Navy

The Navy this month undertook two groundbreaking weapons systems tests, which were followed by an announcement for a planned Future Unmanned Surface Vessel Industry Day in June to “to accelerate the development and procurement of future USVs.”
The Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs on May 2 conducted the first sea-based cold-gas launch approach of its Conventional Prompt Strike, or CPS, hypersonic missile.
Unlike in hot launch methods, in which the projectile motor ignites in the launch silo before flying towards its target, the cold-gas technique sees the missile launch first before the first stage of ignition.
This method, according to the Navy, will become the standard for launching hypersonic missiles from ships at sea.
“The cold-gas approach allows the Navy to eject the missile from the platform and achieve a safe distance above the ship prior to first stage ignition,” said Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe, director of Strategic Systems Programs.
The test of the CPS mi..

MILAN — Russia’s detention of a Greek-owned ship that departed from Estonia – days after Estonian forces tried to intercept a Russia-bound tanker – signals Moscow’s willingness to deploy military power more overtly to protect its shadow-fleet, a vital pillar of its war economy, experts say.
Russia temporarily stopped the oil tanker in its territorial waters on Sunday following the Estonian navy’s attempt last week to stop the unflagged and unresponsive Jaguar tanker in its exclusive economic zone.
The apparent retaliation was interpreted by analysts as a signal of Russia’s readiness to defend its clandestine maritime operations by force, if needed, to deter possible interference.
“Russia is more overt in using military force to protect its shadow fleet — using a jet in what appears to be a case of reckless and unsafe flying is a clear indication that it wants no interference with the ships that are increasingly instrumental to its ..

The U.S. Navy’s Strategic Systems Program is working to fast track the improvement and development of three critical weapons systems, Vice Admiral Johnny Wolfe told members of the House Armed Services Committee.
These include the Trident II D5 Strategic Weapons System, hypersonic missiles and the sea-launched nuclear cruise missile in development, known as the SLCM-N.
“The Navy’s strategic deterrent stands at a critical juncture,” said Wolfe, who directs the program responsible for the country’s sea-based nuclear weapons. “To maintain our advantage in the face of evolving threats, we must prioritize the modernization of our nuclear infrastructure and industrial base.”
The SLCM-N is expected to be ready to deliver in 2035.
“It brings another option to our decision makers to deter our adversaries. It is an underlay for our triad and certainly it brings a regional weapon and a deterrent that we just don’t have today,” Wolfe sai..

ROME — The CEO of shipbuilder Fincantieri has claimed the Italian state- controlled yard can be a catalyst in President Donald Trump’s shake-up of U.S. naval shipbuilding.
Pierroberto Folgiero said Fincantieri could “enable and support a kind of renaissance of shipbuilding in the U.S.”
Speaking to analysts on Monday, the Italian manager added that Trump’s executive order issued last month to boost the U.S. shipbuilding business would help Fincantieri’s Marinette Marine yard in Wisconsin where it is building new – but delayed – Constellation class frigates.
The order will “debottleneck the performance of the existing defense shipyards in the US, including ours in Marinette,” he said.
On April 9, Trump signed an executive order to revitalize an industry accused of lagging behind China’s following reports that recent naval programs have experienced delays and cost overruns.
A March report by the United States Government Accountability ..

PARIS — France kicked off the 2025 edition of its high-intensity naval exercise Polaris on Monday, moving the action to the Atlantic with a scenario including attacks against French naval ports, a multinational sea battle and amphibious operations on the English and French coasts.
Polaris 25 will run through June 15, deploying more than 3,000 French and foreign troops, more than 20 naval surface combatants and more than 40 aircraft, according to the defense ministry. The final stages will include naval combat between a task force of five amphibious helicopter carriers and their escorts opposing a peer adversary.
France’s first Polaris exercise in 2021 was held mainly in the Mediterranean, with the exercise part of a plan that year to step up the French Navy’s readiness for high-intensity warfare. This year’s edition will deploy fewer troops, in part due to the absence of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and its crew of about 1,200, but run for twice as lon..

Full production of a new polar security cutter for the U.S. Coast Guard was recently approved by the Department of Homeland Security, as the administration seeks to boost shipbuilding and maritime security in the increasingly competitive Arctic region.
The new vessel — the first heavy polar icebreaker to be built in the U.S. in about five decades — will be constructed by Bollinger Shipyards.
Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards, hailed the move in a release as “a historic achievement not only for Bollinger Shipyards but also for American shipbuilding.”
“Securing the green light for full production underscores the confidence the U.S. government places in Bollinger to deliver the nation’s first heavy polar icebreaker in nearly 50 years,” he said.
The U.S. Coast Guard currently fields a single heavy polar icebreaker, the USCGC Polar Star, and a single medium polar icebreaker, the USCGC Healy.
The Healy was put out of action by an electr..

VILNIUS, Lithuania — U.S.-based Saildrone will deploy four large unmanned surface vessels in Danish waters next month to conduct maritime surveillance missions and help protect critical undersea infrastructure.
The deployment, which represents Saildrone’s first European mission, will be done in close cooperation with the Royal Danish Navy Command and the Danish Ministry of Defense Acquisition and Logistics Organization.
Thales, Saildrone pitch a windsurfing fleet of submarine spotters
Four 10-meter Voyager USVs equipped with a suite of intelligence-gathering sensors and AI data fusion will be sent to Denmark to support the Danish military gain better maritime awareness.
The North and Baltic seas are some of the busiest shipping routes in the world. An estimated 2,000 ships are generally at sea at any given time in the Baltic Sea, according to the Helsinki Commission.
Denmark currently lacks sufficient assets to provide consistent and comprehensive monitoring of the waterway..

TAMPA, Fla. – Navy special operations officials have fielded a variety of new vessels in recent years but are looking to add both electronic and kinetic firepower to some of those watercraft.
From surface vessels to dive gear, undersea vessels and dive shelters, officials with the Special Operations Command Program Executive Office-Maritime laid out their needs Tuesday at the annual Global SOF Foundation Special Operations Force Week.
Thirty of 31 combatant-craft medium boats have fielded in recent years, and the next steps for the vessels are under the CCM-Mk 2 program. That will potentially see a suite of launched effects, such as short-range rockets or electronic warfare means added to the boats.
Those launched effects fall under a program known as maritime precision engagement, basically adding a precise-strike capability to the vessels.
With those launchers, the CCM — and its cousins, the Combatant Craft Heavy and Combatant Craft Assault — are all set to add Forw..

A decommissioned vessel meant to be struck by missiles during a joint live-fire event of the Philippine Armed Forces and the U.S. military sank out of its own volition shortly before modern weaponry had a chance to send it to its watery grave.
The sinking of the BRP Miguel Malvar happened roughly 30 nautical miles west of San Antonio, Zambales, Philippines, a U.S. spokesman for the exercise said in a statement on Monday.
Still, certain elements of the Balikatan 25 Maritime Strike live-fire portion of the drill, in which the vessel was to participate, would take place as planned, according to the statement.
US, Philippines expand exercise to territorial edges amid tension with China
The Miguel Malvar “took on water while being positioned,” the statement reads, and sank at 7:20 a.m. at its intended location for the live-fire event. No personnel were injured, it notes.
“As is common, the vessel was selected because it exceeded its service life and was no longer suitable ..

Defense Department leaders announced shipyards, depots and medical treatment facilities will be exempted from a department-wide hiring freeze because of their critical role in military readiness, in response to a growing outcry over the planned workforce reforms.
The issue of shipyard workers has become a rallying point for numerous advocates and lawmakers in recent days, especially afterPresident Donald Trump vowed in his address to Congress earlier this month to establish a new office of shipbuilding within the White House in order to protect the industry.
Last week, sixteen Democratic lawmakers from districts with links to shipbuilding firms sent a note to the White House and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asserting the civilian defense employee hiring freeze had caused “chaos and uncertainty,” which in turn has hurt “the important growth that is needed at our shipyards.”
Pentagon leaders agreed. In a memo over the weekend, Hegseth clarified shipyard workers ..