Navy

MILAN — Sweden has said it will assist NATO in its efforts to bolster the alliance’s presence in the Baltic Sea by providing up to three warships and other defense equipment to help deter any potential sabotage of undersea infrastructure.
The Swedish military will also contribute one of its ASC 890 surveillance aircraft, manufactured by Saab, and the country’s coast guard will deploy four ships to help patrol the area, a government statement said on Jan 12.
This development comes as the military alliance announced last month that it would enhance its naval posture in the Baltic Sea, following increased concerns about possible Russian activities there.
According to Finnish media reports, NATO is likely to send a maximum of ten warships to the area of interest in an attempt to better protect critical underwater infrastructure, which include in part submarine cables as well as power transmission and telecommunication cables.
The Estonian navy has spearheaded the patrol o..

For the U.S. Navy to achieve a proposed plan to expand its fleet of battle force ships, the service would need to spend $40.1 billion on shipbuilding every year through 2054, for a total of more than $1 trillion, according to new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office.
Over the next 30 years, the Navy wants to grow its fleet of battle force ships to 381 to face swelling global threats, according to the service’s most recent proposal. There are currently 295 in the fleet, and that number is expected to drop to 283 ships in 2027, when the Navy is planning to retire 13 more ships than it will commission.
“The pace of shipbuilding would be fastest in the early 2030s, reflecting the service’s desire to increase the size of the fleet as quickly as feasible,” the Congressional Budget Office said of the Navy’s proposal.
The office, which provides cost estimates of proposed legislation, estimated the plan for the future fleet would require Congress to fund t..

MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine security official said Tuesday that China is “pushing us to the wall” with growing aggression in the disputed South China Sea and warned that “all options are on the table” for Manila’s response, including new international lawsuits.
A large Chinese coast guard ship patrolled the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal in recent days and then sailed toward the northwestern coast of the Philippines on Tuesday, coming as close as 77 nautical miles, Philippine officials said in a news conference.
After Singapore summit, a question of US priorities in Asia’s ‘hot zone’
“The presence of the monster ship in Filipino waters … 77 nautical miles from our shoreline, is unacceptable and, therefore, it should be withdrawn immediately by the Chinese government,” Jonathan Malaya, assistant director-general of the National Security Council, said at the news conference alongside senior military and coast guard officials.
“You’re pu..

Raytheon is investing in its Standard Missile 3 lines to accelerate the production rate of the U.S. Navy weapon, as global interest in procuring the capability expands amid successful intercepts against ballistic missile attacks in the Middle East.
Raytheon produces both the SM-3 Block IB and the newer SM-3 Block IIA capable of defeating short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. The SM-3 became combat proven in April 2024 countering missile attacks on Israel from Iran.
The SM-3 Block IIA also played a key role in the Missile Defense Agency’s first test of an initial capability established on Guam to defend the strategic island in the Pacific from possible air and missile threats in the region. The interceptor, fired from a Vertical Launch System on the island, took out a medium-range, air-launched ballistic missile threat target in the test last month.
And while the Missile Defense Agency attempted to end SM-3 Block IB production in its fiscal 2025 budget request in order to pu..

BERLIN — 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. The revelation comes amid a series of events in which undersea infrastructure in geopolitically tense regions was damaged under unclear circumstances.
Reporters at Newsweek uncovered two patent applications Chinese researchers filed for towed undersea cable-cutting devices and associated methods to inflict such damage.
The patent applications, which the magazine reported were both ultimately dropped for unknown reasons, show devices shaped similarly to anchors that are meant to be dragged along the ocean floor to dig up and sever undersea cables.
There is a striking similarity to recent events of purported sabotage of undersea cables by ostensibly civilian vessels dragging their anchors along the seabed. This happened in the Baltic Sea, severing communications and data transfer cables. It has also recently occurre..

MUMBAI, India — India’s navy on Wednesday simultaneously launched a submarine, destroyer and frigate built at a state-run shipyard, underscoring the importance of protecting the Indian Ocean region through which 95% of the country’s trade moves amid a strong Chinese presence.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that the Atlantic Ocean’s importance has shifted to the Indian Ocean region, which is becoming a center of international power rivalry.
“India is giving the biggest importance to making its navy powerful to protect its interests,” he said.
“The commissioning of three major naval combatants marks a significant leap forward in realizing India’s vision of becoming a global leader in defense manufacturing and maritime security,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while commissioning the vessels at the state-run Mazagon dockyard in Mumbai.
India commissions Russian-built warship amid enduring ties with Moscow
The situation in the Indian ..

ISTANBUL — The Turkish navy is wrapping up the weeklong Mavi Vatan 2025 exercise this week, a large-scale operation meant to showcase Ankara’s strategic maritime ambitions in the region and beyond.
The Mavi Vatan (Blue Homeland) doctrine, introduced in 2019, symbolizes the country’s shift from a land-focused power to a maritime force, prioritizing the protection of its maritime zones. It reflects a broader transformation of the Turkish navy into a high-seafaring force capable of extended operations.
The doctrine also conveys political messages, particularly regarding maritime disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean, according to Serhat Süha Çubukçuoğlu, senior fellow at the Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates-based TRENDS Research & Advisory consultancy.
This year’s exercise aims to evaluate the navy’s command and control capabilities, operational readiness, and ability to operate seamlessly with other branches of the Turkish military, accordi..

PARIS — Norway and France agreed to step up defense cooperation, signing a letter of intent that paves the way for working together more closely in areas such as maritime surveillance. The agreement comes as France’s Naval Group eyes a multibillion-dollar acquisition of frigates by the Royal Norwegian Navy.
Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram Gram welcomed his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu for talks at Akershus Fortress in Oslo on Thursday, followed by meetings with the French and Norwegian defense industries, the government said in a statement.
France is on Norway’s shortlist to supply five or six frigates, together with Germany, the U.K. and the U.S., in what would be the biggest Norwegian defense investment ever. The government says it’s looking for a strategic partnership with a close ally rather than just buying a stand-alone vessel, and its choice will consider coinciding strategic interests, including in the High North.
“France is one of o..

TAIPEI, Taiwan — China’s navy has commissioned a new-generation frigate as competition rises with the U.S. and other regional powers, saying the ship will “play a vital role in enhancing the overall combat effectiveness” of its forces.
China already has the world’s largest navy in terms of number of hulls, although its technology is sometimes seen as lagging. Its largest competitor, the U.S., has warned its navy could be outnumbered and has called for a building program as well as reforms to put damaged ships into action sooner.
China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy operates mainly in waters off the Chinese east coast and in the huge and strategically crucial South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety. A key mission also remains backing up the army in any attack on Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy about 100 miles off the Chinese coast that Beijing has vowed to annex by force if necessary.
China unveils amphibious assa..