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Just 10 Minutes: The U.S. Strike That Erased a Third of Houthi Power!
MS DAILY BRIEF – APRIL 11 th, 2025
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Daily appearance Monday-Saturday 10 AM (GMT +2)
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BREAKING: Israel KILLS Hamas operatives in MAJOR operation in Gaza | TBN Israel 1
Update from Ukraine | Great news from Pokrovsk | AFU hits hard gaining more ground. 1
“Want to show your strength here?”: Russian ads recruiting Chinese mercenaries. 1
Ukraine war briefing: Europe unveils new military support for Kiev ahead of defense summit 3
Turkish opposition leader criticizes Starmer for ignoring Istanbul mayor’s arrest 4
EU won’t drop tech rules for Trump trade deal, says senior official 7
Royal Navy confirms eight active Type 23 frigates – April 9, 2025. 9
Frigate HMS Monmouth sold to Turkey for recycling. 10
AEGIS update reveals weaknesses in US naval defenses – April 10, 2025. 10
Cruise and shipping stocks rebound as Trump reverses course on tariffs. 14
Op-Ed: We don’t know what deep-sea mining would do in the mid-water zone. 14
IRGC seizes third oil tanker for fuel smuggling. 17
Trump signs executive order to strengthen US shipbuilding. 18
French Navy’s second BRF supply ship BRF begins sea trials – April 10, 2025. 19
Royal Navy to use heavy drones to support ship-to-ship CSG25 resupply – April 10, 2025. 22
Horizon frigate MLU program completes critical design review – April 10, 2025. 23
G5 Infrared US Navy contract for the SPEIR program – April 10, 2025. 24
Anduril integrates with Ultra Maritime to detect submarines. 25
USTR considers adjusting port fee plan for Chinese ships after rejection – April 10, 2025. 27
Leidos unveils ‘Sea Dart’ unmanned underwater vessel – April 10, 2025. 28
Asia-Pacific, really the new center of the world? With C. Lechervy. 29
The Trump is losing its luster – Apr 10, 2025. 32
BREAKING: Israel KILLS Hamas operatives in MAJOR operation in Gaza | TBN Israel
Update from Ukraine | Great news from Pokrovsk | AFU hits hard gaining more ground
“Want to show your strength here?”: Russian ads recruiting Chinese mercenaries
More than 150 Chinese nationals are fighting for Russia in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, recruited via social media videos
Helen Davidson in Taipei, Jason Tzu Kuan Lu, and Dan Sabbagh in Kiev
Thursday April 10, 2025 16.07 CEST
Videos are widespread on Chinese social networks. Some are cleverly produced Russian propaganda about how to be a “tough” man; others sound more like influencer ads for a working vacation. Others are impromptu screenshots of ordinary citizens about to leave China. But they all have one thing in common: selling the benefits of becoming a Chinese mercenary for Russia.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that two Chinese citizens had been captured in eastern Donetsk and accused Moscow of trying to involve China “directly or indirectly” in the conflict. A day later, he said the men were among at least 155 other Chinese members of Russia’s armed forces. Then again on Thursday, he accused Russia of carrying out “systemic activity” in China to recruit fighters.
China says it is a neutral party to the conflict, although its leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are public allies, with a “no-holds-barred” partnership between the two nations.
Zelenskyy has demanded answers from Beijing, accusing it of turning a blind eye to Russia’s recruitment of its citizens. Russia is known to have used or tried to recruit foreign mercenaries or soldiers – including from North Korea, Syria and Libya – during the conflict. He said Russia is recruiting Chinese fighters through ads on Chinese social media platforms such as Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, and that Beijing is aware of this.
Numerous recruitment videos are easy to find on Chinese social networks. All emphasize the salary on offer, which ranges from RMB 60,000 to 200,000 (£6,000 to £21,000) as a hiring bonus and monthly salaries of around RMB 18,000 (£1,900).
One video, which has had hundreds of thousands of views on various platforms, appears to be a Russian recruitment ad with Chinese subtitles superimposed. It shows Caucasian men leaving their jobs to fight and asks viewers: ‘Do you want to show your strength here? Is this the way you long for? You’re tough, be like them!”
Numerous Russian recruitment videos can be found on Chinese social media. Photo: https://bbs.hupu.com/59728093.html
Another popular video is by a person who claims to have already been recruited. “Because of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, I’m going there after the new year,” he said in December, over screenshots of information on how to sign up.
In another clip, a Russian influencer addresses his more than 300,000 followers in Mandarin, advertising the financial benefits of enlisting in the Russian military, with sign-up bonuses and monthly payments from the Russian government and military, as well as housing and medical and childcare benefits.
“Trained by experienced coaches, equipped with the best professional equipment,” she says. “In Moscow, anyone under 60 can enroll, regardless of whether or not they have done military service abroad. Foreign and Russian citizens can enroll voluntarily.”
Responses varied, especially to posts from Chinese people saying they were signing up. Some asked how they could get involved or whether not speaking Russian was an obstacle. “Is there a team in Shanxi? Count me in. I have my passport ready and can leave anytime,” one user said.
Many noted that they were being offered higher salaries than they were earning in China. Comments that people are signing up to be “cannon fodder” are common.
Three weeks ago, Chinese journalist and author Chai Jing interviewed a Chinese citizen who joined Russian forces in November 2023, flying to Russia on a tourist visa.
The soldier told her that he was in Bakhmut as part of an “assault team” near the front line. He said that “money played a part” in his decision to enlist, but that it was mainly prompted by the fact that he had never experienced war, despite having been a member of the Chinese military.
He suggested that he could have joined both sides, but there were more Chinese fighters on the Russian side, probably because visas were easier to get, but also because they felt Russia was helping China. But he wanted to show people back home what the “brutal” reality was like.
“I realized that I might die here one day, so I decided to share some real experiences, because the Chinese people haven’t been through a war for a long time,” he said, adding that he hoped China would plan a stable role and “refrain from starting or joining wars.”
Last week, Chai interviewed Chinese soldiers on the Ukrainian side, saying there were far fewer than in Russia. Ukraine denies it recruits mercenaries but allows foreign volunteers to be part of its armed forces.
Comments by Chinese officials on Wednesday suggested that people were enlisting of their own volition, although officials in Beijing said the idea that significant numbers were involved in the war was “totally unfounded”.
“Let me emphasize that the Chinese government always asks Chinese citizens to stay away from armed conflict zones, avoid any form of involvement in armed conflicts, and in particular, avoid participating in military operations of any side,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a regular news conference in Beijing.
On Thursday, when asked about Zelenskyy’s allegations about Chinese fighters, Lin urged “relevant parties” to “refrain from making irresponsible remarks.”
But the fact that the recruiting posts are online – and have remained there for several months, despite having been distributed hundreds of thousands of times – suggests that, at best, there has been no concerted effort by the authorities to address them. China’s social media networks are strictly monitored and controlled, with swift and effective censorship of sensitive or critical terms and topics.
h ttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/10/russia-social-media-ads-videos-recruiting-china-mercenaries
Ukraine war briefing: Europe unveils new military support for Kiev ahead of defense summit
Britain has pressured nearly 30 countries to go ahead with plans to deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. What we know on day 1,143
Guardian staff and agencies
Fri Apr 11 2025 05.49 05.49 CEST
British Defense Secretary John Healey, left, with Admiral Sir Tony Radakin at an earlier meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Street in London. Photo: Martin Dalton/Alamy
- European allies have announced an “increase” in military support for Ukraine, with the British government unveiling £450 million ($580 million) in UK-led aid. The support is partly aimed at strengthening the country’s position ahead of any peace deal with Russia. Britain will provide 350 million pounds this year, and Norway will contribute additional funds, the British Defense Ministry said Friday. The funding will provide repairs and maintenance for vehicles and equipment, as well as radar systems, anti-tank mines and hundreds of thousands of drones.
- Britain and Germany are hosting a meeting of 50 nations at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Friday. UK Defense Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, will co-chair the 27th meeting of the Defense Contact Group on Ukraine, a role previously filled by the US defense secretary until Donald Trump’s return to power.
- Defense Secretary Healey on Thursday pressed his counterparts from some 30 countries to go ahead with plans to deploy troops to Ukraine as part of any future peace deal with Russia. Sending foreign troops to Ukrainian territory is a sticking point in talks with Russia. Britain is considering deploying troops to Ukraine for a five-year period under plans discussed by allies, the Telegraph reports, citing unnamed sources. Under the plan, one of the options on the table, a European-led force would be sent to Ukraine to initially deter Russia from breaching any deal and to give troops in Kiev a much-needed breathing space, the report adds.
- Prince Harry visited amputees and wounded servicemen and women at an orthopedic clinic in Ukraine, after spending two days at the High Court in London appealing against the government’s decision to withdraw his security protection while he was in the U.K. The prince met with wounded veterans at the Superhumans Center in Lviv, which treats and rehabilitates wounded servicemen and civilians, including children, affected by the war. Harry, who served 10 years in the British Army, was accompanied by a contingent from the Invictus Games Foundation, including four veterans who have been through similar rehabilitation experiences.
- Russia is using well-crafted propaganda videos to recruit Chinese to fight alongside its forces in Ukraine. The videos convey a message about being “tough” men; some sound more like influencer ads for a working vacation. Others are impromptu screenshots of ordinary citizens about to leave China. But they all have one thing in common: selling the benefits of becoming a Chinese mercenary for Russia. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that two Chinese citizens had been captured in eastern Donetsk and accused Moscow of trying to involve China “directly or indirectly” in the conflict. A day later, he said the men were among at least 155 other Chinese members of Russia’s armed forces.
- The top U.S. commander in the Pacific warned senators that the military support thatChinaand North Korea are giving to Russia in its war against Ukraine poses a security risk in its region, as Moscow in return provides critical military assistance to both countries. Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that China has provided Russia with 70% of its machine tools and 90% of its legacy chips to help Moscow “rebuild its war machine”. In return, he said, China could receive help in technologies to make its submarines run more silently, along with other assistance.
- The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that its forces had captured the village of Zhuravka inUkraine’s northern Sumyregion, although Ukrainian officials have not acknowledged it was captured. Moscow has long been staging air strikes in the region opposite Russia’s Kursk region, from which it is trying to evacuate the remaining Ukrainian forces, eight months after they launched a cross-border incursion and captured large chunks of territory. Ukrainian officials have said there has been an increase in Russian military activity on their side of the border, but have not acknowledged that Zhuravka has fallen into Russian hands.
- US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink is stepping down after nearly three years in Kiev amid uncertainty over the Trump administration’s attempts to broker a peace deal to end the war. His resignation had been expected for some time, particularly given the Trump administration’s emphasis on rapprochement with Russia and ending the war. Brink has openly expressed his support for arming Ukraine and continued his advocacy even after Donald Trump took office in January and began pressuring Ukraine to accept a cease-fire proposal.
Turkish opposition leader criticizes Starmer for ignoring Istanbul mayor’s arrest
The leader of Turkey’s largest opposition party has criticized the prime minister for failing to condemn attacks on a “sister party
Ruth Michaelson and Nevin Sungar
Friday April 11, 2025 06.00 06.00 CEST
The leader of Turkey’s largest opposition party has attacked Keir Starmer, accusing the British prime minister of ignoring the arrest of the Istanbul mayor and Turkey’s democratic regression.
Speaking to The Guardian, Özgür Özel, leader of the leftist Republican People’s Party (CHP), said he was disappointed that Starmer had not spoken out about the attacks on a “sister party”.
Emphasizing that his frustrations were with the Labor Party leadership and Starmer personally for not fully condemning last month’s arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, CHP leading politician and mayor of Istanbul, Özel said they were “making a historic mistake by considering this an internal Turkish issue.”
“Starmer’s attitude is one he will not be able to explain in the future,” he added.
“I would like to send the following message: ‘After all this is over, we will remember the silence of our friends, not the loud voices and negative comments of our enemies’.”
İmamoğlu was arrested and jailed last month on a series of corruption charges, sparking Turkey’s biggest anti-government demonstrations in a decade, when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets.
The CHP has called for twice-weekly rallies across Turkey and an economic boycott of companies it says are close to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, hoping to spur an anti-government movement that has so far led to the detention of nearly 1,500 people, including journalists and municipal politicians.
While Turkish authorities insist that the charges against the Istanbul mayor are not politicized, Özel called the trial “a political trial,” adding that Erdoğan is “putting his lawyers to jail those who politically disturb him and his team.”
The Istanbul mayor, who has ruled a city of 16 million for six years, was considered Erdoğan’s main rival. He was named as the CHP’s presidential candidate on the same day he was sent to a maximum-security center on the outskirts of Istanbul.
Elections in Turkey are scheduled for 2028, although an early vote is expected, and the CHP called for early elections after formally nominating İmamoğlu as its candidate.
Despite the mayor’s abrupt detention, the CHP leader said the party has already drawn up plans on how İmamoğlu can campaign for the presidency even if he remains behind bars. Özel labeled the upcoming elections as a referendum on whether “there will be autocracy or democracy in Turkey.”
Özel gave an interview shortly before hosting a rally in Istanbul, with another rally scheduled for this weekend in Erdoğan’s Black Sea region. Turkey’s president filed a criminal complaint against the opposition leader earlier this week, accusing him of insulting the president by saying Turkey is “ruled by a junta that is afraid of elections.”
The opposition leader dismissed the complaint as an attempt to intimidate him, but said he did not rule out that Erdoğan could still call for his arrest “if he cannot cope politically, as happened with İmamoğlu.”
While European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, have spoken out about the mayor’s arrest, Turkey’s opposition leader said he also wants to see Europe put more pressure on Ankara to move it away from democratic backsliding.
İmamoğlu’s arrest came as European leaders are reportedly considering turning to Turkey, which boasts the second-largest military in NATO after the US, to provide peacekeepers in Ukraine.
“It is not right to have unprincipled negotiations with Erdoğan for security reasons. Having NATO’s first-largest army in Trump’s hands and NATO’s second-largest army in the hands of an autocrat does not help anyone,” Özel said.
In the weeks since the mayor’s detention, there has been little comment from the British government or the Labor party on the events in Turkey or the deportation of BBC reporter Mark Lowen, who covered the anti-government protests. The Turkish authorities say they deported Lowen for working without accreditation.
Stephen Doughty, the minister for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories, told parliament at the end of March that the UK was “monitoring the situation closely”.
“The UK expects Turkey to abide by its international commitments and the rule of law, including swift and transparent judicial processes,” he added.
Özel accused Starmer of prioritizing regional security issues, such as events in Syria, over the suppression of democratic rights and the “great injustices” taking place in Turkey.
“The loser in this process, not only in my eyes, but also in the eyes of democratic forces around the world, is Erdoğan in Turkey and Starmer internationally,” he said.
Beijing and Pyongyang are helping Russia in its war against Ukraine, and Moscow in turn is helping their militaries
Associated Press in Washington
Thursday April 10, 2025 21.07 CEST
The top U.S. commander in the Pacific has warned senators that the military support China and North Korea are giving Russia in its war against Ukraine poses a security risk in the region because Moscow is providing critical military assistance to the two in return.
Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that China has provided Russia with 70% of its machine tools and 90% of its legacy chips to help Moscow “rebuild its war machine”.
In return, he said, China could receive help with technology to make its submarines move more smoothly, along with other assistance.
Senators pressed Paparo and Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, on China’s progress in the region, including threats to Taiwan. They also asked them both about the U.S. military presence in South Korea and whether it should be protected by personnel cuts.
Both said that current US forces there and in the Indo-Pacific region are critical both to diplomacy in the region and to US national security as relations between Russia and China develop. The US has 28,500 military personnel in South Korea.
Paparo said North Korea is sending “thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of artillery projectiles” and thousands of short-range missiles to Russia. According to him, Pyongyang is expected to receive air defense and surface-to-air missile support.
“It’s a transactional symbiosis in which each state fulfills the weakness of the other state for the mutual benefit of each state,” Paparo said.
Brunson said North Korea has demonstrated the ability to send munitions and troops to Russia while advancing the development of its own military capabilities, including hypersonic weapons. Pyongyang, he said, “boasts a Russian-equipped, augmented and modernized military force of more than 1.3 million people.”
North Korea’s efforts to develop advanced nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles “pose a direct threat to our homeland and our allies,” Paparo added.
North Korea has also sent thousands of troops to fight alongside the Russians against Ukraine. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that Russia is actively recruiting Chinese nationals to fight alongside its forces in the war in Ukraine. He said more than 150 such mercenaries are already active in the fighting with Beijing’s knowledge.
China called the accusation “irresponsible”.
EU won’t drop tech rules for Trump trade deal, says senior official
The bloc is “very committed” to big tech laws and is not targeting US companies, says Henna Virkkunen of the European Commission
Jennifer Rankin in Brussels
Friday April 11, 2025 06.00 CEST
The EU will not give up its tech rules in its bid to reach a trade deal with Donald Trump, the bloc’s top digital policy official has said.
Henna Virkkunen, European Commission vice-president in charge of technology sovereignty, indicated that the EU will not compromise on its digital rules to reach a trade deal with the US – a key demand of Trump administration officials.
“We’re very committed to our rules when it comes to the digital world,” Virkkunen said in an interview with European newspapers including The Guardian. “We want to make sure that our digital environment in the European Union… is fair, secure and also democratic.”
She gently dismissed suggestions that EU digital regulations could be seen as trade barriers, saying the same rules apply to all companies, whether European, American or Chinese. “We don’t specifically target certain companies, we have this risk-based approach in all our rules.”
In recent days, Peter Navarro, Trump’s chief trade adviser, has claimed the EU is using “lawfare” against the biggest US tech firms, in an FT article containing a litany of complaints against alleged “non-tariff weapons”. Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg accused the EU of “institutionalizing censorship”, while Trump attacked European decisions to impose fines and continue antitrust investigations into companies such as Apple and Facebook.
Referring to the EU’s digital rules, Virkkunen said US tech firms often have greater obligations because they are among the biggest companies in the market: “When you are a bigger player, then there are more obligations because you are a bigger risk.”
She spoke the morning after Trump announced a 90-day pause on many tariffs, but before the Commission announced a similar freeze in its retaliation. The EU still faces tariffs of 10% as well as 25% duties on cars and metals entering the US.
Welcoming the US decision on “reciprocal” tariffs, she said, “We want to have a good trade deal with the US and we don’t want to have a trade war.”
While the Commission said all retaliation options remain on the table if trade talks fail, Virkkunen declined to “speculate” on possible EU action against US tech companies. France has led calls to consider action against US tech firms in response to tariffs on European goods. Virkkunen said “different options” for retaliation had been prepared in consultation with member states.
Virkkunen, a former Finnish government minister and MEP, took up his post at the Commission last December, receiving a broad mandate covering “technological sovereignty” as well as overseeing security and border control policies and protecting European democracy from disinformation.
One of the biggest issues it has to deal with is overseeing investigations into big tech firms under the EU’s new digital rules. The commission is investigating firms like Alphabet, Apple and Meta under the Digital Markets Act, which aims to ensure that big tech companies don’t squeeze smaller rivals out of the market. Separately, through the Digital Services Act, which is designed to counter online harm, the Commission is investigating firms such as X and Meta.
Risking a new dispute with the US, in March, the commission took action against Apple and Alphabet, the owner of Google, accusing them of violating the DMA through anti-competitive behavior.
Asked about reports that the Commission could fine X more than $1 billion (£770 million), she said: “Our goal in these investigations and proceedings is not to impose large fines. Our aim is to make sure all companies comply with our rules.”
Virkkunen, a member of the trans-national European People’s Party, emphasized her desire to ensure that European digital rules are not too burdensome for small businesses amid growing concern about Europe’s anemic economic growth compared to the US and China, which are also far more advanced in artificial intelligence technologies. “We are lagging far behind because 80% of our technology comes from outside the EU, so we have a lot of work to do,” she said.
This week, she unveiled a strategy to create up to five artificial intelligence gigafactories, sites equipped with huge supercomputers to test and develop artificial intelligence models in the EU. However, her openness to consider revising the EU’s landmark AI legislation has also raised alarm bells among consumer groups. She said: ‘We want to implement the AI law in a very innovation-friendly way and we really want to support SMEs and AI developers to comply with the rules.’
The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act has sparked deep concerns from writers, musicians and other creatives, who say they have no copyright protection against the generative artificial intelligence systems of big tech companies, which rely on a wealth of books, newspapers, songs and images to power their databases. Tacitly acknowledging that there may be a gap, Virkkunen said, “It now seems that further steps need to be taken in this regard.”
She added: “I think it is important to find a good solution … [to] support our copyright holders and all rights holders and the creative industry to provide their content for training and for AI purposes. At the same time, they should also receive fair compensation for that. But I also see it as problematic if European content is not used for AI training.”
The commission, she said, is examining “how we could support different licensing models … to make sure we have a good balance here.”
Royal Navy confirms eight active Type 23 frigates – April 9, 2025
The Ministry of Defense has confirmed that the Royal Navy is currently operating eight active Duke Class Type 23 frigates, with six considered ready for operations from April 2, 2025.
In a written answer to a parliamentary question from Helen Maguire MP (Liberal Democrat MP – Epsom and Ewell), the Minister of State for Defense, Maria Eagle, outlined the status of the UK’s main classes of frigates, including the newer Type 26 City class and Type 31 Inspiration class vessels.
“The Royal Navy operates eight Type 23 frigates, and from April 2, 2025, six Type 23 frigates are ready and available for operations,” Eagle said. She added that individual ships follow standard operating cycles that include scheduled maintenance and upgrades.
Three other Type 23s – HMS Westminster, HMS Argyll and HMS Northumberland – are currently being decommissioned. Decommissioning timescales have also been confirmed: 321 days have passed since the decision to withdraw HMS Westminster and HMS Argyll and 133 days for HMS Northumberland.
The withdrawal of these legacy ships is part of the UK’s wider effort to modernize its surface fleet, with the Type 23s to be replaced by the forthcoming Type 26 and Type 31 frigates.
According to Eagle, “All eight world-class Type 26s are scheduled to enter service from 2029, with all five Type 31s due to be operational by the early 2030s.”
Type 26 will provide advanced anti-submarine warfare capabilities, while the lighter and more versatile Type 31 will focus on general-purpose tasks, global presence and forward deployment.
Source: here
Frigate HMS Monmouth sold to Turkey for recycling
Former Royal Navy warship HMS Monmouth has been sold to a Turkish ship recycling company, ending her 28-year career at sea.
The Type 23 frigate, known as the Black Duke, was transferred for dismantling and recycling after her retirement from active service in 2021.
The sale was handled by the MoD’s Defense Equipment and Support Sales and Exports (DE&S) team, formerly known as the Defense Equipment Sales Authority. The vessel was sold strictly for recycling, with the process being overseen to ensure ethical and environmentally responsible disposal.
Expressions of interest were sought from facilities listed on the European List of Authorized Ship Recycling Yards. Following a competitive tendering process, the Turkish company Leyal Gemi Sokum Sanayi Ve Ticaret Ltd Sti was awarded the contract.
Richard Whalley, head of the DE&S export and sales team and former Lieutenant on board HMS Monmouth, commented:
“It is always a sad day when you see a ship that has been a significant part of your life heading for disposal, but I am happy to say the least that the sale of HMS Monmouth for recycling in Turkey will provide an ethical and responsible method of recovering metals and other valuable assets. A fitting end for a ship that has served the nation well.”
Commissioned in 1993 in the final years of the Cold War, HMS Monmouth was built primarily as a submarine hunter. Throughout her career, she has played a versatile role – from counter-piracy operations off Somalia to providing humanitarian assistance during Sierra Leone’s civil war. Its deployments have spanned the globe, including Antarctica, the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf and a circumnavigation of the world.
Her last major deployment took place in 2018, when she accompanied the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth on a voyage to the United States. She was formally decommissioned on June 30, 2021 and departed Portsmouth for Turkey on April 3, 2025.
HMS Monmouth was the sixth ship in the fleet of 16 Duke-class (Type 23) frigates. It is now followed by the Royal Navy’s next-generation frigates. Eight Type 26 frigates – known as the City class – are under construction in Glasgow and will take on anti-submarine warfare duties.
In addition, five Type 31 frigates, or Inspiration-class ships, are being built in Rosyth to replace the general-purpose Type 23-class frigates.
Source: here
AEGIS update reveals weaknesses in US naval defenses – April 10, 2025
On April 9, 2025, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, based in Moorestown, New Jersey, received a firm-fixed-fixed-price modification of $23.8 to an order previously awarded under Basic Ordering Agreement N00024-20-G-5102.
This contract, detailed on the Department of Defense’s official website at www.defense.gov, involves the purchase of electronics, liquid coolers and support equipment for the AEGIS combat system. The agreement supports both US Navy and allied ships under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, a mechanism that facilitates the transfer of defense articles and services to international partners.
While the dollar amount might seem modest compared to billion-dollar defense contracts, the implications of this award far exceed its price tag, touching on cutting-edge technology, global alliances and the evolving nature of naval warfare.
VIDEO 1: https://youtu.be/hb4yP8dKJ78
The announcement itself is simple, but what it doesn’t explain is equally significant. At the center of this contract is the AEGIS combat system, a sophisticated naval weapons platform developed by Lockheed Martin that integrates radar, missile launchers, and command and control capabilities into a seamless shield against air, surface, and subsurface threats.
The backbone of the system is the AN/SPY-1 radar, a phased array system capable of tracking hundreds of targets simultaneously over long distances. This radar, coupled with powerful computers, enables AEGIS-equipped ships to accurately detect, track and engage threats such as ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft.
The mention of “liquid coolers for electronic equipment ” might seem trite, but it points to a critical need: managing the intense heat generated by these high-performance systems. Without advanced cooling, radar and computing hardware could overheat, compromising system reliability during combat – a scenario no navy can afford.
Cooling technology is not glamorous, but it is fundamental to the operation of AEGIS. Radar networks and system processors sift through massive data sets in real time, a task that generates significant thermal energy.
Fluid cooling systems circulate specialized fluids to absorb and dissipate this heat, ensuring that the electronics remain functional under the pressure of continuous operation. This contract suggests Lockheed Martin is either improving existing cooling solutions or adapting them for new configurations.
Could this be related to modernizations for current US Navy ships, such as the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, which have relied on AEGIS since the 1980s? Or does it suggest integration into next-generation platforms, such as the planned Constellation-class frigates? The Defense Department statement doesn’t specify, but the timing and context offer clues worth exploring.
Since its debut aboard the USS Ticonderoga in 1983, AEGIS has evolved from a Cold War-era defense against Soviet missile barrages to a multi-mission system capable of countering modern threats such as hypersonic weapons and drones. Its history is a testament to adaptability.
VIDEO 2: https://youtu.be/bXo6acPkFsA
Originally designed by the RCA’s Surface Missile and Radar Division – later acquired by Lockheed Martin through a series of mergers – the system was a response to the growing sophistication of enemy missiles in the late 20th century. By the 1990s, AEGIS had expanded to include ballistic missile defense (BMD) capabilities, enabling ships to intercept missiles in flight using interceptors such as the RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 [SM-3].
Today, it is deployed on more than 100 ships in the US Navy and allied fleets, according to Lockheed Martin’s official documentation. The liquid coolers and support equipment in this contract likely ensure that these capabilities remain operational as the system expands to meet new challenges.
Beyond the US, the foreign military sales aspect of this transaction underscores AEGIS’ global coverage. Several nations operate AEGIS-equipped ships, and the program facilitates their access to American technology and support.
Japan, for example, has seven AEGIS-equipped Kongo- and Atago-class destroyers, a critical asset in the Indo-Pacific, where tensions with China and North Korea persist. South Korea’s Sejong the Great-class destroyers, three in number by early 2025, are also relying on the system to bolster their defenses against regional missile threats.
Australia’s three Hobart-class destroyers, commissioned between 2017 and 2020, further expand AEGIS presence in the Pacific. These allies are prime candidates to receive the contract, though the Defense Department does not name specific recipients.
Other possibilities include Spain, with its F-100-class frigates, and Norway, which operates Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates – both AEGIS users with strategic interests in the Atlantic and Arctic regions.
The geopolitical implications are hard to ignore. In the Indo-Pacific, Japan and South Korea face a North Korea that continues to test ballistic missiles, with 2024 more launches reported by publications such as Reuters. China’s expanding naval presence, including Type 052D destroyers equipped with advanced AESA radars, presents a parallel challenge.
VIDEO 3: https://youtu.be/XbaHf8P7vAk
While not an exact match for AEGIS, these Chinese systems reflect a regional arms race that is pushing allies to keep up. In Europe, Spain and Norway are monitoring Russian naval activity, particularly in the Arctic, where Kirov-class battlecruisers and Slava-class cruisers carry powerful anti-ship missiles such as the P-700 Granit.
The modernization of AEGIS cooling and support systems could signal a quiet effort to ensure that allied fleets remain combat-ready amid these tensions, though no official statement confirms this connection.
Lockheed Martin’s role in the contract also deserves a closer look. The Moorestown facility, where the work will be performed, is a center for AEGIS development, employing engineers who have been refining the system for decades.
The $23.8 million award is a drop in the bucket compared to larger contracts – such as the $853 million deal Lockheed won in January 2023 to support AEGIS, as noted on GOVCONWIRE – but its specificity suggests a targeted improvement. Is this a standalone solution or part of a broader modernization effort?
Competitors like Raytheon, which produces the AN/SPY-6 radar for newer US Navy ships, and Northrop Grumman, a key player in radar and missile defense, are keeping Lockheed on its toes. However, AEGIS’s dominance in naval combat systems, backed by decades of operational data, gives Lockheed an edge that this contract reinforces.
What sets this story apart from a routine procurement announcement is the potential it holds for unseen developments. The timing – early 2025 – coincides with a lack of publicized naval exercises or major ship deployments, based on available Defense Department announcements.
However, the emphasis on cooling technology raises questions about what is driving this need. One possibility is integrating AEGIS with emerging platforms, such as unmanned surface vessels [USVs]. Lockheed has already “virtualized” AEGIS, allowing it to run on smaller hardware for drones and ground systems, as detailed in a September 2023 report from C4ISRNET.
VIDEO 4: https://youtu.be/c5Eo-HUrgAo
Could this contract support a similar leap for naval drones, which require compact and thermally efficient systems? Another angle is cyber security. Modern warships face digital threats alongside physical ones, and overheating electronics could expose vulnerabilities. Increased cooling could strengthen resilience, though no public evidence links this contract to such a goal.
To understand the significance of AEGIS, consider its technical details. The AN/SPY-1 radar operates in the S-band, using four fixed antenna arrays to provide 360-degree coverage. Each array, about 12 feet by 12 feet, contains thousands of radiating elements that steer the beams electronically, eliminating the need for mechanical rotation.
This allows AEGIS to track more than 200 targets at ranges exceeding 200 nautical miles, according to Lockheed Martin specifications. The system pairs with the Mk 41 vertical launch system [VLS], which can accommodate a mix of missiles – SM-2 for air defense, SM-3 for missile defense and SM-6 for multirole engagements.
The computing power behind it, once reliant on bulky hardware, now uses commercial off-the-shelf servers, a change Lockheed initiated in the 2010s. Cooling these components is no small feat, especially on ships operating in hot climates like the Persian Gulf, where temperatures can exceed 100°F.
Compare this to rival systems globally. Russia’s S-300F, deployed on ships such as the Moskva [sunk in 2022], uses mechanically scanned radars with less flexibility than AEGIS’s phased arrays. The Chinese Type 346 radar on its Type 052D destroyers offers comparable AESA technology, but lacks the proven track record of AEGIS – over 50 years of combat use, including shooting down a rogue satellite in 2008 during Operation Burnt Frost.
That event, documented by Lockheed, saw the USS Lake Erie use AEGIS to hit a falling satellite with an SM-3, showing its versatility. No other system matches this mix of multi-mission capability and operational history, though adversaries are closing the gap.
Historically, AEGIS has changed the game. In the 1980s, it gave the U.S. Navy an advantage against Soviet missile salvoes, a threat that defined naval strategy. The Gulf War in 1991 saw AEGIS-equipped ships like the USS Bunker Hill coordinating air defense, a role resumed in 2023, when destroyers in the Red Sea countered Houthi drones and missiles.
Every upgrade – whether new missiles or software patches – builds on that legacy. The liquid coolers in this contract might seem minor, but they echo earlier innovations, such as the 1986 introduction of the Mk 41 VLS, which transformed AEGIS into an offensive powerhouse. Small components often allow big leaps.
The big picture here is not about glitzy headlines, but subtle changes. This contract, while modest, reflects continued efforts to keep AEGIS ahead of the curve – technologically, geopolitically and industrially. It’s a reminder that naval power depends on the details: a cooler that keeps a radar from frying, a system that links allies across oceans, and a company that balances innovation with reliability.
As threats like hypersonic missiles and autonomous drones proliferate, the evolution of AEGIS will shape how the US and its partners respond. Will this contract prove a stepping stone to a new era of naval warfare or just another cog in a well-oiled machine? The answer lies in what follows – details the Pentagon, for now, is keeping under wraps.
Source: here
Cruise and shipping stocks rebound as Trump reverses course on tariffs
After the abrupt suspension of the Trump administration’s “reciprocal” tariffs, markets in the US and Asia have rallied, recovering much of the losses they’ve seen over the past week. Only China remains subject to the White House’s steep tariff list, and its exporters now face a crippling 125% tariff. Most trade with other nations – including new locations favored by Chinese manufacturers, such as Vietnam – will be subject to a tariff of just 10%.
Investors responded positively as soon as the White House announced the 90-day delay. The Dow Jones was up eight percent; the S&P 500 rallied nearly 10 percent; and the Nasdaq rose 12 percent.
In Asia, Asia’s Nikkei rose 8 percent and Singapore’s benchmark STI index was up five percent in early trading Thursday morning. Even the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Hang Seng index rose, despite extreme US tariff rates facing Chinese manufacturers.
Buoyed by positive growth forecasts in the US, cruise stocks were some of the biggest gainers. Carnival Cruise Line shares – a benchmark for the travel and leisure industry – rose more than 17%. Royal Caribbean rose 16%, and Norwegian Cruise Line was up 18%. In a single trading day, all three recouped almost all the losses they had suffered since April 2, the day the White House first announced the new pricing regime.
A parallel rebound in oil prices triggered some signs of share price recovery in the offshore segment. Platform leader Transocean rose 10%, offsetting the massive 35% fall it suffered last week. OSV giant Tidewater also started to recover, jumping 10%. Oil stocks did well, if not yet enough to reverse earlier declines: CMB.Tech was up six percent; Teekay was up five percent; and Scorpion was up three percent.
In the liner segment, nearly all players posted substantial single-digit gains, led by Yang Ming (up nearly 10 percent). Chinese operators face a tougher picture, given continued tariffs and the threat of new port charges on Chinese ships. COSCO Shipping Holdings, the listed component of China’s state-owned shipping giant COSCO, fell 1% on Thursday morning.
The trading landscape could change quickly. The suspension of reciprocal tariffs will last for 90 days, according to the White House, and give nations time to negotiate with the Trump administration in talks led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Source: here
Op-Ed: We don’t know what deep-sea mining would do in the mid-water zone
A nodule-collecting vessel chartered by The Metals Company in trials (Allseas)
Imagine an ocean world so deep and dark it feels like another planet – where creatures glow and life survives under crushing pressure.
This is the mid-water zone, a hidden ecosystem that begins 650 feet (200 meters) below the ocean’s surface and sustains life on the entire planet. It includes the twilight zone and the midnight zone, where strange and delicate animals thrive in the near absence of sunlight. Whales and commercially valuable fish like tuna rely on animals in this zone for food. But this unique ecosystem faces an unprecedented threat.
As demand for batteries for electric cars and smartphones grows, mining companies are turning their attention to the deep sea, where precious metals such as nickel and cobalt can be found in potato-sized lumps lying on the ocean floor.
Images of marine life observed in the mid-water zone. Bucklin, et al, Marine Biology, 2021. Photos by R.R. Hopcroft and C. Clarke (University of Alaska Fairbanks) and L.P. Madin (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), CC BY
Deep-sea mining research and experiments over the past 40 years have shown how nodule removal can jeopardize seafloor creatures by disturbing their habitats. However, the process can also pose a danger to what lives above it in the mid-water ecosystem. If future deep-sea mining operations release plumes of sediment into the water column, as has been proposed, the debris could interfere with animal feeding, disrupt food webs, and alter animal behavior.
As an oceanographer who studies marine life in an area of the Pacific rich in these nodules, I believe that before countries and companies rush to exploit, we need to understand the risks. Is humanity willing to risk collapsing parts of an ecosystem we barely understand for resources that are important for our future?
Exploiting the Clarion-Clipperton Zone
Beneath the Pacific Ocean southeast of Hawaii, a hidden treasure trove of polymetallic nodules can be found scattered across the seafloor. These nodules form as metals in seawater or sediments that gather around a nucleus, such as a piece of shell or a shark tooth. They grow at an incredibly slow rate of a few millimeters per million years. Nodules are rich in metals such as nickel, cobalt and manganese – key ingredients in batteries, smartphones, wind turbines and military equipment.
As the demand for these technologies grows, mining companies are targeting this remote area, known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, as well as several other similar nodule areas around the world.
A map shows mining targets in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, southeast of Hawaii, top left. APEIs are protected areas. McQuaid KA, Attrill MJ, Clark MR, Cobley A, Glover AG, Smith CR and Howell KL, 2020, CC BY
To date, only test mining has been conducted. However, plans for large-scale commercial mining are advancing rapidly.
Deep-sea exploratory mining began in the 1970s, and the International Seabed Authority was set up in 1994 under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to regulate it. But it wasn’t until 2022 that The Metals Company and Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. fully tested the first integrated nodule collection system in the Clarion-Clipperton area.
The companies are now planning large-scale mining operations in the region. Initially, they said they expected to submit their ISA application by June 27, 2025, but The Metals Company’s CEO announced on March 27 that he is frustrated with the pace of ISA action and is negotiating with the Trump administration for mining approval. The US is one of the few countries that has never ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which authorizes ISA.
ISA will meet again in July 2025 to discuss critical issues such as mining regulations, guidelines and benefit-sharing mechanisms. Several countries have called for a moratorium on seabed mining until the risks are better understood.
A visualization of a deep-sea mining operation shows two sediment plumes. Source: MIT Mechanical Engineering.
The proposed mining process is invasive. Collector vehicles scrape along the ocean floor while gathering nodules and stirring up sediment. This removes habitats used by marine organisms and threatens biodiversity, causing irreversible damage to seafloor ecosystems. Once collected, the nodules are brought with seawater and sediment through a pipe to a ship, where they are separated from the waste.
The water debris, sediment, and crushed nodules are then dumped back into the middle of the water column, creating wedges. While the depth of discharge is still under debate, some mine operators propose releasing the waste at average water depths, around 4,000 feet (1,200 meters).
However, there’s a critical unknown: the ocean is dynamic, constantly changing with currents, and scientists don’t fully understand how these mining plumes will behave once released in mid-water.
These debris clouds could disperse over large areas, potentially harming marine life and disrupting ecosystems. Imagine a volcanic eruption – not of lava, but of fine, cloudy sediments spreading out into the water column, affecting everything in its path.
Mean-water ecosystem at risk
As an oceanographer who studies zooplankton in the Clarion-Clipperton area, I am concerned about the impact of deep-sea mining on this ecologically important midwater area. This ecosystem is home to zooplankton – small animals that drift with ocean currents – and micronekton, which includes small fish, squid and crustaceans that rely on zooplankton for food.
Sediment plumes in the water column could harm these animals. The fine sediments could clog the respiratory structures of fish and the feeding structures of filter feeders. For animals that feed on suspended particles, the feathers could dilute the food supply with nutritionally poor material. In addition, by blocking light, feathers could interfere with visual cues essential for bioluminescent organisms and visual predators.
For delicate creatures such as jellyfish and siphonophores – gelatinous animals that can grow over 100 meters in length – sediment buildup can interfere with buoyancy and survival. A recent study found that jellies exposed to sediment increased their production of mucus, a common stress response that is energetically costly and the expression of genes linked to wound repair.
In addition, noise pollution from cars can interfere with how species communicate and navigate.
Such disturbances have the potential to disrupt ecosystems, extending far beyond the depth of discharge. Declining zooplankton populations can harm fish and other marine animal populations that depend on them for food.
The mid-water zone also plays a vital role in regulating the Earth’s climate. Phytoplankton at the ocean surface sequester atmospheric carbon, which zooplankton consume and transfer through the food chain. When zooplankton and fish breathe, excrete waste or sink after death, they help export carbon to the deep ocean, where it can be sequestered for centuries. The process naturally removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
More research needed
Despite growing interest in deep-sea mining, much of the deep ocean, particularly the mid-ocean, remains poorly understood. A 2023 study in the Clarion-Clipperton area found that 88% to 92% of species in the region are new to science.
Current mining regulations focus primarily on the seabed, overlooking wider ecosystem impacts. The International Seabed Authority is preparing to discuss key decisions on future seabed mining in July 2025, including rules and guidelines on mining waste, disposal depths and environmental protection.
These decisions could set the framework for large-scale commercial mining in environmentally important areas such as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. However, the consequences for marine life are unclear. Without comprehensive studies on the impacts of seabed mining techniques, the world risks making irreversible choices that could harm these fragile ecosystems.
Alexus Cazares-Nuesser is a PhD candidate in biological oceanography at the University of Hawaii Manoa studying zooplankton ecology in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a region of the Pacific considered for deep-sea mining for polymetallic nodules.
This article appears courtesy of The Conversation and can be found in its original form here.
Source: here
IRGC seizes third oil tanker for fuel smuggling
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy (Nedsa) has seized another small oil tanker suspected of fuel smuggling in the Gulf, Nedsa reported on April 8.
The vessel has not been identified, but was reportedly a small tanker as it had a crew of six and was carrying 100,000 liters of fuel. The vessel was detained by patrol vessels from Nedsa’s second naval district and then taken to the district’s home port of Bushehr.
Two other small tankers, with a total of 25 crew members and carrying three million liters of diesel oil, were also seized and taken to Bushehr on March 31, also by patrol boats from the second Nedsa naval district.
Iranian seizures of small tankers carrying refined fuels, whether gasoline or diesel, have been common in the Gulf for years. This smuggling takes place to exploit the arbitrage between the heavily subsidized refined fuels sold in Iran and the higher fuel prices prevalent elsewhere in the Gulf.
The main smuggling route is from Iran to Iraq, an attractive destination for smugglers because of endemic corruption among coast guards, police and customs. The biggest difference between Iranian selling prices and pump prices for fuel is in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, where subsidies have largely been eliminated and fuel prices are fixed monthly according to market movements. Customs interceptions in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are relatively effective, so smugglers often have to resort to transhipment on smaller boats at sea to avoid detection. Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia still subsidize fuel prices, making these countries less attractive to smugglers.
The seizure of such tankers is often portrayed as part of Iran’s campaign to expand its regional influence or in retaliation for some form of anti-Iranian action. But the reality is that this is a local issue, with Iran and the GCC having common cause in cracking down on smuggling by these small tankers. Subsidies paid to Iran are a huge drain on the government budget. In the GCC, VAT, sales and profit taxes, depending on the country in question, are effectively avoided by buying smuggled fuel sold on the black market.
Many of the smuggling operations are financed by Gulf businessmen, just like pirate expeditions centuries ago. The companies often employ stateless captains and crews and ships that are incorrectly registered or were apparently scrapped years ago. When Iran confiscates an unregistered tanker that has called at a GCC port, the GCC country concerned is often keen not to be identified and is reluctant to intervene on behalf of the detained.
Beyond fuel, there is a thriving small boat smuggling industry across the Gulf. The flow of goods is determined by subsidy arbitrage as well as seasonal fluctuations in supply and demand, all driven by market forces. In one month, commercial boats from Iran can take out pistachios and return with household appliances. The next month there will be live sheep being taken south and cigarettes north.
Source: here
Trump signs executive order to strengthen US shipbuilding
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order containing new measures to support US shipbuilding, centered on a new “Maritime Action Plan”.
The order was prepared mainly by National Security Council staff and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, a White House aide said at the event. A copy of the final order was obtained by TME and includes the following actions:
– Directs the creation of a Maritime Action Plan (MAP) to revitalize U.S. maritime industries.
– Directs the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to make recommendations regarding China’s anti-competitive shipbuilding policies and to consider tariffs on cargo cranes built in China.
– Directs U.S. Customs and Border Protection to charge the U.S. port maintenance fee on all foreign cargo that arrives at ports in Mexico or Canada and then enters the United States by land, plus a 10% service fee.
– Directs the Department of Transportation and the Office of Management and Budget to propose a Maritime Security Trust Fund for U.S. shipping, funded through tariffs, fines, fees, or other dedicated revenue streams.
– Directs the Department of Transportation to write a legislative proposal for a financial incentive program for shipbuilding that would supplement or replace the Small Shipyard Grant Program and the Federal Ship Finance (Title XI) program.
– Directs several agencies to develop a legislative proposal for “national maritime fellowships” to send maritime experts abroad to learn “cutting-edge techniques and topics.”
– Directs several agencies to propose a maritime prosperity zone system to spur investment in waterfront communities.
– Directs the Department of Transportation to take action on U.S. Merchant Marine Academy repairs and long-term infrastructure budgeting with the Department of Government Efficiency.
– Directs a review of federal shipbuilding acquisitions with the goal of “identifying for elimination excessive requirements, including the number of government reviews and burdensome regulations.”
– Directs a review of cargo preference rates and whether they could be increased to support U.S. flagged shipping.
– Directs the Departments of Defense, Transportation (MARAD) and Homeland Security (Coast Guard) to identify maritime regulations for elimination.
“We used to build a ship a day, and now we don’t do a ship a year, basically,” Trump said. “We spend a lot of money on shipbuilding, we are way, way behind.”
US shipyards and shipbuilders welcomed the news of the order.
“With this executive order, it’s clear that President Trump and his administration are deeply committed to re-energizing and investing in our nation’s shipyards, and we look forward to beginning this important work with policymakers and industry partners to restore the strength of America’s shipbuilding,” said Matthew Paxton, president of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA).
“Thank you to President Trump and the White House for taking historic steps to revitalize American shipbuilding,” Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) shipyard Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) said in a statement. “As a multi-generation American-owned shipyard, we know firsthand how important our industry is to America’s economic prosperity and security. With the most skilled craftsmen in the world, we can strengthen our industrial capacity and maintain our dominance at sea. Let’s do it!”
“Today, President Trump took a major step toward reviving America’s maritime industry and ushering in a golden era in American shipbuilding,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement. “We will ensure that the United States remains the premier maritime power and an economic powerhouse. And to young Americans across the country who are interested in a maritime career – know that this administration supports you and believes you are a valuable investment in America’s prosperity.”
Source: here
French Navy’s second BRF supply ship BRF begins sea trials – April 10, 2025
The “Jacques Stosskopf” during sea trials. OCCAR picture.
OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Armement / Organization for Joint Armament Co-operation) announced today that the Jacques Stosskopf has started its sea trials campaign on April 9, 2025. The ship is the second of four new Logistic Support Ships (LSS) known as the “BRF”, or Jacques Chevallier class, for the French Navy (Marine Nationale).
OCCAR said in a statement on social media:
This important milestone represents the start of the sea trials sessions for the second French vessel of the OCCAR (Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation) LSS program and the last straight line before delivery at the end of the year.
In the coming days, acceptance tests will be carried out by the industrial contractors in the presence of OCCAR LSS Program Division LSS staff members, DGA – Direction générale de l’armement experts and French Navy, Marine Nationale personnel to verify the compliance of the onboard platform systems and equipment with their operational requirements.
This will be followed by additional sea trials in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean before final delivery in Toulon, France.
The first ship of the class is scheduled to be launched at Saint-Nazaire on April 29, 2022. Bâtiment Ravitailleur de Forces (BRF) Jacques Chevallier is the first in a series of four ships destined for the French Navy as part of the FLOTLOG program. The contract was awarded in January 2019 to Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Naval Group. The four ships will be delivered successively until 2029. Naval Group is acting as prime contractor for the program.
The FLOTLOG program is part of a Franco-Italian cooperation led by OCCAR on behalf of the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) and its Italian counterpart NAVARM, under the Logistic Support Ship (LSS) program.
Construction of the third ship, named Emile Bertin, started at Chantiers de l’Atlantique in early 2024 and includes a section manufactured in Italy. Its delivery is scheduled for 2027.
Jacques Chevallier, the first in the series, was delivered to the French Navy in July 2023 and is currently deployed as part of the French aircraft carrier strike group.
About BRF / Chevallier-class Refillishment Tanker
Jacques Chevallier
Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Naval Group were awarded a contract for the construction of four replenishment ships in January 2019. The ships are to be delivered between late 2022 and 2029. It is part of a Franco-Italian program led by OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Armement – Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation), on behalf of the French procurement agency (DGA) and its Italian counterpart NAVARM. As such, the French BRF design is based on the Italian Navy’s LSS (Vulcano class) designed by Fincantieri.
Safran Electronics & Defense has been selected to supply the PASEO XLR naval optronic identification and fire control system PASEO XLR for all four ships in the class, while Vestdavit won a tender from Chantiers de l’Atlantique to supply the fisherman systems for the BRF. The RAPIDFire naval gunnery system developed by the consortium of Thales and Nexter has been chosen as the main gunnery and CIWS for the class (two systems per ship, although the first ship in the class can only receive one initially). MBDA will supply two Simbad-RC very short-range air defense (VSHORAD) systems per ship. GE is providing the propulsion systems (MV7000 drives) of the ships.
Jacques Stosskopf has a few minor changes compared to the first ship in its class: the Simbad-RC systems have been placed on small bridge wings to give them better coverage to protect the ship.
Main characteristics of BRF vessels
Gross Tonnage: 28.700 GRT
Displacement at maximum load: 31,000 tons
Overall length: 194 m Overall width: 27.60 m
Crew capacity: 190 persons (including 130 crew and 60 passenger capacity)
Deadweight: 14,870 tons
Cargo volume: 13,000 m3
Total installed capacity: 24 MW
Artillery: 40 mm guns
Polaris® Battle Management System
Source: here
Babcock International Group (Babcock) has been awarded a c.£65 million, five-ship contract to deliver the Capability Insertion Period (CIP) for the UK Royal Navy’s (RN) Type 31 frigates built by the company at its Rosyth factory in Scotland.
Babcock press release
The CIP adds crucial capabilities that will support the ships throughout their lifetime and includes the insertion, testing and enhancement of a range of improvements that will enhance the Type 31’s military capability.
Activities will take place at the Babcock facility in Rosyth, using the expertise and experience of the skilled team.
Paul Watson, Arrowhead Managing Director, Babcock, said: “This new contract provides additional military capabilities for the ships beyond the original design and build contract.
“The detailed knowledge we have of these ships, combined with our forward-thinking design, will enable efficient installation and lifecycle support of systems and equipment.
“As a design and construction partner, Babcock is expertly positioned to provide the know-how and technical information to deliver these important ship development activities through CIP.
“We are proud of the role we play alongside our clients – their mission is our mission.”
Steven Perry, Type 31 project manager at DE&S, said, “We are delighted to have awarded Babcock the CIP contract for the Type 31 fleet. This contract will deliver capability upgrades that exceed the shipbuilding specification, delivering Type 31 frigates to the Royal Navy that will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of global security.”
Babcock, which was awarded the design and build contract in November 2019, supports the Royal Navy’s mission to deter aggression and maintain the security of the UK’s interests by delivering the next generation of Royal Navy warships. Type 31 will be at the heart of the Royal Navy’s surface fleet, working alongside Britain’s allies to provide a British presence across the globe.
Source: here
Royal Navy to use heavy drones to support ship-to-ship CSG25 resupply – April 10, 2025
Naval Air Squadron 700X personnel operate a Malloy T-150 drone aboard HMS Prince of Wales. (Royal Navy/Crown Copyright)
The Royal Navy will test the use of unmanned aviation for in-theater resupply as part of its upcoming Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.
Nine Malloy Aeronautics T-150 Malloy Aeronautics T-150 octo-helicopters will be operated by personnel from the 700X Naval Air Squadron’s Naval Air Squadron (NAS) 700X to transfer supplies, provisions and light-weight components between ships in the CSG25 group. HMS Prince of Wales, the flagship of the group, is scheduled to depart Portsmouth on April 22.
The 700X NAS, based at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall, is the Royal Navy’s specialist unmanned aviation unit. The squadron will embark a team of 12 sailors to operate the T-150 vehicles from three ships in the group – HMS Prince of Wales, the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless and the RFA tanker Tidespring – to test the capability.
As well as being more cost-effective and responsive than using manned helicopters, the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) will reduce the hours consumed by the Wildcat and Merlin helicopters in the task group and free them up to concentrate on their core roles. The trial will also support wider Royal Navy ambitions to operate and integrate unmanned aerial vehicles alongside manned aircraft.
“There is a statistic from previous carrier strike deployments that 95% of the supplies transferred weigh less than 50kg,” said Lieutenant Matt Parfitt, 700X NAS flight commander. “It could be anything from packages from home to a vital piece of engineering.
“In the past we would use a helicopter if a part was urgently needed on another ship. This time we will instead use a remotely piloted, unmanned system.”
The electric-powered T-150 UAS T-150 is capable of lifting loads of up to 68 kg. The vehicle is “piloted” by a two-person team – a remote pilot and a second person to monitor a control unit – and can be flown manually or autonomously through designated waypoints
T-150s were delivered to 700X NAS in August 2024. “Since then we’ve had to learn how to fly and maintain them and how to integrate them into the manned aviation space,” Lt. Parfitt said. “There’s a lot of regulations and paperwork that has to be done, which means a lot of work for us as we get ready to deploy.
“These systems have only been used on land before, so we also need to understand how we can operate and maintain them in a maritime environment,” he added.
Malloy Aeronautics was acquired by BAE Systems in February 2024. The T-150 is one of several unmanned aerial systems developed by Malloy to provide cost-effective and cost-efficient logistics. Its family of unmanned UASs is capable of lifting payloads from 68 kg to 200 kg in short- and medium-range missions: the company is working to increase this to 300 kg.
The deployment of the T-150 as part of CSG25 follows the Heavy Lift Challenge (HLC) program run by Defence Equipment and Support and the Royal Navy’s own Office of the Chief Technology Officer. Malloy Aeronautics was one of a number of companies taking part in the HLC.
Source: here
Horizon frigate MLU program completes critical design review – April 10, 2025
Naviris and Eurosam have completed the first critical design review (CDR) for the Horizon Horizon Mid-Life Upgrade (HRZ MLU) program, Eurosam announced on April 10, 2025.
The announcement is a pivotal moment for the Franco-Italian frigate program as it officially marks the transition from the design phase to the production phase.
Originally delivered between 2009 and 2011, the Horizon-class vessels – the Italian Navy’s Andrea Doria and Caio Duilio and the French Navy’s Forbin and Chevalier Paul – will undergo MLU between 2026 and 2030. The modernization aims to ensure that the vessels will remain equipped with state-of-the-art technology and enhanced capabilities, prolonging their operational life while maintaining and extending their performance.
Awarded in July 2023 by the European Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), acting on behalf of the French and Italian nations, the HRZ MLU contract is led by Naviris (a 50/50 joint venture created by Italy’s Fincantieri and France’s Naval Group) and Eurosam and is supported by both Fincantieri and Naval Group, as well as key partners such as Leonardo, Thales, SiGen and MBDA.
The HRZ MLU program responds to key national requirements, focusing on the development, production and integration of Eurosam’s Aster missile-based Aster Main Anti-Aircraft Missile System (PAAMS) and advanced electronic warfare systems, providing new capabilities and improved performance against the most modern threats, while addressing obsolescence issues and upgrading systems to ensure continued reliability and effectiveness.
After the completion of the System Design Review (SDR) in 2024 and now the CDR in April 2025, the integration of new systems is scheduled as follows:
1. Italian Navy: integration on the first class ship will start in mid 2026, followed by a follow-on ship in late 2027;
2. French Navy: integration on the first class ship will start in mid 2028, followed by a follow-on ship at the end of 2029.
All modernization activities are scheduled to be completed by 2030, “reinforcing the Horizon-class frigates’ position as cutting-edge assets for national defense,” Eurosam said.
The MLU program for the four French and Italian Horizon-class frigates is scheduled to run from 2026 to 2030 [Naviris].
Source: here
G5 Infrared US Navy contract for the SPEIR program – April 10, 2025
The program is designed to enhance the US Navy’s capabilities in detecting and countering various threats.
The SPEIR program is to be launched on all US Navy ships, starting with the Arleigh-Burke destroyers. Credit: somkanae sawatdinak/Shutterstock.
L3Harris Technologies has awarded an initial $2.2 million Engineering Development Model (EDM) order to G5 Infrared to supply infrared cameras.
This order is part of the US Navy’s Shipboard Panoramic Electro-Optical Panoramic Electro-Optical/Infrared (SPEIR) program.
The contract announcement was made by LightPath Technologies, which recently acquired G5 Infrared.
LightPath President and CEO, Sam Rubin, said, “With the recent completion of the G5 acquisition, this first award we are jointly announcing will enhance system capabilities, providing increased efficiency and operational readiness for our naval forces.
“The SPEIR program is an integral part of the U.S. Navy’s commitment to use cutting-edge technology to improve passive electronic support capabilities. By integrating advanced G5 camera systems, L3Harris will provide an imaging solution that meets the rigorous requirements of the Navy’s operational environment.”
The SPEIR program aims to enhance the capabilities of the U.S. Navy by incorporating systems that provide both narrow and wide field of view for detecting and responding to threats such as anti-ship cruise missiles, fast attack craft, coastal attack craft, unmanned aerial vehicles and to support counter-terrorism and force protection operations.
The technology will be deployed on all U.S. Navy surface ships, with the initial installations targeted for the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
Delivery of G5 systems to L3Harris is planned for calendar year 2025.
Rubin added: “The award further validates our rationale for the G5 acquisition, adding a complementary family of state-of-the-art cooled infrared cameras with numerous recording programs to significantly enhance our near-term growth.
“We expect the G5 to continue to help accelerate the execution of our strategic vision to become a vertically integrated infrared imaging solutions provider in the $9 billion dollar infrared imaging market in the coming months and years.”
In 2022, the US Navy selected a team led by L3Harris Technologies to deliver the SPEIR system.
The initial value of the contract is $205 million, potentially rising to $593 million if all options are exercised by March 2031.
Source: here
Anduril integrates with Ultra Maritime to detect submarines
Ultra Maritime’s CEO spoke with Naval Technology about the need for a Sea Spear network and whether European demand for the U.S. system persists.
Image of Sea Spear scrolling, a sonar detection system developed by British supplier Ultra Maritime. Credit: Ultra Maritime.
US defense major Anduril and British naval systems supplier Ultra Maritime will team up to detect enemy submarines.
The Dive XL unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) Dive XL will deploy the Seabed Sentry payload system, which in turn will host Ultra’s Sea Spear sonar array.
Once deployed, the 21-inch-diameter Sea Spear slowly deploys with the flow of a current until the system is silent and rigid, at which point it will begin to detect sounds underwater. The sonar system uses acoustic communications and Anduril’s Lattice software to provide users with real-time, autonomous underwater sensors.
Naval Technology spoke with Ultra Maritime CEO, Carlo Zaffanella, about the need for an active Sea Spear network, as well as their new partnership with Anduril.
Active and passive network
Russia has never stopped investing in submarines, even after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Yasen class , for example, the first nuclear-powered attack submarines designed post-Soviet, are the most lethal and stealthy craft in Russia’s fleet.
Experts have warned navies of the need to improve their situational awareness in the opaque and impenetrable underwater environment, where Russian submarines stalk global waters.
Photo of a Russian Yasen-class nuclear attack submarine. Credit: Kuleshov Oleg Kuleshov via Shutterstock.
In this context, Sea Spear is useful for its affordable cost and scalability to deliver mass, allowing forces to leverage acoustic data from a “significant network,” Zaffanella emphasized.
“We are capable of detecting submarines, but it would be much better if we had a number of those pounds and then dropped an active source in the water, such as a buoy transmitting.
“Now you listen to the reflections of that transmission from an enemy submarine and now you can hear it extremely well. So this can work in passive mode, but then it can work in this active multistatic mode.”
Accessing Europe
The announcement of this industrial partnership comes at a time when the United States is distancing itself from European allies.
Last week, the US Department of Defense indicated that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to attend a meeting in Panama that could clash with Ukraine’s Defense Contact Group on April 11 at NATO headquarters in Brussels, a meeting that America led until recently.
These transatlantic political divisions are seeping into the industry; European governments and companies are demanding strategic autonomy in the defense sector, especially after the US implemented tariffs.
In March 2025, the chief executive of MBDA, Europe’s largest manufacturer of complex weapons, indicated that the group would be ready to deliver fully sovereign systems to customers when asked to do so.
While Ultra Maritime is a well-established naval systems supplier with a global footprint, it is worth noting that the company is based in the UK.
When asked about the European trend, Zaffanella said that anti-submarine warfare is a “very complex science” and that “there are a few companies”, including Anibil, that “are really good at doing this kind of work”.
He continued: ‘First of all, you need performance. You need the ability to solve this problem in a way that’s familiar with the targets of interest; you need to be able to do it at scale. And there are very few ways you could do that.”
Source: here
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced an expanded partnership with Panama to secure the Panama Canal against what he called “China’s maligned influence” in the region.
During a joint press conference with Panamanian Minister of Public Security Frank Abrego, Hegseth declared that “the era of capitulation to Communist Chinese coercion is over.” The announcement was made during a three-day security conference in Panama City.
The partnership includes a signed memorandum of understanding for cooperative security activities and a future declaration specifically focused on canal security and operations. This new framework will give US warships and auxiliary vessels “first and free” passage through the canal.
A key component of the agreement involves re-establishing a US military presence at several former US installations, including Rodman Naval Station, Howard Air Force Base and Fort Sherman. The US currently has significant military assets deployed in the region, including two guided missile cruisers, a Coast Guard cutter, four F-18 fighter jets and more than 1,000 military personnel.
The agreement follows President Trump’s controversial threats to “take back” the Panama Canal from Chinese influence – a claim strongly rejected by the Panamanian government. To address US concerns, a consortium led by US investment firm BlackRock struck a deal in March to acquire Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison’s port operations in Hong Kong at both ends of the canal, a move that Beijing has widely criticized. The deal has not yet closed.
Trump has previously criticized what he called the “exorbitant fees” levied on US ships, claiming that the US “foolishly ceded” the canal.
The Panama Canal Authority confirmed the agreement in an official announcement, emphasizing that the declaration reaffirms Panamanian sovereignty over the waterway and respect for the strict anti-discrimination requirements set out in the 1977 Neutrality Treaty between Panama and the US. The agreement also includes provisions for the development of compensation mechanisms for services provided to naval vessels.
The enhanced partnership extends beyond canal security to include joint efforts in combating regional criminal enterprises and border security. In particular, Panama has achieved a 99% reduction in illegal border crossings at Darién Gap in the past year.
The USNS Comfort, a US Navy hospital ship, is scheduled to visit Panama this summer to provide medical care and strengthen bilateral relations.
Source: here
USTR considers adjusting port fee plan for Chinese ships after rejection – April 10, 2025
President Donald Trump’s administration is considering reducing the proposed fee on China-bound ships visiting the U.S. after a wave of negative feedback from industries that said the idea could be economically devastating, according to six sources.
Among the changes under consideration are delayed implementation and new fee structures designed to reduce the overall cost for visiting Chinese ships, according to the six sources with knowledge of the matter.
The sources asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.
The White House and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the government department involved in drafting the proposal, did not respond to requests for comment.
Not all of the agency’s proposed multi-million-dollar tariffs on Chinese-built ships docking in US ports will be implemented and they may not be cumulative, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told a US Senate Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday.
USTR has proposed that duties that could exceed $3 million for each US port would call on ships built or connected in China. Its proposal came after it completed an investigation into China’s maritime sector and development plans that began in April 2024.
The Trump administration argues the tariffs would curb China’s growing commercial and military dominance on the high seas and promote the US domestic maritime industry.
But representatives from numerous industries, from coal to agriculture, argued during public hearings last month that the proposed tariff could make it impossible to ship everything from coal to soybeans to market because of the prevalence of China-linked ships in the existing global shipping fleet and the time it would take to replace them.
China’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday reiterated its stance on the issue, saying that measures such as levying port fees will not revitalize the US shipbuilding industry, but only “harm others and itself.”
The Trump administration is also considering changes to the fees to make them less onerous and reduce their impact on US businesses, all six sources said.
Among the options the Trump administration is considering is levying a tax that is adjusted based on the number of China-built ships in a company’s fleet, one source said. This would mean lower fees for those companies with fewer China-built ships.
The administration is also considering a fee based on the tonnage of ships unloaded, rather than a flat fee, two of the sources said. This would mean lower fees for smaller vessels rather than fixed fees for all vessels. This could ease the burden on shipowners with smaller vessels involved in niche trade, such as the transportation of grain or other commodities.
USTR formulated the proposed fee keeping in mind the larger container ships carrying retail cargo, sources said. The impact on cargo flows was not fully considered, they said.
“The hardest hit sectors are container shipping and motor carriers, given their consolidated nature and the high proportion of duties payable under the proposal,” Jefferies analyst Omar Nokta wrote in an April 2 note.
“However, all shipping segments would be affected, given the level of disruption that could occur as operators shift vessels to minimize exposure to US duties.”
(Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Renee Maltezou, additional reporting by Georgina McCartney and Lisa Baertlein, additional reporting by Eduardo Baptista in Beijing; Edited by Richard Valdmanis and David Gregorio)
Source: here
Leidos unveils ‘Sea Dart’ unmanned underwater vessel – April 10, 2025
The Sea Dart starts at around $150,000, a Leidos official told Breaking Defense, and works with various payloads and software packages.
Leidos’ latest unveiling at Sea Air Space 2025, the SEA DART UUV is an affordable underwater vessel that doesn’t compromise on capability. (Brendon Smith / Breaking Defense)
SEA AIR SPACE 2025 – Defense and information technology company Leidos this week unveiled a new unmanned underwater vessel (UUV) called the Sea Dart, what the company is promoting as a versatile “low-cost” maritime weapon.
“The price of UUVs continues to go up,” said Jason Weed, a submarine expert in Leidos’ Maritime Systems Division. But, he said, with Sea Dart starting at about $150,000 per unit, “we’re able to offer them at scale. You can build 600-700 Sea Darts for $100 million.”
Leidos officially unveiled the “low cost” Sea Dart on Monday, saying it “currently comes in two different standard diameters, six and nine inches, and is transportable by one or two people. It’s agnostic and compatible with the U.S. Navy’s preferred underwater vehicle software architecture, as well as the U.S. Navy’s new non-propagating UUV battery design.” (The announcement said the 12-inch-diameter version is “under consideration.”
Leidos says the UUV can travel up to 900 meters and can go up to 12 knots and, depending on attached payloads, has a battery life of up to 19 hours.
Weed said the first Sea Dart purchased by a customer, whom he declined to identify, entered the water in March. He also declined to say whether the Navy is a current customer, but said Leidos “wants” the Navy to use Sea Dart widely.
He said that in addition to being relatively affordable, Sea Dart uses a commercial, off-the-shelf model, which means buyers can buy the vessel as-is but can add any customization – for example, different sizes and types of payloads. It also has an open architecture model that can work with various software systems. So, depending on the payload and software package, Weed said the vehicle can perform countermine operations, battlespace readiness, environmental sensing or undersea infrastructure monitoring, among other missions.
“There are a lot of concerns right now with critical underwater infrastructure like cables, so this can monitor them and report if there are changes,” Weed said.
Sea Dart is the latest collection in Leidos’ Sea Systems portfolio. It joins the unmanned surface vessel Sea Archer and unmanned surface ships Sea Hunter, Sea Hawk, Ranger and Mariner.
Unmanned sea systems were a focus at this year’s Sea Air Space show, with Anduril and HII announcing the delivery of new UUVs they have developed.
Source: here
Asia-Pacific, really the new center of the world? With C. Lechervy
Ambassador Christian Lechervy, co-author of the book “Asia-Pacific: The New Center of the World”, Odile Jacob. Permanent Secretary for the Pacific – Ambassador of France to the Pacific Community (PSC) (2014-2018). Adviser for Strategic Affairs and Asia-Pacific to the President of the Republic (2012 – 2014). Deputy Director of Prospective Studies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2010 – 2012). Interview organized and conducted by Pierre Verluise, PhD in geopolitics, founder of Diploweb, produces Planisphère on Radio Notre Dame and RCF since September 2024. This broadcast was aired on April 8, 2025 Summarized by Émilie Bourgoin, 4th year student in the BBA program at EDHEC and work-study student in the security unit of a large group. She is responsible for monitoring weekly news of geopolitical books, magazines and conferences, as well as writing summaries of Planisphere program episodes for Diploweb.
How does the Asia-Pacific play its role in de-Westernizing the world? But what is Asia-Pacific? Asia-Pacific brings together 17 countries, from North to South: from Mongolia to East Timor, from East to West, from China to Japan. These 17 countries have different characteristics, of course, but they are all connected to the synicized bloc of civilization. India and Australia are not among them. Is Asia-Pacific really the new center of the world? To answer this question, we have the honor to welcome Ambassador Christian Lechervy, co-author of the book “Asia-Pacific: The New Center of the World”, published by Odile Jacob.Podcast, video and written summary, validated by C. Lechervy.
ASIA-PACIFIC is now at the center of global economic and strategic dynamics. With 17 countries, from Mongolia to East Timor and from China to Japan, this region is distinguished by a shared history marked by Sinicized civilization. But how can this region be described as the “new center of the world”? Ambassador Christian Lechervy, co-author of the book “Asia-Pacific, the new center of the world ” (ed. Odile Jacob), sheds light on this question.
A region in the process of structuring
Contrary to the conventional wisdom that the United States dominates the Asia-Pacific, the reality is more complex. The region has been organized mainly out of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), especially since Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam joined, giving the region a sense that it has (re)found its unity. This regional organization promotes intra-Asian cooperation between the countries of South-East Asia, but also with North-East Asia (China, Japan, Korea), but also with the rest of the world: Europe, the Near and Middle East, the Americas and even Africa and the Pacific.
The region is facing a form of regionalization unique to globalization: it is gradually integrating into the world economy while developing internal economic, trade and financial cooperation mechanisms.
Christian Lechervy is co-author with Sophie Boisseau du Rocher of “Asia-Pacific: The New Center of the World”, Odile Jacob. Photo credit: Pierre Verluise
Verluise/Diploweb.com
Sino-US strategic competition
One of the major tensions in the Asia-Pacific is the rivalry between China and the United States. China has greatly enhanced its military capabilities, especially naval, to project its power far beyond its borders into the Indian Ocean, the Central Pacific and the Arctic. However, its access to the oceans remains limited by natural barriers such as the Straits of Malacca and Taiwan.
For the United States, this expansion poses a major strategic challenge. Washington is therefore trying to maintain a strong presence in the region by strengthening its alliances and developing containment strategies.
A challenge to the norms of globalization
Since the end of the Cold War (1990-91), the Asia-Pacific has sought to emancipate itself from Western frameworks of globalization in order to establish its own mechanisms of cooperation. However, ever since the 1955 Bandung Conference, there has been a desire for independence from Western powers. Today, this trend continues through groupings such as the BRICS, which Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have just joined in the Global South, which seek to redefine global economic and political rules.
The Asia-Pacific is thus positioning itself as a central player, demanding to be better recognized, seeking to negotiate with Europe and America on an equal footing.
A peaceful rise to power?
Historically, the rise of European powers has often been marked by wars. In Asia-Pacific, the rise of nations has so far been relatively peaceful. Although inter-state tensions persist (notably in the South China Sea or between the Koreas), armed conflicts between nations have become rare. Economic growth and regional integration appear to be playing a stabilizing role.
Southeast Asia, the Indo-Pacific hub
With its Indian and Pacific coasts, Southeast Asia occupies a strategic position. ASEAN has established itself as a pivotal player, facilitating cooperation among Asian nations and establishing regular institutionalized dialogues with all its partners around the world.
The ASEAN+3 (including China, Japan and South Korea) reinforces this dynamic and illustrates a flexible approach to regional integration that differs from the European supranational model.
The role of France and the European Union
France, thanks to its presence in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific through its overseas territories (New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, Clipperton), has a direct influence in the Asia-Pacific. Paris has initiated several ministerial forums to structure dialogue between the EU and the region, in particular to promote economic and diplomatic partnerships on global issues (e.g. climate, oceans).
However, Europe’s influence remains limited by a lack of commitment from states and its resources. To carry more weight, the European Union will need to strengthen its presence and political cooperation with all nations in the region and their institutions.
Indirect effects of the war in Ukraine
The war in Ukraine has revealed the growing links between Asia-Pacific security and Europe. North Korea, for example, supplies arms and soldiers to Russia in exchange for substantial diplomatic and technological support. Similarly, China is accused of helping Russia circumvent international sanctions.
On the diplomatic front, Asian countries’ votes at the United Nations are closely scrutinized as they reflect their stance on global geopolitical tensions.
The impact of Donald Trump’s second term
Asian partners closely followed the campaign and re-election of Donald Trump. Upon his return to the White House, several leaders, such as the Japanese Prime Minister, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Thai Prime Minister, have, for example, sought to establish direct dialog with him.
However, uncertainties remain over US economic and trade policy in the Asia-Pacific. Trump could adopt a protectionist approach, impacting trade with emerging countries in the region. Reductions in US official development assistance and cooperation programs could also shift the balance of power back in China’s favor.
Recommended resources
To delve deeper into these issues, three recommended readings are recommended:
. Christian Lechervy and Sophie Boisseau du Rocher, “Asia-Pacific, the new center of the world ” (ed. Odile Jacob).
. Delphine Alès and Christophe Jaffrelot, “The Indo-Pacific ” (ed. Presses de Sciences Po). The book addresses the political and economic dynamics of the region.
. Valérie Niquet and Marianne Paix, “Indo-Pacific, the new center of the world ” (Tallandier). The book analyzes the geostrategic evolution of the Indo-Pacific.
These books provide an in-depth view of the changing Asia-Pacific and its growing role on the world stage.
Summary copyright April 2025-Bourgoin/Diploweb.com
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. Christian Lechervy and Sophie Boisseau du Rocher, “Asia-Pacific, the new center of the world ” (ed. Odile Jacob)
4th cover
Will Asia-Pacific become the new center of the world? Today, Asia-Pacific produces 60% of global GDP and 66% of global growth. This rise in power, far from being limited to China, concerns the whole region.
With its strengths – its position at the confluence of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, its know-how in managing external flows, its skills, its workforce – Asia-Pacific is testing, shaking and challenging our positioning, our capacity for influence and our universalist claims.
As the American model cracks and war rages on Europe’s doorstep, the Asia-Pacific weaves a dense and active network that protects its members. It is also out of it that the most thoughtful initiatives are being launched to de-Westernize the world order and possibly create a ripple effect in the “Global South”.
What will be the consequences for Europe? Will Asia-Pacific become the new post-Western model?
Source: here
The Trump is losing its luster – Apr 10, 2025
It takes many years to rebuild an economy, requiring adequate investment in education, public health and infrastructure, all of which the US has lacked for decades.
Josef Mahoney joined CGTN Asia Today to discuss Trump’s global #tradewar.
Question 1. many US companies oppose #tariffs. They fear losing access to China’s market and supply chains. Apple, Microsoft and Tesla are facing stock declines. Could tariffs backfire on the US?
They’re getting hit in the markets. If they don’t see relief, they will be severely diminished, losing market share, supply chains, ecosystems and goodwill that took decades to build, especially in massive markets like China, which already produce world-class domestic alternatives to iPhones and Tesla electric vehicles.
Some hope that Trump will redistribute income from some industries that produce abroad to those that produce in the US, benefiting American workers. However, American workers will not be winners if high tariffs persist. They are more likely to end up beggars or soldiers going off to war. Best case scenario: low-wage workers.
Question 2. Trump has called tariffs a panacea to rebuild America’s economy… restoring America’s manufacturing prowess, bringing in piles of money that can help pay down the US deficit etc. Is that realistic?
1. It takes many years to rebuild an economy, requiring adequate investment in education, public health and infrastructure, all of which the US has lacked for decades. Many US states would have to drop environmental and other regulations. This is unlikely to happen, but if it did, they would be stuck in the courts for many years. Trump needs results in less than two years.
2. Adding tariffs is an inflationary tax on consumers. Most of the products Americans consume will be made overseas for the foreseeable future. Americans may lose millions or go without the products they want or need.
3. When Trump raised tariffs to 104%, as he did against China, he crossed a line: Chinese manufacturers will not export to the US market, and the US will not make money from taxing Chinese goods.
4. In the context of great-power relations, some believe Trump is using tariffs to either decouple from China or to force big concessions while disciplining smaller economies to give the US greater leverage against Beijing. In the context of global finance, he’s trying to manipulate the bond market and induce #fed rate drops to ease the costs of servicing the US deficit.
Question 3. Musk and Trump’s trade adviser, Peter Navarro, have been feuding over tariffs. Why do divisions persist in the US, with officials offering contradictory or ambiguous statements?
Everyone knows Navarro is a farce, his book, which influenced Trump, has been debunked because it relied heavily on fabricated sources. It’s fake scholarship! They know you can’t rebuild an economy that way.
Question 4. So, is Trump serious about tariffs or is this just very expensive political theater, trying to bully other countries into compliance and manipulate the Fed and bond markets?
In short, officials know it’s a high-stakes, high-risk game of chicken, and some want some room to maneuver for themselves if it all goes sideways.
https://www.cgtn.com/tv/replay?id=CEaFHAA
Josef Mahoney was interviewed by Bloomberg News after #China responded last night, before Trump ordered a 90-day pause for everyone except China.
Full comments:
It seemed clear that Beijing is taking a little more time to calculate its response, knowing they have until markets open this morning in New York if they want to keep up or maybe move a few more Treasuries before adding more vinegar to the soup.
Conventional wisdom holds that Trump has crossed the line at 104%, that most if not all Chinese manufacturers will simply abandon the US market.
If the US raises tariffs again, then it will mean nothing. Consequently, will we see Trump threaten China with SWIFT or otherwise?
By responding, but not matching the 104% total imposed by Washington, China has reinforced its image of not being harassed, while showing the world that it will not sink to the same level of absurdity, especially when it is pointless and likely theater anyway.
It seems unlikely that the Trump administration would see just 84% as a concession, though given the way he’s spinning things, who can say?
He waits to see whether he can get the Fed to lower interest rates and whether his global imbroglio will prop up the bond market and thereby reduce the costs of US deficit management.
Beijing knows that these are two of its key objectives and if it achieves them, then it could start looking to negotiate deals.
Alternatively, Beijing realizes that it may try to force other economies to pull out and then have more leverage against China, which could be used to seek concessions or force decoupling.
As we’ve seen Washington respond overnight, it’s been cutting everyone else some slack and restraining China, so now we see this as an attempt to isolate and diminish China. Whether that was his plan or not, we realized that such a narrowing could happen, especially as bond markets were showing weakness.
The key question: now the rest of the world stands by, does nothing, and effectively helps him try to destroy China, the country that forced him to raise tariffs against them, and then face the devil alone?
Source: here