Center for International Maritime Security Fostering the Discussion on Securing the Seas.
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Optimizing Reactor Plant Maintenance: The Case for Shipboard SLMsby Guest Author on 18 February 2026 at 11:00 amBy: LT P.J. Greenbaum and LT Vince Freschi Introduction Operational availability is the Nuclear Navy’s bread and butter, yet shipboard technicians are currently prevented from improving maintenance outcomes by an archaic data bottleneck. Scheduled maintenance to prevent system degradation or failure is planned years in advance and kept up-to-date utilizing detailed records boards which meticulously … Continue reading Optimizing Reactor Plant Maintenance: The Case for Shipboard SLMs →
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Pitfalls in Political Warship Designsby Guest Author on 16 February 2026 at 11:00 am
By Steve Wills “When leaders design warships the results are often mixed.” Leaders throughout history, going back at least to the Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut, have commissioned the building of great fleets for national security purposes. Henry 8th and Elizabeth 1 created fleets for the defense of England. George Washington authorized the first Continental navy units, … Continue reading Pitfalls in Political Warship Designs →
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A Sustainable Approach to Counter Piracy and Armed Robbery?by Guest Author on 13 February 2026 at 11:00 am
By Julian Pawlak and Deniz Kocak Piracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping continue to pose significant threats to global shipping and maritime security.1 While the terms are frequently used synonymously, differentiation is crucial. According to the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), piracy is defined as “any illegal acts of violence or detention, … Continue reading A Sustainable Approach to Counter Piracy and Armed Robbery? →
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What the Royal Thai Navy’s Offshore Fire Support Reveals About Its Approach to Littoral Warfareby Guest Author on 9 February 2026 at 11:00 am
By Hadrien T. Saperstein In December 2025, clashes along the Cambodia–Thailand border turned into open conflict for over a week, suspending the peace agreement brokered by Malaysia and the United States. Artillery, rockets, drones, and airstrikes turned rural districts into battlespaces. By mid-month, at least twenty people were killed, hundreds wounded, and over half a … Continue reading What the Royal Thai Navy’s Offshore Fire Support Reveals About Its Approach to Littoral Warfare →
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Russia’s Strategic Brown Water Capabilities: A NATO Blind Spot?by Guest Author on 2 February 2026 at 11:00 am
By Helge Adrians Russia is working to integrate inland waterways more deeply into its deterrence and defense posture. In Western contexts, this area of maritime geography is usually termed the ‘brown water zone.’ A harbinger of that development was the October 2015 strike against positions of Islamist groups in Syria, carried out by small warships … Continue reading Russia’s Strategic Brown Water Capabilities: A NATO Blind Spot? →
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Leading the Digital Fight: How the Navy’s IW Community Must Innovate to Winby Guest Author on 29 January 2026 at 11:00 am
By Shane Halton and Adam Reiffen “When companies spend millions of dollars on new information technologies but don’t change anything else, there are usually barely detectable productivity improvements. In contrast, when they also invest similar amounts in business process changes and in worker training, productivity can double or more.”-The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and … Continue reading Leading the Digital Fight: How the Navy’s IW Community Must Innovate to Win →
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Washington’s Misplaced Shipbuilding Obsessionby Guest Author on 28 January 2026 at 11:00 am
By Colin Grabow In a year dominated by sharp partisanship, numerous lawmakers improbably united around the revival of America’s commercial shipbuilding industry. Congressional legislation that would channel billions into shipyard subsidies and new trade restrictions attracted scores of cosponsors. The White House issued an executive order aimed at maritime revitalization, and a trade pact with … Continue reading Washington’s Misplaced Shipbuilding Obsession →
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Sea Control 595: China’s Command Revolution with Elsa Kaniaby Guest Author on 28 January 2026 at 10:30 am
By Brian Kerg Dr. Elsa Kania joins the program to discuss her dissertation, “China’s Command Revolution,” which examines the reforms, adaptation, and emerging innovation in Chinese military command capabilities. Dr. Elsa Kania received her PhD in Government from Harvard University. She served as a visiting scholar for the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, as an … Continue reading Sea Control 595: China’s Command Revolution with Elsa Kania →
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Sea Control: 594: From Hulls to Pods with Emma Salisburyby Guest Author on 27 January 2026 at 11:00 am
By J. Overton Dr. Emma Salisbury joins the program to discuss her essay, “From Hulls to Pods: Why NATO’s Navies Should Beware of the Allure of Mission Modularity,” in the new book in the ISPK SeaPower Series Guardians of the North Atlantic: NATO Maritime Strategies and Naval Operations in Turbulent Times. Dr. Emma Salisbury is … Continue reading Sea Control: 594: From Hulls to Pods with Emma Salisbury →
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Trilateral Shipbuilding: Build a Missile Corvette Fleet with Asian Alliesby Guest Author on 22 January 2026 at 11:00 am
By CDR Chase E. Harding, USN Introduction The balance of power in the Indo-Pacific is shifting rapidly as China’s shipbuilding hegemony endures. With the U.S. shipbuilding base in decline, the United States must take bold action to remain a credible maritime power and uphold the rules-based order that has underpinned peace and prosperity in Asia … Continue reading Trilateral Shipbuilding: Build a Missile Corvette Fleet with Asian Allies →
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The Arctic is a Strategic Distractionby Guest Author on 21 January 2026 at 11:00 am
By T.X. Hammes Over the past five years, numerous articles have called for increased U.S. defense resources focused on the Arctic. This is a strategic mistake, a distraction. This article will outline the reasons proponents feel the high north has increased value, examine the actual strategic value of each, and show that none is sufficient … Continue reading The Arctic is a Strategic Distraction →
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Charting a Course: Addressing Chinese Maritime Coercion Around Taiwanby Guest Author on 19 January 2026 at 11:00 am
By Anthony Marco and Nils Peterson On September 13th, 2025, a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel entered the restricted waters around the Republic of China’s (ROC) Dongsha Atoll, also known as the Pratas Island, located approximately 400 kilometers southwest of the ROC’s main island of Taiwan. The CCG intrusion prompted a swift response from the … Continue reading Charting a Course: Addressing Chinese Maritime Coercion Around Taiwan →
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RDML T.J. Zerr on Strengthening Surface Force Lethalityby Dmitry Filipoff on 14 January 2026 at 11:00 am
By Dmitry Filipoff CIMSEC recently engaged with the commander of the Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC), RDML T.J. Zerr, to discuss the latest developments and priorities of the command. RDML Zerr discusses multiple topics in this interview, including how SMWDC is processing lessons from Red Sea combat, informing the development of unmanned systems, … Continue reading RDML T.J. Zerr on Strengthening Surface Force Lethality →
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Cosmetics versus Combat: Inspect for Warfighting Over Rustby Guest Author on 13 January 2026 at 11:00 am
By Spike Dearing From the moment we leave our homeports, the ships of 7th Fleet live under the shadow of Chinese weapons and in the ever-present gaze of their ISR network. We are far from home, and very near to those who may wish us harm. This reality is embodied in the phrase “Tip of … Continue reading Cosmetics versus Combat: Inspect for Warfighting Over Rust →
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SWO Specialization Week Concludes on CIMSECby Dmitry Filipoff on 12 January 2026 at 11:05 am
By Dmitry Filipoff Last week CIMSEC published submissions sent in response to our Call for Articles on whether U.S. Navy surface warfare officers should specialize. Authors offered a variety of viewpoints on this long-running debate. These included arguments for different forms of specialization, making changes within the current generalist system, and other perspectives. As the … Continue reading SWO Specialization Week Concludes on CIMSEC →
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The Surface Warfare Officer Career Path – An Egalitarian Construct in need of some Improvementby Guest Author on 12 January 2026 at 11:00 am
SWO Specialization Week By Mike Fierro As a SWO, my career included serving as the Surface Commander Detailer and CRUDES Placement Officer. My career included four tours in engineering billets afloat (two as the Engineer Officer in steam ships), and two instructor billets, one at what used to be called Surface Warfare Officers School Command … Continue reading The Surface Warfare Officer Career Path – An Egalitarian Construct in need of some Improvement →
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Specialization vs. Warfighting: Balancing Technology and the Human Element in Warby Guest Author on 8 January 2026 at 11:30 am
SWO Specialization Week By Gerry Roncolato Introduction “Despite the remarkable developments in military technology, despite the weapons and machines which have vastly expanded our striking power, it is still a basic truth that the only absolute weapon is man. Upon his determination, his stamina, and his skill, rests the issue of victory or defeat in … Continue reading Specialization vs. Warfighting: Balancing Technology and the Human Element in War →
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No Time to Specializeby Guest Author on 8 January 2026 at 11:00 am
SWO Specialization Week By Chris Rielage SWO specialization was a good idea for the last generation of officers, but time is now too short. Implementing it in 2026, with the possibility of great power war looming, would be self-destructive. It was more than five years ago – August 2020 to October 2020 – when the … Continue reading No Time to Specialize →
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Preparing for the Future Fight: A Blended Career Path for Surface Warfare Officersby Guest Author on 7 January 2026 at 11:30 am
SWO Specialization Week By Scott Mobley Specialization debates are hardly new to the U.S. Navy or the Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) community. Rapid technological change over the past two centuries repeatedly propelled demands for specialization, drawing naval officers toward narrow fields of technical mastery and mechanistic views of warfare. At the same time, the growing … Continue reading Preparing for the Future Fight: A Blended Career Path for Surface Warfare Officers →
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The Merchant Marine Specialized 100 years ago. The Navy should have then, and needs to now.by Guest Author on 7 January 2026 at 11:00 am
SWO Specialization Week By MIDN 1/C Jeffrey W. Jaeger, USNR Since 1899, the U.S. Navy has used a generalist career track for its surface warfare officers. This coincides with the Arthur administration’s imperative that the Navy rehabilitate itself from traditionalist mores that restricted steam engines, available in common maritime usage from the early 1800s as … Continue reading The Merchant Marine Specialized 100 years ago. The Navy should have then, and needs to now. →
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SWO Specialization: Specialize by Platform Groups to Win the High-End Fight, Pt. 1by Guest Author on 6 January 2026 at 11:00 am
SWO Specialization Week By LCDR JR Dinglasan, USN Introduction To win the fight against a peer adversary, the navy’s surface warfare officer (SWO) community must display a level of warfighting proficiency – one of excellence – not yet seen in many years. The collisions of 2017 and continued near misses and actual mishaps since, such … Continue reading SWO Specialization: Specialize by Platform Groups to Win the High-End Fight, Pt. 1 →
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The Commanding Officer Must Be a Fighting Engineer — Surface Warfare and Generalismby Guest Author on 5 January 2026 at 11:00 am
SWO Specialization Week By Rob Watts The debate over whether Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs) should be “generalists” or “specialists” is an old and vigorous one.1 For more than 125 years, SWOs have followed a generalist career path.2 This means that division officers typically serve in two different departments during their first two tours, often one … Continue reading The Commanding Officer Must Be a Fighting Engineer — Surface Warfare and Generalism →
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SWO Specialization Week Kicks Off on CIMSECby Dmitry Filipoff on 5 January 2026 at 10:30 am
By Dmitry Filipoff This week CIMSEC is publishing submissions sent in response to our Call for Articles on whether U.S. Navy surface warfare officers should specialize. The long-running debate between specialized and generalist career tracks for SWOs has regained more relevance in light of growing great power threats. Authors will present well-argued and competing viewpoints … Continue reading SWO Specialization Week Kicks Off on CIMSEC →
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CIMSEC’s Top 10 of 2025by Dmitry Filipoff on 18 December 2025 at 11:00 am
By Dmitry Filipoff In the past year, numerous authors wrote for CIMSEC to offer useful insights and analysis on a broad range of maritime security topics and naval affairs. We are grateful to our readers and authors for contributing to the conversation on our pages. Our top ten most-viewed articles from 2025 are listed below, … Continue reading CIMSEC’s Top 10 of 2025 →
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Sea Control: 593 Information and Warfighting with General Robert Nellerby Guest Author on 16 December 2025 at 11:00 am
Host Brian Kerg talks with General Robert Neller, USMC (Ret.) to discuss the role of information in warfighting and the Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group (MIG). General Robert Neller served as the 37th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps from 2015 to 2019. He was commissioned in 1975 and served as an infantry officer. … Continue reading Sea Control: 593 Information and Warfighting with General Robert Neller →
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Annual Fiction Week Concludes on CIMSECby Dmitry Filipoff on 15 December 2025 at 11:00 am
By Dmitry Filipoff For the last two weeks, CIMSEC featured short stories submitted in response to our Call for Fiction. Authors explored a wide variety of scenarios and dilemmas. From unmanned warship attacks to deceptive electronic warfare, to undersea swarms and a drone strike on a president, these stories envision the complex possibilities of future … Continue reading Annual Fiction Week Concludes on CIMSEC →
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Sea Control 592: The US Coast Guard in the Aleutian Islands with Steven Hulseby Walker Mills on 12 December 2025 at 11:30 am
Walker interviews U.S. Coast Guard Commander Steven Hulse about his Proceedings article, “Bases on the Aleutians Islands Would Project Power Across the Pacific.” Hulse discusses his own experience operating in the Aleutians as a cutterman, and why they are still strategically relevant. Download Sea Control 592: The US Coast Guard in the Aleutian Islands with … Continue reading Sea Control 592: The US Coast Guard in the Aleutian Islands with Steven Hulse →
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What is Old Is New Againby Guest Author on 12 December 2025 at 11:00 am
Fiction Week By Michael Hanson Summer 2031 When the war that the Marine Corps anticipated for more than a decade finally began in 2031, it didn’t unfold the way the Marines had expected, and certainly not in ways that Marines had trained for over the years leading up to its outbreak. The detour from institutional … Continue reading What is Old Is New Again →
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Ghost Townby Guest Author on 11 December 2025 at 11:00 am
Fiction Week By Kenyan Medley USS John F Kennedy Philippine Sea 0237, 04 OCT 2034 Four years after the blockade of Taiwan… Commander Dave Anderson stared into the retina scanner on the bulkhead outside SUPPLOT. He heard the hissing of a basilisk as the air pressure changed in the space between the two doors to … Continue reading Ghost Town →
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The Phantom’s Last Rideby Guest Author on 10 December 2025 at 11:00 am
Fiction Week By Karl Flynn March 13, 2026 “Grandpa, there’s a car coming up the driveway!” “OK, I’ll be right there.” Detlev Ganzhorn, grandfather of seven and a 30-year Navy veteran, handed the latest addition to his family to his son-in-law and got up to go to the door. A black SUV with government plates … Continue reading The Phantom’s Last Ride →