Center for International Maritime Security Fostering the Discussion on Securing the Seas.
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Perspectiveby Guest Author on 9 December 2025 at 11:00 amFiction Week By Daniel Lee The following takes place between the hours of 1000-1100 SMT on the surface of the planet Jyrmfür. Dominion forces occupy a heavily-fortified research complex under a large mesa, designated Tango 419. Union forces are directed to capture it intact at all costs. THE ANT A shell impacted not more than … Continue reading Perspective →
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Fit to Printby Ben Van Horrick on 9 December 2025 at 10:30 am
Fiction Week By Ben Van Horrick 15 April 2027, 2354 EST 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY “Who else has this picture?” said Abe Collins, the Times‘ senior-most editor tonight. “The Teddy is sinking. Everyone has this — it’s everywhere on X and Telegram,” said Nora Nelson. “Yeah…and?” Collins shot back. “People will see it … Continue reading Fit to Print →
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The Henry Protocolby Guest Author on 8 December 2025 at 11:00 am
Fiction Week By LCDR Joe Huskey He leaned against the table, bent over at the waist. His breathing ragged, his heart raced, beads of sweat ran down his face, dripping from his chin and nose. Small pools began to form on the various charts and notes spread out before him. This was the production table, … Continue reading The Henry Protocol →
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No Fly Zoneby Guest Author on 8 December 2025 at 10:30 am
Fiction Week By Bryan Williams RAMONA, CALIFORNIA. 1416R hours. 25 MAY 2029. Go figure, it all starts when he’s in the shower. He’s standing there in the cold water washing off the stink when the lights quit. Ah, nothing unusual. Just a freak power outage. Someone probably crashed into a utility pole or something, right? … Continue reading No Fly Zone →
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Habeas Corpusby Guest Author on 5 December 2025 at 11:00 am
Fiction Week By Jay Turner The ocean was calm off the coast of Virginia as Jake settled into his captain’s chair on the bridge wing of his Navy destroyer. The morning breeze was fresh and chilly, and he tucked his exposed neck deeper into the collar of his foul-weather jacket. It was springtime, the sun … Continue reading Habeas Corpus →
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Locks and Shadow Swarmsby Guest Author on 5 December 2025 at 10:30 am
Fiction Week By Philip Kiley The pilot boat’s horn cut twice, a warning that flattened chatter across the lock wall. LT Mara Delgado raised her head from the operations console as a bright speck wavered over the Miraflores chamber, a silver seed fighting against the crosswind. Someone near the observation deck shouted. The quadcopter dipped, … Continue reading Locks and Shadow Swarms →
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Phantom Cableby Guest Author on 4 December 2025 at 11:30 am
Fiction Week By Sandro Carniel The bridge of the offshore patrol vessel Frosch smelled of diesel and wet steel — the residue of a storm that had just lashed the Barents Sea with four-meter-high waves. Commander Jonas Meyer bent over the tactical display, his eyes following a jagged line of red anomalies pulsing on the … Continue reading Phantom Cable →
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Friendly Fire Isn’tby Guest Author on 4 December 2025 at 11:00 am
Fiction Week By Paul Viscovich, CDR, USN (Ret.) “What if the People’s Liberation Army lures us to the wrong landing beach?” “Say again, Commander?” Admiral Dale Lee gave his operations officer a quizzical look. “Well sir, with the GPS network out of action and dead reckoning iffy, they could replace charted radio beacons with temporary … Continue reading Friendly Fire Isn’t →
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Decapitationby Guest Author on 3 December 2025 at 11:00 am
Fiction Week By Malcom Reynolds Undisclosed Location Eastern Theater Command 3 March 2027 2125 local time “Comrade General, welcome,” said Colonel Pei Yuanqing as he saluted, then sat behind his desk. The general sat, and the meeting Yuanqing had restlessly awaited began. For years Yuanqing planned this operation, ever since the Chairman revealed his private … Continue reading Decapitation →
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Sea Control 591: Maritime Statecraft and Its Future with Steve Brock and Hunter Stiresby Guest Author on 3 December 2025 at 10:00 am
Host Brian Kerg talks with Steve Brock and Hunter Stires to discuss their CIMSEC article, “Maritime Statecraft and Its Future.” Steven V. Brock was appointed by the White House as the Senior Advisor to the 78th Secretary of the Navy, where from 2022 to 2025 he served as a chief strategist and key implementor of … Continue reading Sea Control 591: Maritime Statecraft and Its Future with Steve Brock and Hunter Stires →
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The Narco Sea: Three Headings to One Targetby Guest Author on 2 December 2025 at 11:30 am
Fiction Week By Till Andrzejewski Act 1 – Opening Moves February 11, 2050. Today would not be the first time two women, three mothers, seven children, and one grandchild mourned. And of course, not the last time. United States Coast Guard The sea lies like amazonite beneath a sky just as blue. USCGC Miguel Diaz … Continue reading The Narco Sea: Three Headings to One Target →
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Anna palaa!by Guest Author on 2 December 2025 at 11:00 am
Fiction Week By Ben Plotkin /ˈɑnːɑ pɑˈlɑː/ — Finnish, idiomatic interjection Literal: “let it burn” (anna = “give/let,” palaa = “burns”). Idiomatic sense: “go for it,” “bring it on,” “hit it,” “keep it coming.” Raahe West Coast Finland The near future Seppo took a long inhale from the gilt vape pen and felt the immediate … Continue reading Anna palaa! →
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Sea Control 590: Drone Carriers and Salvo Equations with Colton Byersby Walker Mills on 2 December 2025 at 10:00 am
Host Walker D. Mills interviews Marine Corps Captain Colton Byers about his article for the War Quants substack, “Carrier 2.0: The Drone Carrier Revolution.” Their discussion covers salvo equations and modeling, the utility of drone carriers, and how they might integrate with a modern naval fleet. Download Sea Control 590: Drone Carriers and Salvo Equations … Continue reading Sea Control 590: Drone Carriers and Salvo Equations with Colton Byers →
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Task Force Rust Bucketby Guest Author on 1 December 2025 at 11:00 am
Fiction Week By Tyler Totten February 5th – 0340 Amphibious Strike One Palanan Bay, Philippines “Handshake confirmed,” Lieutenant Parodi reported from the copilot seat, his voice low. “Relax Juan, the drones won’t hear us. Let’s get on the deck.” Commander Valerie Cunningham smirked. Still her own nervousness caused her to glance at the weapon status, … Continue reading Task Force Rust Bucket →
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Annual Fiction Week Kicks off on CIMSECby Dmitry Filipoff on 1 December 2025 at 10:30 am
By Dmitry Filipoff For the next two weeks, CIMSEC will be featuring short stories submitted in response to our Call for Fiction. These thoughtful stories examine the future of maritime security and war at sea. Authors creatively envision emerging threats and technologies through novel scenarios and narratives. These stories can help us gaze into the … Continue reading Annual Fiction Week Kicks off on CIMSEC →
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Write, Fight, Win: Please Donate to CIMSEC this Holiday Season!by CIMSEC Outreach on 30 November 2025 at 11:00 am
At CIMSEC, we believe victory in the maritime domain starts with great ideas communicated compellingly — Write, Fight, Win. CIMSEC is proud to say that since our founding our content has been free and always will be. As an all-volunteer non-profit organization, CIMSEC depends upon reader donations and support to sustain our operations. Especially as more … Continue reading Write, Fight, Win: Please Donate to CIMSEC this Holiday Season! →
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The Optimum Pathway for Building Nuclear Submarines with South Korea and Japanby Guest Author on 28 November 2025 at 11:00 am
By Brent D. Sadler Introduction Riding a wave of success during his Asia tour, President Donald Trump triumphantly announced the U.S. would be working with South Korea to build nuclear submarines.1 To those familiar with the AUKUS (Australia-U.K.-U.S.) deal, this may seem a repeat of that effort to build nuclear submarines with Australia. By all accounts, … Continue reading The Optimum Pathway for Building Nuclear Submarines with South Korea and Japan →
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Increase Collaboration with South America to Protect U.S. Antarctic Interestsby Guest Author on 25 November 2025 at 11:00 am
By William Muntean and Wilder Alejandro Sánchez The United States has significant national interests in Antarctica, but it currently lacks the maritime capacity to secure them. The United States sent more commercial vessels (42) and citizens (over 50,000) to the Southern Ocean than any other country during the 2023/2024 season. The United States, unlike many … Continue reading Increase Collaboration with South America to Protect U.S. Antarctic Interests →
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Warrior Spirit and the Time Tax: A Letter from a SWO Captainby Guest Author on 24 November 2025 at 11:00 am
The following is republished with permission. By Jan van Tol Dear Admiral, Astonishingly, I find myself at the end of my time in OBRIEN already. At the risk of being too forward, I will take the opportunity to enclose a few thoughts from a serving CO’s perspective on a couple of issues in the same … Continue reading Warrior Spirit and the Time Tax: A Letter from a SWO Captain →
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How China’s Expanded Operations in the Sea of Japan are Troubling Tokyoby Guest Author on 20 November 2025 at 11:00 am
By Andrew Orchard The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) response to Taiwan President Lai’s inauguration highlighted Beijing’s regional assertiveness and military capabilities. That same week, China’s ambassador to Japan implied that the Japanese would be “brought into the fire” over their support for Taiwan’s independence. Both activities underscore why Japan is worried about a potential Taiwan … Continue reading How China’s Expanded Operations in the Sea of Japan are Troubling Tokyo →
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Invisible Criminal Commodities in the Caribbeanby Guest Author on 19 November 2025 at 11:00 am
Dr. Ian Ralby, Dr. David Soud, and Sophie Podrog On 7 July 2021, Jovenel Moïse, the President of Haiti, was assassinated in his own bedroom, sending Haiti into a constitutional crisis from which it has not recovered. While there remain conflicting reports around the circumstances of his murder, one credible consideration was that he may … Continue reading Invisible Criminal Commodities in the Caribbean →
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Peace in Gaza May Not Mean Peace in the Red Seaby Guest Author on 18 November 2025 at 11:00 am
By Matt Reisener Since October 2023, the Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group that seized control over much of the country over a decade ago, have waged a campaign against shipping vessels in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and Gulf of Aden, attacking over 100 commercial maritime vessels. The Houthis have long cited Israel’s war … Continue reading Peace in Gaza May Not Mean Peace in the Red Sea →
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Ready for War: A Way Forward for Industrial Preparednessby Guest Author on 17 November 2025 at 11:00 am
By Doug Orsi The results of a 2023 wargame simulating a Chinese amphibious invasion of Taiwan showed that the combined forces of Taiwan, Japan, and the U.S. successfully denied Chinese objectives and defeated the invasion. However, multiple aircraft carriers and dozens of cruisers and destroyers were lost. Additionally, critical munitions needed to defeat Chinese forces … Continue reading Ready for War: A Way Forward for Industrial Preparedness →
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Sea Control 589: Non-state Special Operations with Craig Whitesideby Guest Author on 16 November 2025 at 11:00 am
By J. Overton Lt. Col. Craig Whiteside, (Ret.) PhD., joins the program to discuss the new book he co-authored with Ian Rice, Non-state Special Operations: Capabilities and Effects. Dr. Whiteside shares how to define and apply terms like “non-state” and “special operations, historical examples of this type of operation, their use by contemporary actors, and … Continue reading Sea Control 589: Non-state Special Operations with Craig Whiteside →
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Sea Control 588: Outsourcing Security at Sea with Pieter Zhaoby Guest Author on 14 November 2025 at 11:00 am
By J. Overton Pieter Zhao joins the program to discuss his article, “Outsourcing Security at Sea—The Return of Private Maritime-Security Companies and Their Role in Twenty-First-Century Maritime Security.” He discusses the growing role of private maritime-security companies in the modern world and situations where they could provide maritime security. Pieter W.G. Zhao is a PhD … Continue reading Sea Control 588: Outsourcing Security at Sea with Pieter Zhao →
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MOSA Redux: Modular Acquisition is New Againby Guest Author on 13 November 2025 at 11:00 am
By Jason Thomas What is old is new again, and Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) is no different. MOSA is an acquisition and design approach consisting of a technical and business architecture that supports using system interfaces compliant with widely supported and consensus-based standards, to the extent that standards are available and suitable.1 Despite being … Continue reading MOSA Redux: Modular Acquisition is New Again →
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Bring Out the Knives: A Programmatic Night Court for the Surface Navyby Guest Author on 12 November 2025 at 11:00 am
By Chris Rielage Time is our critical resource now. The Navy knows that we have a few scant years before we face major risk for an invasion of Taiwan. In the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) headquarters in San Diego, countdown clocks on the wall measure the days before mid-2027 arrives. The … Continue reading Bring Out the Knives: A Programmatic Night Court for the Surface Navy →
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Sea Control 587: 20 Years After the Military Response to Hurricane Katrinaby Guest Author on 12 November 2025 at 10:00 am
By J. Overton Elaine Helm joins the program to reflect on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and her time as a journalist embedded with the U.S. military during their response and recovery operations in New Orleans and Houston. Elaine Helm is a communications professional and former journalist who lives and works in the Seattle … Continue reading Sea Control 587: 20 Years After the Military Response to Hurricane Katrina →
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The Playing Fields: Sports and Warfighting Readinessby Guest Author on 30 October 2025 at 10:00 am
By Phil Bozzelli and Paul Giarra The Duke of Wellington’s aphorism “The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton,” has been widely accepted as a validation of sports and their greater relevance to warfighting and victory. We take that statement at face value but go further. Using the renewed emphasis upon … Continue reading The Playing Fields: Sports and Warfighting Readiness →
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China’s Coming Small Warsby Guest Author on 29 October 2025 at 10:00 am
By Michael Hanson The world took note of the meteoric growth of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), both in size and capability. Specifically, the PLA and PLAN’s amphibious capabilities development is impressive and alarming. According to many experts, the reason for this rapid development is the forceful reintegration of the island of Taiwan into the … Continue reading China’s Coming Small Wars →