Call for Articles: Maritime War with Iran
The United States and Iran are now engaged in open warfare, centered on control of the Strait of Hormuz—a chokepoint that has shaped naval strategy for four decades. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy is leveraging drones, missiles and other asymmetric tools to contest U.S. dominance, while Houthi forces have blocked carrier transit through the Bab El‑Mandeb, forcing U.S. strike groups to reroute around Africa. Despite tactical successes, the U.S. Navy struggles to translate battlefield gains into strategic control of vital sea lanes. The conflict also forces the Marine Corps to reassess its Stand‑in Forces and amphibious concepts in a highly contested maritime environment.
A Temporary Corridor Strategy for Hormuz
The article proposes a temporary, six‑month defended transit corridor through the Strait of Hormuz to restore predictable commercial shipping without a full‑scale war. The corridor would layer naval escorts, airborne surveillance, ship‑borne helicopters, and a small defensive node on the...
“With the Shield, or On It?”: Aspides and the EU Aspirations for Sea Control
On 23 February 2026 the EU Council extended the mandate of EUNAVFOR Aspides, the Union’s most ambitious naval operation to protect Red Sea shipping from Houthi attacks. After two years the mission has escorted over 1,200 vessels but failed to restore pre‑crisis traffic...
The Sicilian Expedition: Lessons From an Ancient Disaster
The article uses Athens’ 415 BC Sicilian Expedition—a massive naval gamble that lost over 100 warships and 5,000 troops—to draw modern lessons for the U.S. Navy. It highlights how overconfidence, leadership clashes, and faulty intelligence led to a strategic disaster that...
Defending Global Order Against China’s Maritime Insurgency – Part 2
China’s maritime insurgency in the South China Sea is prompting a regional backlash, with 51.6% of Southeast Asians now naming Beijing’s aggression as their top geopolitical worry. The United States is leveraging a “maritime counter‑insurgency” model that pairs heavy U.S....
Hedge with Non-Kinetic Defense
Admirals Paparo and Caudle warn that the U.S. Navy is heavily investing in a general‑purpose, 95‑percent force while neglecting low‑cost, high‑end hedge capabilities needed for the most dangerous 5‑percent of scenarios, such as a war with China. The article proposes...
Defending Global Order Against China’s Maritime Insurgency – Part 1
The interview with former Navy maritime strategist Hunter Stires outlines how China’s “maritime insurgency” targets civilian vessels in the South China Sea, seeking to replace the centuries‑old freedom‑of‑the‑sea principle with its own “blue national soil” doctrine. Stires explains the U.S....
The Unwitting Fleet
Commercial vessels now act as a global, low‑cost intelligence platform, broadcasting AIS positions, voice and data traffic through often unencrypted VSAT links. A March 2025 cyber‑attack on Iran’s state‑owned fleet, which disabled satellite communications on 116 ships, revealed how a...
Why America Needs a Four-Ocean Navy
The article argues that the United States should reorganize its naval strategy around four distinct oceans—Atlantic, Arctic, Indian, and Pacific—rather than a single global fleet. It contends that the current “every‑ship‑everywhere” approach strains resources, mismatches capabilities, and hampers readiness. By...
OPERATION HIGHMAST: UK EASTERN DEPLOYMENT FOR A “TWO-CARRIER NAVY”
Operation Highmast, spanning April to November 2025, saw HMS Prince of Wales lead a UK Carrier Strike Group on a 40,000‑nautical‑mile voyage to the Sea of Japan and back, marking the first full‑scale deployment of Britain’s two‑carrier fleet. The mission...
Turkey’s Air-to-Air Drone Test and the Logic of Middle-Power Alliance Stress
In late 2025 Turkey successfully launched an air‑to‑air missile from its Bayraktar Kızıl Elma UCAV. The test marks the first indigenous unmanned platform capable of contesting sovereign airspace, shifting Turkey’s role from ground‑attack drone user to air combat actor. By building...
Sailor’s First – Aligning the Leadership Continuum
The article argues the Navy’s leadership development is fragmented, with the Navy Leadership and Ethics Center and Senior Enlisted Academy placed under a training command, creating a mechanistic approach. It proposes reintegrating these entities under the U.S. Naval War College...
Can an Interagency Task Force Work in the Arctic?
The article argues that the United States needs a Coast Guard‑led interagency task force to address the expanding security and operational challenges in the Arctic, where melting ice is opening new shipping routes and exposing valuable resources. Russian militarization and...
Enduring the Storm: Reflections on the U.S. Navy’s “Fat Leonard” Scandal
Retired Rear Admiral Bruce Loveless reflects on his decade‑long ordeal stemming from the “Fat Leonard” scandal, the largest corruption case in U.S. Navy history. After an initial suspension in 2013, he was arrested in 2017, endured a protracted trial, and...
Useful Lemons
The article proposes converting decommissioned U.S. vessels into sea‑going factory ships and power‑plant ships to slash logistical delays in the Indo‑Pacific against a rising Chinese threat. It argues that current stockpiles could be exhausted within a week of conflict, making...