Global Naval and Defense Developments Highlight Increasing Maritime Competition

NATO strengthens carrier strike integration in Mediterranean exercises

NATO commanders coordinated a rare dual carrier strike operation between HMS Prince of Wales (UK Navy) and Italian Navy carrier ITS Cavour (Italian Navy). This event allowed NATO commanders to test air wing interoperability, shared command and control arrangements and strike package deconfliction across both carrier air groups.

Imagery released by the Royal Navy and NATO during this same time showed an Italian F-35B Lightning II operating from HMS Prince of Wales, validating cross deck operations further and underscoring her role as an essential platform for fifth generation fixed wing aviation. NATO officials saw this activity as part of a wider initiative to demonstrate credible maritime air power capabilities on European theater as tensions within their alliance escalate.

Brazil enters final phase of nuclear submarine program

On November 26, the Brazilian Navy celebrated a significant achievement in its PROSUB25 program with the launch of Almirante Karam S43 nuclear-powered submarine during a ceremony. According to Brazilian officials, this event marks a final transition phase transition of their long-running nuclear submarine effort as well as signal an intention to field more capable blue water undersea deterrence capabilities for South Atlantic deterrence.

Defense leaders linked the submarine program with broad goals of strategic autonomy and industrial development during a ceremony to mark its launch, emphasizing local content in terms of construction of its hull and system integration. This launch builds upon previous conventional submarine deliveries under this same framework and places Brazil among an exclusive group of nations actively developing nuclear powered attack submarines.

Poland Selects Swedish A26 Submarines under Orka Program

Poland announced on November 26 that they have selected Sweden to provide three A26 Blekinge class submarines from Saab as part of their Orka procurement program, in an effort to boost Baltic Sea security and replenish an aging subsea fleet. Officials described the decision as being central to Warsaw's maritime defense posture - providing stealthy conventional submarines optimized for shallow and confined waters.

Saab recently promoted the A26 as a fifth generation conventional platform, emphasizing modular payload sections and advanced sensor and signature management features. Poland's purchase is expected to strengthen defense industrial cooperation with Sweden while increasing NATO's ability to monitor, contest or even suppress activity in the Baltic region.

South Korea launches their third Chungnam class frigate ROKS Jeonnam

South Korea unveiled their third Ulsan class Batch III Chungnam class frigate, ROKS Jeonnam FFG 831 at the SK Oceanplant shipyard on November 25. Designed to protect national waters and key sea lines of communication around the Korean Peninsula from submarine threats, antisurface capabilities, limited area air defense defense capabilities are integrated into this 3,600 ton class of frigates.

The launch is part of a steady Republic of Korea Navy modernization strategy that features advanced frigates, destroyers, and submarines to meet high end conflict scenarios in the region. Seoul is also participating in international exercises with KSS III submarines to demonstrate their intent to collaborate more closely with United States forces on antisubmarine warfare training and contingency planning.

U.S. Navy expands forward presence and undersea maintenance cooperation

USNI News reported on November 24 that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln CVN 72 quietly left Naval Base San Diego for its deployment in Indo Pacific theater, adding another major deck to an already busy Indo Pacific carrier rotation. This move comes amid operating in Caribbean by USS Gerald R. Ford strike group and NATO confirmation of combat readiness of HMS Prince of Wales carrier strike group; reflecting an overall high tempo for large deck operations across multiple theaters

Australian Defense officials and United States Navy confirmed that USS Vermont (SSN 792) completed an intensive maintenance period at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia as a practical step to deepen AUKUS undersea ties, build experience sustaining nuclear powered submarines locally, and lay groundwork for rotational or permanent basing constructs under trilateral security partnership agreements. This activity should strengthen bilateral undersea cooperation.

U.S. deploys destroyer with MH 60R weapon in Gulf of Aden

An official U.S. Navy photo from November 27 showed sailors from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 79 of Helicopter Strike Group 3 loading AGM-114 Hellfire missiles onto an MH 60R Seahawk helicopter deployed on board a U.S. Navy destroyer operating in the Gulf of Aden. The deployment demonstrated their focus on ship based rotary strike capabilities for surface warfare and maritime security missions along one of the world's most sensitive sea lanes.

The deployment is timed with threats from regional non state actors and piracy risks in nearby waters, prompting sustained coalition patrols and multilayered defenses around commercial shipping corridors. Integrating an armed helicopter offers another flexible response option against small craft and asymmetric surface threats in congested maritime environments.

United States Advances maritime autonomy partnerships

U.S. Special Operations Command has chosen Kraken Technology Group of United Kingdom for a new autonomous maritime systems program covering surface and subsurface drones. This initiative seeks to increase special operations access to high-performance unmanned platforms suitable for reconnaissance, strike support, contested littoral operations and more.

U.S. media have recently reported on how defense startups such as Saronic Technologies plan to supply the U.S. Navy with autonomous maritime drones as part of an overall fleet transformation effort by 2030, in keeping with Pentagon concepts which call for large numbers of affordable unmanned vessels augmenting crewed combatants for distributed maritime operations. These developments align with Pentagon concepts which envision large numbers of affordable unmanned vessels augmenting crewed combatants for distributed maritime operations.