Center for International Maritime Security Fostering the Discussion on Securing the Seas.
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Peace in Gaza May Not Mean Peace in the Red Seaby Guest Author on 18 November 2025 at 11:00 amBy 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 →
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Maritime Statecraft and its Futureby Guest Author on 21 October 2025 at 10:00 am
By Steve Brock and Hunter Stires With shipping and shipbuilding receiving high-level political and diplomatic attention across two administrations after decades of neglect, the United States has the chance to realize a much-needed maritime revival. Having initiated a change in course from the past forty years of stagnation, Washington should double down on its winning … Continue reading Maritime Statecraft and its Future →
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Call for Articles: Should the U.S. Surface Warfare Community Specialize?by Dmitry Filipoff on 13 October 2025 at 10:00 am
Articles Due: December 8, 2025 Week Dates: January 5-9, 2026 Story Length: 1,5000-3,000 Words Submit to: [email protected] By Dmitry Filipoff The U.S. Surface Warfare Officer community has operated on a generalist career path since 1899. SWOs are responsible for matters of both operational and material readiness, while the surface fleets of other navies, as well as … Continue reading Call for Articles: Should the U.S. Surface Warfare Community Specialize? →
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Strategic Minerals and the False Promise of Seabed Miningby Guest Author on 9 October 2025 at 10:00 am
By Drake Long On April 29, a small seabed mining enterprise known as The Metals Company (TMC) formally submitted an application to NOAA to commence commercial-scale mining in an area of the ocean known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. This followed an executive order issued by the White House explicitly ordering the expedition of seabed mining … Continue reading Strategic Minerals and the False Promise of Seabed Mining →
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Building Tactical Excellence: How SWCTC Supports LT Breen’s Call for Higher SWO Proficiencyby Guest Author on 8 October 2025 at 10:00 am
By LCDR Jeffrey Bolstad (ASW/SUW WTI) and LT Matthew Bain (ASW/SUW WTI) In his recent CIMSEC article, “Reprioritize SWO Tactical Qualifications for the High-End Fight,” LT Seth Breen underscores a pressing challenge for the Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) community – achieving tactical proficiency commensurate with the demands of great power conflict. While his argument addresses … Continue reading Building Tactical Excellence: How SWCTC Supports LT Breen’s Call for Higher SWO Proficiency →
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Made In China 2025’s Impact on Chinese Shipbuildingby Guest Author on 7 October 2025 at 10:00 am
By Dan Katz Ten years ago, the Chinese Communist Party, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, introduced two major policy initiatives: Made in China 2025 and military-civil fusion. Each represents an upgrade of existing policies aimed at boosting China’s economic and military strength, and now receives more attention and resources. Made in China 2025 aims … Continue reading Made In China 2025’s Impact on Chinese Shipbuilding →
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Notes to the New CNO Series Concludes on CIMSECby Dmitry Filipoff on 6 October 2025 at 10:00 am
By Dmitry Filipoff For the past two weeks, CIMSEC featured short notes submitted to our Call for Notes to the New CNO. In this special series, authors conveyed their thoughts on what they believe are the most pressing issues for the U.S. Navy’s new top leader, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle. Authors wrote … Continue reading Notes to the New CNO Series Concludes on CIMSEC →
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Three Focus Areas for the New CNOby Guest Author on 3 October 2025 at 10:00 am
Notes to the New CNO Series By Jacob Wiencek The U.S. Navy faces multiple, simultaneous pressures that necessitate equal levels of attention. We face legendary shipyard pressures with critical projects far behind schedule. While much physical and digital ink will continue to be spilled on these issues, and deservedly, there are three additional areas that … Continue reading Three Focus Areas for the New CNO →
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Navigate the Future Through Maritime Wisdomby Guest Author on 2 October 2025 at 11:00 am
Notes to the New CNO Series By Roshan Kulatunga Subtle intellect remains the most essential trait for individuals steering maritime power. Yet the acquisition of maritime wisdom is not an overnight endeavor, it is cultivated through sustained engagement with centuries of thought, strategic practice, and the lived experiences of sailors, commanders, and statesmen. Renowned military … Continue reading Navigate the Future Through Maritime Wisdom →
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Technical Interoperability in Contested Environments is a Mustby Guest Author on 2 October 2025 at 10:30 am
Notes to the New CNO Series By Nicholas A. Kristof In his remarks at his assumption of office ceremony, Admiral Caudle stated that, “Great power competition is sharpening, threats and capabilities are proliferating, technological disruption is accelerating, the maritime domain is increasingly contested and the margin for error is shrinking. To prevail in this environment, we … Continue reading Technical Interoperability in Contested Environments is a Must →
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Rugby and Rivalry: Use Sports Diplomacy to Counter China in the South Pacificby Guest Author on 2 October 2025 at 10:00 am
Notes to the New CNO Series By Jason Lancaster Despite U.S. and allied development aid contributions dwarfing PRC contributions in the South Pacific, the PRC has made significant regional gains in influence. PRC competition means the region can no longer be treated as a geostrategic backwater. Its 14 countries are small but their economic exclusion … Continue reading Rugby and Rivalry: Use Sports Diplomacy to Counter China in the South Pacific →
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Conduct Legal Preparation of the Battlespaceby Guest Author on 1 October 2025 at 10:30 am
Notes to the New CNO Series By James Kraska The U.S. Navy must rebuild its capacity to shape and influence international maritime law. Since the first Code of Naval Warfare was published at the U.S. Naval War College in 1900 through the negotiations of the Law of the Sea Convention in the 1970s, the U.S. … Continue reading Conduct Legal Preparation of the Battlespace →
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The Imperative for Integrated Maritime Operationsby Ben Van Horrick on 1 October 2025 at 10:00 am
Notes to the New CNO Series By Steven Bancroft and Benjamin Van Horrick The Amphibious Ready Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) team serves as the cornerstone of America’s forward-deployed, rapid-response capability. The MEU’s ability to blend land, air, and sea power to project maritime force and respond to global crises gives the joint force an exquisite … Continue reading The Imperative for Integrated Maritime Operations →
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Start Building Small Warshipsby Guest Author on 1 October 2025 at 9:30 am
Notes to the New CNO Series By Shelley Gallup and Ben DiDonato In past wars, small and well-armed ships have been a necessary complement to the large, multipurpose ships that dominate today’s U.S. Navy. China understands this and utilizes a full range of maritime capabilities to outmaneuver us. These ships can easily overwhelm the navies … Continue reading Start Building Small Warships →
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The Indian Ocean: An Opportunity to Strengthen Alliances and Deter Chinaby Guest Author on 30 September 2025 at 11:00 am
Notes to the New CNO Series By Captain Renato Scarfi, (Italian Navy, Ret.) and Captain Gian Carlo Poddighe (Italian Navy, Ret.) Today, the new global order imposes a different vision of alliances. On the Western side, we are experiencing a temporary crisis of the values of transatlantic ties due to the political winds swaying, typical … Continue reading The Indian Ocean: An Opportunity to Strengthen Alliances and Deter China →
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To Win the Fight, We Must First Win the Mind: Create NDP-1.1 Naval Warfightingby Guest Author on 30 September 2025 at 10:30 am
Notes to the New CNO Series By Paul Nickell The new CNO’s vision to place the Sailor at the center of the Foundry, the Fleet, and the Way We Fight provides a powerful focus for the U.S. Navy. The enduring question is how we build the intellectual foundation to connect these pillars. While our service … Continue reading To Win the Fight, We Must First Win the Mind: Create NDP-1.1 Naval Warfighting →
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Expand the Navy’s Over-the Horizon Targeting Solutionsby Guest Author on 30 September 2025 at 10:00 am
Notes to the New CNO Series By Richard Mosier Since the fielding of the Harpoon missile in the 1970s and the original Tomahawk Anti-ship Missile (TASM) in 1982, maritime over-the-horizon targeting has been an insufficient and largely unresolved ISR capability requirement for the U.S. Navy. The Navy has had limited long-range sensors for detection and … Continue reading Expand the Navy’s Over-the Horizon Targeting Solutions →
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Anchor Acquisition and Force Development on Targeting China’s C4ISRby Guest Author on 29 September 2025 at 10:00 am
Notes to the New CNO Series By Nicholas Weising Admiral Daryl Caudle’s tenure as CNO began on August 25th, 2025, meaning his four-year term includes the end of the Davidson window in 2027, when China will have reached its milestone of developing sufficient defense capability to forcefully annex Taiwan. The key to China succeeding is … Continue reading Anchor Acquisition and Force Development on Targeting China’s C4ISR →
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A Navy for War in the Age of Intelligent Missilesby Guest Author on 29 September 2025 at 9:30 am
Notes to the New CNO Series By Craig Koerner The U.S. model of delivering firepower continues to predominantly take the form of short-range weapons delivered from smart and expensive tactical platforms, defined as platforms which primarily use organic sensors to find and engage targets. These are quickly becoming obsolete in modern warfare given the rise … Continue reading A Navy for War in the Age of Intelligent Missiles →
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The Submarine Force Needs More Flexible Training Toolsby Guest Author on 26 September 2025 at 10:00 am
Notes to the New CNO Series By Andrew Pfau and Bridger Smith Shore-based team trainers – attack centers – are critical for submarine crews preparing for deployment to exercise the full range of tactical skills in a challenging training environment. These trainers focus on modeling complex ocean environments, sensors, and warships, resulting in a high-cost … Continue reading The Submarine Force Needs More Flexible Training Tools →
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Revisiting A Modest Proposal for Improving Shipyard Production and Repair Capacityby Guest Author on 26 September 2025 at 9:30 am
Notes to the New CNO Series By Ryan Walker It came as a great surprise to me that, despite disliking being a submariner in a shipyard, I quite enjoyed working as a test engineer/technician at Electric Boat. Shipyards have defined my adult life, and despite my current career forcing me to move away from them, … Continue reading Revisiting A Modest Proposal for Improving Shipyard Production and Repair Capacity →
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Fix the Navy’s Flawed System of Warfighting Developmentby Dmitry Filipoff on 25 September 2025 at 10:00 am
Notes to the New CNO Series By Dmitry Filipoff “After their examination, the recruits should then receive the military mark, and be taught the use of their arms by constant and daily exercise. But this essential custom has been abolished by the relaxation introduced by a long peace. We cannot now expect to find a … Continue reading Fix the Navy’s Flawed System of Warfighting Development →