

Vice Adm. Doug G. Perry, commander of U.S. 2nd Fleet, is welcomed aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during a multilateral maritime exercise in the Atlantic Ocean, June 25, 2026. Nimitz is underway taking part in Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250, a series of structured multilateral training events at-sea, aimed at building cohesiveness, validating tactical procedures, and strengthening the interoperability of participating units—which include warships, aircraft, and crews from

Twenty-six ships from 13 partner and allied nations steam in formation with Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) as part of Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250 in the Atlantic Ocean, June 25, 2026. Nimitz is underway taking part in Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250, a series of structured multilateral training events at-sea, aimed at building cohesiveness, validating tactical procedures, and strengthening the interoperability of participating units—which include warships, aircraft, and crews fr

Twenty-six ships from 13 partner and allied nations steam in formation with Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) as part of Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250 in the Atlantic Ocean, June 25, 2026. Nimitz is underway taking part in Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250, a series of structured multilateral training events at-sea, aimed at building cohesiveness, validating tactical procedures, and strengthening the interoperability of participating units—which include warships, aircraft, and crews fr

William F. Mahan, Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) for Research, Development, and Acquisition told an audience of lawmakers and industry partners on Capitol Hill today that the nation urgently needed to modernize and restore America’s maritime industrial base.

TROY, New York--The last of 500 New York National Guard Soldiers who deployed to the Middle East with the headquarters of the 42nd Infantry Division returned to New York from their active-duty deployment at the beginning of June. The Soldiers mobilized at the end of May in 2025 to serve as the command headquarters for Task Force Spartan, the Army’s 10,000- Soldier force in the region. The New York National Guard Soldiers were deployed in this role when President Donald Trump made the decision to

his month, the 597th Transportation Brigade (ARTRANS) "Rapid Support" team of Soldiers and civilian professionals executed an intensive, multi-day End-to-End Deployment Tabletop Exercise (TTX) at Fort Eustis, Virginia. Aligned with Major General Lance G. Curtis's strategic directive that "rapid mobility is the decisive factor" in Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO), the training event served as a critical platform to pressure-test the systems, commercial seaport integrations, and surface distri

Rear Adm. Marcos Jasso asumes command of Carrier Strike Group 9 from Rear Adm. Wilson Marks during a change of command ceremony aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), June 24, 2026.

NAVAL BASE GUAM (June 15, 2026) – Capt. Shawn William relieved Capt. John T. Frye as commanding officer of U.S. Naval Base Guam (NBG) during a Change of Command ceremony held June 12 at the NBG Chapel.

Imagine you are the commanding officer (CO) of a guided-missile destroyer in a war with a peer competitor. For months, your crew has spent more time in General Quarters than any other condition. You are exhausted, and your remaining mental bandwidth is focused on fighting the ship. Despite the wartime stress, routine tasks still need […]

The U.S. Navy took delivery of two modernized destroyers, USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) and USS James E. Williams (DDG 95), ahead of schedule through accelerated acquisition, planning, and execution milestones led by the service’s new Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) Maritime office. Both ships completed their combat system sea trials, calibrations, and shakedowns successfully and ahead ... The post U.S. Navy Accepts Two Modernized Destroyers Ahead of Schedule appeared first on Naval News.

Ukraine’s Global Mark has just unveiled its first-ever Extra-Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV) at the Eurosatory 2026 defense exhibition in Paris: the Sea Trident ST-1000. Known previously for their aerial drones and powerful electronic warfare (EW) systems, Global Mark is taking things below the surface. This steel-hulled, oval-shaped underwater beast is built for heavy-duty strikes, ... The post Video: Ukraine’s Massive New Underwater Drone – Sea Trident ST-1000 appeared first on Naval

At Eurosatory 2026, Hanwha Systems’ new Striker Medium Uncrewed Surface Vessel (MUSV) stood out as one of the few concepts aimed at bringing missile firepower to an autonomous naval platform. Tayfun Ozberk story, additional reporting by Xavier Vavasseur Displayed at the company’s booth, the Striker-S represents a departure from the small explosive-laden surface drones. Instead, ... The post Hanwha Unveils Striker MUSV Family at Eurosatory 2026 appeared first on Naval News.

On June 23, 2026, North Korea formally commissioned its largest-ever warship, the lead vessel of the 5,000-ton Choe Hyon-class guided-missile destroyers, while also outlining plans to follow the program with a new class of 10,000-ton cruisers. On June 23, 2026, North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – DPRK) formally commissioned its largest-ever warship, the ... The post North Korea Commissions First Guided-Missile Destroyer, Plans Cruiser appeared first on Naval News.

HGH, a global leader in electro-optical and infrared solutions, announces a new major contract with EDGE Group’s naval arm, Abu Dhabi Ship Building PJSC (ADSB), to equip eight Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) under the Kuwait Navy’s AL DORRA program with its advanced SPYNEL 360° infrared surveillance systems. HGH press release The new contract builds on the long-standing ... The post HGH to provide SPYNEL surveillance systems for Kuwait Navy’s AL DORRA OPV Program appeared first on Naval News.

The joint Belgian-Dutch replacement Mine Countermeasures (rMCM) programme continues to make progress towards demonstrating its full stand-off mine warfare capability before the end of 2026, with recent ship and system deliveries paving the way for a critical phase of operational integration. Speaking at the recent Navy Leaders Combined Naval Event (CNE) 2026, Commander Pierre Van ... The post Belgian-Dutch rMCM programme enters critical integration phase appeared first on Naval News.

The German Ministry of Defense has decided to discontinue the construction of six F126-class frigates, as the ministry announced in a recent statement. The cancellation is attributed to significant project delays and the foreseeable cost increases and risks associated with changing the general contractor. Hartpunkt had already reported on corresponding rumors on June 23, 2026. ... The post Germany is cancelling the F126 frigate project and procuring eight MEKO frigates appeared first on Naval Ne

The third FDI frigate for the Hellenic Navy, HS Formion (F603), started her first sea trials on June 22nd setting sail from the Lorient shipyard. According to Naval Group, the FDI HN program is progressing smoothly and 2026 marks several miletones. The French Shipbuilder announced the start of sea trials for HS Formion on social media. ... The post Hellenic Navy’s Third FDI Frigate HS Formion Begins Sea Trials appeared first on Naval News.

The transfer comes after the military revealed that China discreetly deployed a 6x6 meter floating platform equipped with an antenna at Scarborough Shoal.

Germany Navy leaders have already blessed the fallback ships as capable of meeting NATO capability requirements, but an alliance deadline looms.

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao revealed that Naval Station Norfolk will be “powered from an aircraft carrier" sometime this summer.

Sweden picked the French vessel due to a combination of quick delivery time, an active production line and proven air-defense capabilities, officials said.

The world’s largest aircraft carrier is finally returning home after etching its name into Navy history books.

The service released its fiscal 2027 shipbuilding plan on Monday, outlining the possibility of the U.S. manufacturing ships at foreign shipyards.

The record-breaking deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford has reopened the debate about how the Navy should structure deployments and time at home.

France on Wednesday deployed its carrier strike group to the Red Sea as part of planning for a potential mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

The Royal Navy has been conducting back-to-back monitoring operations, tracking Russian warships in and around UK waters for almost three months, and that vigil continues today. Here we summarise recent efforts. OPVs HMS Tyne, Severn and Mersey, together with minehunter HMS Ledbury and Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland, tracked RFS Admiral Grigorovich through May and […] The post Royal Navy maintains continuous 3-month watch on Russian warships in UK waters first appeared on Navy Lookout.

A multinational mine countermeasures force led by the Royal Navy has reached the Middle East. RFA Lyme Bay and German warships, escorted by HMS Dragon, have passed safely through the Red Sea, though any clearance operation remains tied to political conditions. On completion of exercises off Cyprus, RFA Lyme Bay, now configured as an Afloat […] The post Royal Navy ready for Middle East mine clearance mission first appeared on Navy Lookout.

USS Nimitz completes its Southern Seas tour and the USS George Washington makes a show of force in the Pacific. The post Where Are The Aircraft Carriers: June 22, 2026 appeared first on TWZ.

In 2019, the MoD set aside £35 million to develop a Littoral Strike Ship (LSS), a deliberately low-cost vessel built around commando raiding operations but the idea faded as amphibious thinking consolidated into a single large programme – the Multi-Role Strike Ship. With the Royal Navy now both RN financially constrained and more doctrinally inclined […] The post Should the Royal Navy reconsider the Littoral Strike Ship concept? first appeared on Navy Lookout.

Tearing apart a nuclear-powered warship is a whole lot more costly and time-consuming than a conventionally powered one. The post Navy Finally Seeking To Dispose Of USS Long Beach, The World’s First Nuclear-Powered Cruiser appeared first on TWZ.

A Russian frigate has fired warning shots at a British-flagged civilian yacht in the English Channel, in the most direct military confrontation between Russia and the UK in home waters in recent memory. The incident follows the Royal Navy’s seizure of a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the same waters just days earlier. The British […] The post Russian frigate RFS Admiral Grigorovich fires warning shots at a British yacht first appeared on Navy Lookout.

North Korea commissioned its largest warship to date, the 5,000-ton destroyer Choe Hyon (51), in a ceremony Tuesday in the port city Nampho. The first-in-class Choe Hyon was built at Nampho Shipyard and launched on April 25, 2025. Prior to its commissioning, Choe Hyon conducted a number of sea trials and weapons tests, several of which were overseen by North Korea leader Kim Jong Un. “Today, June 23, 2026, is witnessing the first page being written in a new chapter of our Navy’s history of safeg

The following is the June 16, 2026, Congressional Research Service report U.S.-Panama Relations: Overview and Issues for Congress. From the Report The United States and Panama generally have maintained close relations since Panama’s independence in 1903. Close bilateral ties are largely rooted in the extensive linkages developed between the two countries when the United States controlled the Panama Canal and Panama hosted several U.S. military installations. The United States constructed and ope

The U.S. kicked off this week multinational exercise Valiant Shield 2026 and Marine Corps-Japan Ground Self-Defense Force exercise Resolute Dragon 26, two major Western Pacific exercises. Led by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Valiant Shield 2026 began Monday and will run through July 1, taking place in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Japan, and at sea around the Mariana Islands Range Complex. The biennial field training exercise is focused on integrating interoperability trai

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The latest tranche of American-made and funded drones were formally received by Philippine forces this week ahead of Washington’s larger plans to equip the Southeast Asian ally with asymmetric capabilities that could prove crucial in monitoring and deterring Beijing in the South China Sea. Four Ocean Aero Triton autonomous underwater and surface vehicles were delivered on Monday to the Philippine Navy as part of Washington’s drone-focused asymmetric capabilities program. Th

Four people have been taken to the hospital after a Coast Guard helicopter crashed on Monday in southeast Alaska, the service announced. The MH-60 Jayhawk was on a training flight originating at Coast Guard Air Station Sitka before going down near Harbor Mountain around 10:07 a.m. local time. “Rescue crews from Sitka Fire and Rescue arrived on scene at approximately 11:00 a.m. and transported all four crew members to Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center,” reads a statement from the Coast Guard. “No deat

The U.S. struck a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean on Sunday, the first strike in the area since early May. The strike, conducted by the Joint Task Force Southern Spear, killed two men. Another six men survived the initial strike, with U.S. Coast Guard activating search and rescue operations. Rescue Coordination Center Venezuela took over the operations, according to an X post by Coast Guard Atlantic Area. U.S. Southern Command’s post on X did not indicate where in the Caribbean the strike o

China’s Liaoning Carrier Strike Group returned Monday to its homeport of Qingdao, concluding a 40-day deployment to the South China Sea and Philippine Sea, the People’s Liberation Army Navy announced. “Back to Port: A Chinese PLA Navy’s task force led by aircraft carrier Liaoning (Hull 16) completed its 40-odd open-sea combat training in the South China Sea and the Western Pacific Ocean, and returned to home port in east China’s Qingdao city on Monday,” reads an announcement on the PLA’s officia

These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of June 22, 2026, based on Navy and public data. In cases in which a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship. Total Battle Force Deployed Underway 292 (USS 233, USNS 59) 103 (USS 74, USNS 29) (39 FDNF, 64 Rotational) 80 (60 Deployed, 20 Local) In the Philippine Sea Aircraft carrier USS George Washi

The following is a summary of major ship movements and exercises in the Western Pacific over the last week. En route to Hawaii Ships from various nations are transiting the Western Pacific en route to the U.S. Navy’s Rim of the Pacific 2026 exercise, which will be held in Hawaii from Jun. 24-Jul. 12, with several ships linking up for group sails. On June 12, Philippine Coast Guard offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301), Philippine Navy frigate BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06), Japan Mar

Forces with Joint Task Force Southern Spear struck an alleged drug boat in the Eastern Pacific, killing three men, on Thursday. The strike was the 65th since President Donald Trump announced the first ones in September 2025. At least 208 people have been killed, including the three men from Thursday’s strike and three from a strike on Tuesday. Tuesday’s strike initially left two survivors, USNI News previously reported. The Coast Guard called off search and rescue operations after 20 hours and a

The United States has lifted the naval blockade against Iranian ports and coastlines, U.S. Central Command announced via social media site X. The lifting of the blockade comes as Washington and Tehran sign a 60-day memorandum of understanding between the two the U.S. and Iran, ending hostilities while negotiators continue to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. U.S. naval assets will remain in the Middle East “to make sure that all aspects of the agreement are adhered to, obeyed and in full force and

Senate authorizers want the Navy to continue pursuing the next-generation destroyer, in addition to the new Trump-class battleship, USNI News has learned. The Senate Armed Services Committee thinks the Navy must keep developing DDG(X) as planned to follow the Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyers, according to the explanatory report accompanying the panel’s draft of the Fiscal Year 2027 defense policy bill. The report language says the Navy needs DDG(X) so it has a platform to succeed the Fl

The U.S. Army is deploying drone boats to guard its logistics vessels in the Philippines as the service trains to sustain forces in the first island chain. Fielded during this year’s army-to-army Salaknib exercise, the use of these unmanned vessels comes under the service’s broader efforts in the Western Pacific to experiment with new formations, technology and tactics that could prove crucial during a conflict with China. Troops from the Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division deployed at least thr

The following is the report accompanying the Senate Armed Service’s Committee’s Draft of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, published June 17, 2026. From the Report Purpose of the Bill This bill would: (1) Authorize appropriations for (a) procurement, (b) research, development, test, and evaluation, (c) operation and maintenance and the revolving and management funds of the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2027; (2) Authorize the personnel end strengths for each milita

Destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG-57) returned Tuesday to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., following a historic 11-month deployment. During Mitscher’s 327-day deployment, the destroyer integrated with the Gerald R. Ford and Abraham Lincoln carrier strike groups, as well as the U.K. Prince of Wales strike group, in U.S. 5th and 6th fleets. Mitscher conducted its pre-deployment certification with the Ford CSG but departed on July 25, 2025, as an independent deployer. Equipped with the Aegis combat system, Mi

Forces with Joint Task Force Southern Spear struck a suspected drug boat late Tuesday, U.S. Southern Command announced.  The strike killed one man and left two survivors. U.S. Coast Guard activated search and rescue operations, but the SOUTHCOM post did not include an update on the men’s status.  The U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats have now killed 203 people, although the total is likely higher as many of the survivors of strikes are presumed dead.  Tuesday’s strike was in the Eastern Pacific

The George Washington Carrier Strike Group pulled into Guam on Tuesday marking the strike group’s first port visit of its spring patrol. The George Washington CSG, which includes aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) with embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) and destroyers USS Benfold (DDG-65) and USS Shoup (DDG-86), arrived Tuesday in Guam for a scheduled port visit, according to a Navy news release. “Guam remains a critical nexus for the Navy’s carrier

The following is the June 9, 2026, Congressional Research Service report Russian Military Activities in Asia: Combined Military Exercises and Patrols.  From the Report Introduction and Issues for Congress Russia has multifaceted diplomatic, economic, and security interests in Asia, including with respect to relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC, or China). U.S. officials have expressed concern regarding Russia’s military activities in the Asia-Pacific region and the increase in Russ

The following is the June 15, 2026, Government Accountability Office report to Congress on Robotic Autonomous Systems: Navy Needs to Address Leadership and Organizational Challenges to Meet Urgent Needs. The report was given to the Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee.  From the Report What GAO found Recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East prove that robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) are disrupting naval warfare and challenging traditional naval super

Senators want to bolster security assistance to Taiwan and the Philippines through a reorganization of existing efforts, the formation of a war reserve stockpile and a strategy for crisis management in the South China Sea. The Senate Armed Services Committee’s markup for the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorized a significant reorganization that will loop Taiwan and the Philippines into a joint defense scheme dubbed the First Island Chain Security Cooperation Initiative. This

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressional defense committees voted to pump the brakes on the Trump administration’s push to buy foreign-built warships, USNI News has learned. House and Senate authorizers and House appropriators are placing limitations on the executive’s ability to pursue foreign warship designs built in allied shipyards abroad. The Senate Armed Services Committee’s mark of the Fiscal Year 2027 defense policy bill removes the presidential waiver authority from Title 10 that allows the com

The U.S. blockade of Iranian ports will remain in effect until Friday when the agreement between the U.S. and Iran to end hostilities will be signed by representatives from the two countries. Ships that are attempting to visit Iranian ports should comply with orders from the U.S. Navy, reads a Joint Maritime Information Center news release published Monday. “Masters are advised to take special caution not to endanger their crews during blockade enforcement actions by failing to abide by instruct

U.K. forces interdicted a Russian shadow tanker on Sunday in the English Channel, marking the country’s first seizure since announcing in March that the U.K. military had been given authority to interdict and board shadow fleet ships. MT Smyrtos was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency in a military operation that lasted six hours, the Ministry of Defense announced late Sunday. In a post on his official X account, U.K. Prime Minister Keir

These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of June 15, 2026, based on Navy and public data. In cases in which a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship. Total Battle Force Deployed Underway 292 (USS 233, USNS 59) 103 (USS 73, USNS 30) (37 FDNF, 66 Rotational) 87 (66 Deployed, 21 Local) In the Philippine Sea Aircraft carrier USS George Washi

The Coast Guard and Eastern Shipbuilding have reached an agreement to terminate a 10-year-old agreement to build the service’s Offshore Patrol Cutters, USNI News has learned. “The Coast Guard has reached an agreement with the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) Stage 1 shipbuilder to close out the contract,” the service said in a Friday statement to USNI News. “The Coast Guard will acquire and deliver the OPC class as fast as possible to address the nation’s security and safety needs, while maintaining

The Navy is turning to commercial contractors for more duties during the upcoming refueling and complex overhaul of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) in order to free up more time for sailors, USNI News has learned. Previously, sailors assigned to a ship in RCOH would be assigned supplementary, non-rate specific duties, such as painting, insulating or transportation services. Now, those duties will be given to contractors, and sailors will be able to use the time for training and operational readines

The following is the June 9, 2026, Congressional Research Service report, The U.S.-South Korea Alliance. From the Report The U.S.-South Korea (Republic of Korea, or ROK) alliance dates to the 1950-1953 Korean War, during which more than 36,000 Americans died in-theater helping South Korea repel an invasion by North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK) intended to reunify the country under communist rule. An Armistice Agreement was signed in 1953, the same year the United States

NATO kicked off maritime exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2026 this week with 20 ships and 6,000 personnel from 15 NATO nations – fewer than BALTOPS 2025 owing to the NATO naval assets wrapped up in the Middle East. U.S. Sixth Fleet, which leads the exercise, said in a press release that, for the first time since 1972, the exercise will be command-and-controlled from Allied Joint Force Command (JFC) Brunssum to realistically imitate NATO command structure. “BALTOPS forms for us three vital t

The Littoral Combat Ship USS Indianapolis (LCS-17) suffered an in-port fire on Wednesday while in port at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., USNI News has learned. Seven sailors were taken to area hospitals, treated for minor injuries and released. “All have since been released and cleared to return to the ship that same afternoon. The cause of the incident is being reviewed,” reads a statement from U.S. Naval Surface Force Atlantic to USNI News. The fire began around 11:30 a.m., and the ship’s compan

Efforts are underway to expand U.S. aircraft and drone capacity at a Philippine air base used by Washington to monitor the South China Sea and assist Manila’s defensive needs, USNI News has learned. The Airbus commercial satellite imagery, publicly shared on Google Earth, shows a clearing has been made at the northwest end of Basa Air Base that matches plans previously published on project solicitation documents detailing the project. These construction efforts were initially approved in 2023 th

The Pentagon’s planned energy depot in the Philippines will be able to refuel the U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyers and Combat Logistics Force ships, according to new documents. Amendments to the Defense Logistics Agency’s solicitation from last summer have expanded, requiring the bidder to provide fueling support for Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, fleet replenishment oilers, dry cargo vessels and fast combat support ships. These vessels have historically relied on facilities in Luzon at Su

Iran War Topic Week By Rustam Taghizade The Strategic Paradox When the Trump administration granted India a 30-day waiver on March 5 to purchase Russian oil, the formal justification was straightforward: stabilize global energy markets after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. Yet beneath the surface, a deeper story unfolded. The waiver revealed a … Continue reading The Hormuz Closure and the Limits of Sanctions: How Russia Benefited from Iran’s Chokepoint Weapon →

Iran War Topic Week By Bruce Randolph Tizes Most analysis of the U.S.-Iran maritime war will focus on carrier strike group positioning, IRGC small-boat tactics, Marine Corps Stand-in Forces, and the operational lessons of contested chokepoints. Those analyses are necessary. They also miss a dimension Iran has built as deliberately as its mine and drone … Continue reading The Insurance Chokepoint: War-Risk Pricing as an Instrument of Maritime Coercion →

Iran War Topic Week By Admiral Massimo Vianello (Ret.) and Master Chief Petty Officer Giovanni Giorguli (Ret.) The conflict between Iran and the Israel-United States alliance confirms that conventional armed forces must currently confront asymmetric threats that subvert the logic of traditional power projection. In the maritime domain, naval mines, sabotage, and unmanned systems (UAVs, … Continue reading Hormuz and the Era of Asymmetry: Sea Mines, Unmanned Systems, and the Redefinition of Naval

Iran War Topic Week By James Jackson Operation Epic Fury began on February 28, 2026, with objectives unrelated to commercial shipping: destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles and their manufacturing plants, destroy its navy, sever its proxies, and foreclose a nuclear weapon. The strait was open when the bombs fell. On March 4, Iran closed the strait … Continue reading The Price of Doubt: Sea Control in the Strait of Hormuz →

By Dmitry Filipoff For the next two weeks, CIMSEC will be featuring writing submitted to our Call for Articles on maritime conflict with Iran.  The maritime domain has featured prominently in the Iran War and heavily shaped negotiations over the post-war future. The world economy has been strongly affected, with the military contest over the … Continue reading Iran War Series Kicks Off on CIMSEC →

By Jason Wang, Marvin Bernardo, Pei-Jhen Wu, and Andrew S. Erickson 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 … Continue reading China Is Rehearsing More Than Amphibious Landings →

By Captain Kevin Eyer, USN (Ret.) Amphibious Command Reform In an April 24, 2026 directive, Chief of Naval Operations Daryl Caudle ordered that, beginning in Fiscal Year 2028, command of all amphibious warships will be assigned exclusively to Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs). This includes Landing Helicopter Assault (LHA), Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD), Amphibious Transport Dock … Continue reading SWOs Assume Amphibious Command: Why it Matters →

By Valery Bonakhau Financial warfare is conventionally understood as an instrument applied to declared, identifiable assets. Common tactics include freezing accounts, cutting off correspondent banking access, and market delisting of entities. The Hormuz conflict of March 2026 introduced a structurally distinct mechanism operating on none of those principles. What follows is an analysis of that … Continue reading The Weapon of Frozen Assets: A New Instrument of Maritime Financial Warfare →

By W. Alejandro Sánchez Written by Wilder Alejandro Sanchez, The Southern Tide addresses maritime security issues throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. It discusses the challenges regional navies face including limited defense budgets, inter-state tensions, and transnational crimes. It also examines how these challenges influence current and future defense strategies, platform acquisitions, and relations with global powers. Analyses … Continue reading Latin America: Donations and Sales of

By Bruce Stubbs In 2022, Congress established the independent National Commission on the Future of the Navy to conduct two overarching studies, one examining naval force structure and the other focused on shipbuilding and innovation.[1] The former will recommend the size and composition of the Navy, while the latter will identify opportunities to better integrate … Continue reading Five Issues for the National Commission on the Future of the Navy →

By George Galdorisi Perspective Military leaders often use military-industry conferences to unveil new strategies. Coming on the heels of a new National Security Strategy (NSS) issued in December 2025 and a National Defense Strategy (NDS) issued in January 2026, the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Daryl Caudle, revealed the Navy’s strategy designed to support … Continue reading Four Fleet Designs: Which Navy is Best for America? →

By Helge Adrians Recent conflicts in the Middle East highlight how maritime kill chains from ashore impose risk on global shipping. However, Western navies have yet to fully grasp that within these loosely integrated sensor-to-shooter networks, land-based Anti-Ship Missile (AShM) systems have become the decisive instruments by which littoral actors — both state and non-state … Continue reading Selective Sea Denial: The Rise of Land-based Anti-Ship Missiles as Political Instruments →

By Greg Malandrino and Aaron Marchant Operation Epic Fury raises many questions about how well the U.S. military is prepared for the character of a 21st-century great-power war against the People’s Republic of China. While it appears too early to assess the results of this latest war or the effectiveness of the U.S. naval blockade … Continue reading Maritime Cost Imposition: A New Approach to Great Power War →

By Kevin Eyer Between January 13 and 15, the 38th Annual Surface Navy Symposium convened in Crystal City, Virginia, offering a detailed look at the state of the surface fleet. Senior leaders—from the Secretary of the Navy to the Chief of Naval Operations and the Commander of Fleet Forces Command—delivered formal presentations outlining priorities and … Continue reading Lost in the Small Surface Combatant Wilderness →

By Franciszek Kopczewski In January and February 2025, Chinese-operated ships Shunxing 39 and Hong Tai 58 committed similar sabotage tactics. Both ships dragged their anchors for miles, intentionally targeting and cutting the critical undersea cables that connect Taiwan to the global internet. This was not an isolated incident of maritime negligence. These vessels were employing … Continue reading The Aramid Shield: Snare Drones for an Active Undersea Defense Capability →

By Bruce Stubbs I. Introduction “Whether you build a Navy for high consequence, low probability or low consequence, high probability scenarios — in either case you’re left with an over or undersubscribed force that’s sub-optimized to address specific use cases which may never come to bear.” —Admiral Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations, 2026 Professor … Continue reading A Four-Ocean Navy: A Wrong Solution to the Right Problem →

Articles Due: June 1, 2026 Week Dates: June 15-19, 2026 Story Length: 1,5000-3,000 Words Submit to: [email protected] The United States and Iran are at war, with a vital waterway dominating strategic concerns. A fight over the Strait of Hormuz has been a prominent naval scenario for more than 40 years since the U.S. and Iran fought … Continue reading Call for Articles: Maritime War with Iran →

By Roger Misso We all know the drill. It is 0700 on a Tuesday. The command has been secured. Your division officer, perhaps slightly sheepish, hands you the slip. Your name is on it. You, a trusted technician, a decorated watchstander, a pilot trusted with a hundred-million-dollar aircraft, are now required to march down to … Continue reading Ditch the Cup: End the Navy’s Random Urinalysis Program →

By Frank Bell The Strait of Hormuz does not need to be made safe to reopen global shipping. It only needs to be made governable. Even as the United States has begun striking selected Iranian military targets—including recent operations against military facilities on Kharg Island—the fundamental challenge in the Gulf remains unchanged: restoring predictable commercial … Continue reading A Temporary Corridor Strategy for Hormuz →

By Giacomo Leccese  On 23 February 2026, the Council of the EU decided to extend the mandate of the EU naval operation EUNAVFOR Aspides, launched in March 2024 to safeguard the sea lines of communication (SLOC) in the Red Sea and protect European commercial vessels from Houthi attacks. Aspides has marked the most demanding naval … Continue reading “With the Shield, or On It?”: Aspides and the EU’s Aspirations for Sea Control →

By Commander Ander S. Heiles, USN In January 1991, Chinese military officers watched CNN footage of the United States dismantling the Iraqi Army and experienced what one People’s Liberation Army (PLA) analyst later called a “psychological nuclear attack.” Desert Storm displayed every capability the PLA lacked, and China had no choice but to begin remaking … Continue reading Desert Storm Made the PLA. What is the Iran War Making? →

By Austin McLaughlin The world’s preeminent naval power launched a vast armada west to secure distant allies from a threatening rival. It underestimated the enemy’s resolve. The rival rallied, repelled the invaders, and left the naval power reeling—its fleet shattered, alliances frayed, and homeland stunned. This isn’t a U.S.-China clash in the Taiwan Strait, but … Continue reading The Sicilian Expedition: Lessons from an Ancient Disaster →

By Dan White and Hunter Stires Dan White: China’s behavior in the South China Sea, along with efforts to highlight it such as the Philippines Transparency Initiative, and deter it such as the Maritime Counterinsurgency Project do appear to be changing public opinion. This year 51.6% of respondents to the State of Southeast Asia 2025 … Continue reading Defending Global Order Against China’s Maritime Insurgency – Part 2 →

By Connor Keating In April 2025, Admiral Samuel Paparo delivered his annual posture statement to the House Armed Services Committee, arguing that the United States must invest in several capabilities to remain competitive in the Indo-Pacific: command, control, computing, communications, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting (C5ISRT); counter-C5ISRT (C‑C5ISRT); fires; integrated air and missile defense … Continue reading Hedge with Non-Kinetic Defense →

By Joe Durigan and Craig Whiteside Since 2022, Russia has sharply increased its employment of illegal/coercive/aggressive/deceptive (ICAD) maritime tactics in the Baltic Sea, often loosely referred to as “gray zone” activities. Assessing Russian hostility toward Europe, new NATO chief Mark Rutte recently noted that “Russia is already escalating its covert campaign against our societies” and … Continue reading Russia’s Irregular Maritime Statecraft in the Baltic Sea →

By Eva Prokofiev Thousands of commercial and private vessels transit the world’s oceans daily, broadcasting positional data, transmitting communications through exploitable unencrypted satellite communications, and connecting to shoreside networks with minimal security. Adversaries do not need to build dedicated collection strategies when the commercial fleet functions as a distributed sensor network accessible to anyone with … Continue reading The Unwitting Fleet →

By Derek S. Reveron Rethinking America’s Strategic Map When Americans think about how the United States engages the world, we instinctively reach for maps. Our government bureaucracies are organized this way: regional bureaus at the State Department, unified commands at the Department of Defense, and component commands within the Navy. We have neatly drawn boundaries … Continue reading Why America Needs a Four-Ocean Navy →

By David Scott Operation Highmast, running from April to November 2025, took a UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG), led by HMS Prince of Wales, over 40,000 nautical miles to the Sea of Japan and back. The CSG consisted of five UK vessels, with eight others joining the CSG at various stages from other navies. Three … Continue reading Operation Highmast: UK Eastern Deployment for a “Two-Carrier Navy” →

The second day of the conference began with a panel discussing polarization trends in different regions of the world. Panelists included Commander Rachel Gosnell, U.S. Navy, a Foreign Area Officer serving in the U.S. European Command and speechwriter for the 30th Chief of Naval Operation; Dr. Amitav Acharya, the UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and […]

The U.S. Coast Guard is many great things, but equitable in afloat assignments is not one of them. When I began at the Coast Guard Academy (CGA), going afloat was number one on my list of things I most definitely did not want to do. However, that all changed when I got my summer assignment: […]

Armies run on more than what happens at the front. Behind every operation is a vast amount of coordination, administration, logistics, and judgment. Bill Pessin, senior vice president of national security at Salesforce and a former U.S. Army logistics officer, joins Jonathan to discuss how military organizations can use AI agents, what makes these tools different from ordinary software, and why safety and accountability matter when new technology enters national security work. They also discuss

The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup is now well underway, bringing 48 countries’ teams to compete in a soccer tournament co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. With teams from every continent except Antarctica, the 2026 tournament is a truly global event. The World Cup is often hailed as an opportunity for the world to come together and celebrate a shared passion for “the beautiful game” — creating an opportunity every four years for countries to gain attention, shape their reputation, an