The Japanese diesel-electric submarine ‘Hakuryu’ at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. U.S. Navy photo The only obstacle is that the United States doesn’t actually build them by JAMES HOLMES What madman would propose adding diesel submarines to the U.S. Navy’s all-nuclear silent service? There are a few. The topic came... Read more

‘Yasen’-class submarine silhouette. Illustration via Wikimedia ‘Kazan’ prepares to launch by DAVE MAJUMDAR Russia is set to launch its second Yasen-class nuclear-powered attack submarine on March 30. Called Kazan, the new vessel is an upgraded Project 885M design that is in many ways much more capable than the lead... Read more

The ‘Ohio’-class ballistic missile submarine USS ‘Kentucky.’ U.S. Navy photo New U.S. nukes are so precise, Russia could fear a first strike — and that heightens the risk of miscalculation by JOHN BAKER On March 1, 2017, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists released a major scoop that has extremely worrisome... Read more

U.S. president Donald Trump speaks at the Department of Homeland Security in January 2017. Photo via Wikimedia Liberals are losing badly by BRIAN E. FRYDENBORG This is part two of a two-part essay. Read part one. By the standards discussed, Donald Trump is clearly a democratic fascist — with the differences between the... Read more

Crewmen of the amphibious cargo ship USS ‘Durham’ take Vietnamese refugees aboard a small craft in the South China Sea, April 1975. U.S. Navy photo Even when American leaders have welcomed those fleeing war, the public seldom has by KEVIN KNODELL The White House is in the process of fighting the American... Read more

China’s under-construction aircraft carrier on Nov. 30, 2016. DigitalGlobe photo via Google Earth Beijing constructs the beginnings of blue water fleet by DAVE MAJUMDAR According to Chinese state media, Beijing’s first domestically built carrier is nearing completion at Dalian. The vessel — which is expected to become operational in 2020 — will be launched soon. Thereafter, the... Read more

Su-35. Vitaly Kuzmin photo The two countries also plan to work together on a new warplane by DAVE MAJUMDAR The United Arab Emirates has agreed to purchase a batch of advanced Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E fighters from Russia. As of 2017, the Flanker-E is the most capable operational Russian combat aircraft. The jets... Read more

Image via Vice Motherboard The search engine tapped a public malware repository by LORENZO FRANCESCHI-BICCHIERAI In October of 2014, an American security company revealed that a group of hackers affiliated with the Russian government, dubbed APT28, had targeted Georgia and other Eastern European countries in a wide-ranging espionage campaign.... Read more

‘Sao Paulo’ in 2002. Rob Schleiffert photo via Flickr Time has finally caught up with ‘Sao Paulo’ by ROBERT BECKHUSEN It wasn’t long ago that Brazil planned to retrofit its vintage aircraft carrier Sao Paulo to last until 2039. No longer. Instead, Brazil will retire the 32,800-ton flattop during the next three... Read more

Workplace safety at U.S. shipyards is a growing concern by NEIL GORDON On Feb. 10, 2017, the Center for Investigative Reporting published a disturbing exposé of the national defense shipbuilding industry, documenting how the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard award billions of dollars in contracts to shipbuilders with lax safety standards.... Read more