Marcus Faulkner
@marcusfaulkner.bsky.social
Naval and intelligence historian. Familiar with the Second World War, knows about War Studies and has an amateur understanding of Space. PhD, MA etc. Senior Lecturer, Department of War Studies @ King's College London
Hardly surprising that Rheinmetall wants to expand its construction offering given that naval procurement is overweighted in German rearmament plans and RM is not going to be able to significantly expand its aviation side and KNDS rivals on army platforms.
www.reuters.com/business/aer...
www.reuters.com/business/aer...
Rheinmetall eyes naval expansion following Luerssen purchase, says CEO
German arms maker Rheinmetall is considering further acquisitions in the naval sector after agreeing in September to buy the warship division of German shipbuilder Luerssen for 1.35 billion euros ($1....
www.reuters.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:35 AM
Hardly surprising that Rheinmetall wants to expand its construction offering given that naval procurement is overweighted in German rearmament plans and RM is not going to be able to significantly expand its aviation side and KNDS rivals on army platforms.
www.reuters.com/business/aer...
www.reuters.com/business/aer...
Reposted by Marcus Faulkner
This may look like a child's drawing of warships, but in fact it is a SECRET 1955 CIA HUMINT report on Soviet naval vessels in the Baltic.
PSL thread analysing a forgotten report to show value of Cold War HUMINT sources for analysis and intelligence.
PSL thread analysing a forgotten report to show value of Cold War HUMINT sources for analysis and intelligence.
January 20, 2026 at 9:21 PM
This may look like a child's drawing of warships, but in fact it is a SECRET 1955 CIA HUMINT report on Soviet naval vessels in the Baltic.
PSL thread analysing a forgotten report to show value of Cold War HUMINT sources for analysis and intelligence.
PSL thread analysing a forgotten report to show value of Cold War HUMINT sources for analysis and intelligence.
Reposted by Marcus Faulkner
Battleships once defined naval power. Today, they mostly define nostalgia.
Why the U.S. Navy Doesn’t Build Battleships Anymore
On Apr. 7, 1945, aircraft from the U.S. Navy’s fast carrier task force sank the largest battleship ever built, the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Yamato.
warontherocks.com
January 17, 2026 at 2:00 AM
Battleships once defined naval power. Today, they mostly define nostalgia.
Puts all the hype around the Helsing UAV delivery announcement last year into some perspective. The issues will be rectified and frontline experience will lead to improvements. Some very elementary things were going wrong with the HF-1 at the outset.
www.welt.de/politik/ausl...
www.welt.de/politik/ausl...
Helsing-Fabrikat: Die ukrainische Enttäuschung mit der deutschen „Wunderdrohne“ - WELT
Die deutsche Firma Helsing inszeniert sich als europäischer Drohnen-Gigant und hat eine Milliardenbewertung erreicht. Seit 2025 sind ihre Fluggeräte in der Ukraine im Einsatz. Interne Dokumente und In...
www.welt.de
January 15, 2026 at 12:35 PM
Puts all the hype around the Helsing UAV delivery announcement last year into some perspective. The issues will be rectified and frontline experience will lead to improvements. Some very elementary things were going wrong with the HF-1 at the outset.
www.welt.de/politik/ausl...
www.welt.de/politik/ausl...
Reposted by Marcus Faulkner
Delighted to see this commentary published. There are serious long term implications stemming from the Bella 1 / Marinera Incident.
Full credit for writing the hard bits goes to my co-author Caroline Tuckett.
High Stakes on the High Seas | RUSI
www.rusi.org/explore-our-...
Full credit for writing the hard bits goes to my co-author Caroline Tuckett.
High Stakes on the High Seas | RUSI
www.rusi.org/explore-our-...
US Boarding Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker Breaks Precedent: High Stakes on the High Seas
If the US no longer abides by rules, how does it expect revisionist states to do so?
www.rusi.org
January 12, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Delighted to see this commentary published. There are serious long term implications stemming from the Bella 1 / Marinera Incident.
Full credit for writing the hard bits goes to my co-author Caroline Tuckett.
High Stakes on the High Seas | RUSI
www.rusi.org/explore-our-...
Full credit for writing the hard bits goes to my co-author Caroline Tuckett.
High Stakes on the High Seas | RUSI
www.rusi.org/explore-our-...
PANG will be expensive, eye-wateringly so, and might well require some give elsewhere. Larger displacement for same nominal AG understandable given that CdG is a bit cramped and in any case 🇫🇷 can't afford a larger crewed naval air wing. Plenty of space for UAV complements though.
French President Macron today announced that Fance’s PA-Ng next generation aircraft carrier programme will proceed to the realization phase. This major milestone confirms that the French Navy’s current CVN Charles de Gaulle will be replaced from 2038 🇫🇷
www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...
www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...
France formally green lights PA-Ng aircraft carrier production - Naval News
French President Emmanuel Macron today announced that Fance's PA-Ng next generation aircraft carrier programme will proceed to the realization phase. This major milestone confirms that the French Navy...
www.navalnews.com
December 23, 2025 at 11:16 AM
PANG will be expensive, eye-wateringly so, and might well require some give elsewhere. Larger displacement for same nominal AG understandable given that CdG is a bit cramped and in any case 🇫🇷 can't afford a larger crewed naval air wing. Plenty of space for UAV complements though.
The warship outlined is never going to be built incorporating all those systems and capabilities proposed. The side on view is nice, though that landing deck is low in the water. That the USN needs a new larger hull design is unquestionable, that might be the output here
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Donald Trump unveils new class of battleships named after himself
The US president has vowed to revive American shipbuilding after lagging behind China in naval capacity.
www.bbc.com
December 23, 2025 at 10:58 AM
The warship outlined is never going to be built incorporating all those systems and capabilities proposed. The side on view is nice, though that landing deck is low in the water. That the USN needs a new larger hull design is unquestionable, that might be the output here
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
This would be a significant development of 🇺🇦 maritime strike. Early days on this though, it could be a one-off special circumstance. The ability of a littoral power to strike well beyond its sea space has consequences for the future flow of global trade.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
Ukraine attacks Russian ‘shadow’ tanker off Libyan coast
Reportedly critical drone strike is first in Mediterranean since full-scale invasion began as maritime conflict grows
www.theguardian.com
December 19, 2025 at 4:44 PM
This would be a significant development of 🇺🇦 maritime strike. Early days on this though, it could be a one-off special circumstance. The ability of a littoral power to strike well beyond its sea space has consequences for the future flow of global trade.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
Reposted by Marcus Faulkner
„Speaking to multiple intelligence sources, CNN has established that several of these men are employed by a secretive 🇷🇺 company called Moran Security. Some of them are mercenaries, they said, who have previously worked for Russia’s private military contractors, such as the notorious Wagner group.“
The Kremlin’s brazen tactics: Russia’s shadow fleet is doubling as a spy asset, intelligence sources say
CNN
www.cnn.com/2025/12/18/e...
@cnn.com
CNN
www.cnn.com/2025/12/18/e...
@cnn.com
The Kremlin’s brazen tactics: Russia’s shadow fleet is doubling as a spy asset, intelligence sources say | CNN
Russian personnel with links to the country’s military and security services have engaged in spying in European waters while working covertly on ships carrying Russian oil, Western and Ukrainian intel...
www.cnn.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:50 PM
„Speaking to multiple intelligence sources, CNN has established that several of these men are employed by a secretive 🇷🇺 company called Moran Security. Some of them are mercenaries, they said, who have previously worked for Russia’s private military contractors, such as the notorious Wagner group.“
Reposted by Marcus Faulkner
i can't believe we are selling technological regression as progress. We truly live in the Warhammer 40k timeline
www.stripes.com/branches/nav...
www.stripes.com/branches/nav...
Launch of LUCAS one-way attack drone from Navy ship at sea called ‘significant milestone’
U.S. Central Command assigned the LUCAS drone to Task Force Scorpion Strike, a unit created to develop and deploy one-way attack drones at scale.
www.stripes.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:50 PM
i can't believe we are selling technological regression as progress. We truly live in the Warhammer 40k timeline
www.stripes.com/branches/nav...
www.stripes.com/branches/nav...
Reposted by Marcus Faulkner
F127 future German AAW-frigates are now intended to receive total missile capacity of 96 VLS cells. MEKO A400 AMD design filling requirement previously featured 64 Mk 41 cells in two banks of 32.
www.hartpunkt.de/mehr-feuerkr...
www.hartpunkt.de/mehr-feuerkr...
Mehr Feuerkraft – F127 soll 96 Vertical-Launch-Zellen erhalten
Die zukünftigen Luftverteidigungsfregatten der Klasse 127 werden noch deutlich kampfkräftiger als bislang geplant. Wie hartpunkt aus Industriekreisen erfahren hat, sollen die Schiffe mit insgesamt 96 ...
www.hartpunkt.de
December 19, 2025 at 5:51 AM
F127 future German AAW-frigates are now intended to receive total missile capacity of 96 VLS cells. MEKO A400 AMD design filling requirement previously featured 64 Mk 41 cells in two banks of 32.
www.hartpunkt.de/mehr-feuerkr...
www.hartpunkt.de/mehr-feuerkr...
The adoption of 'Battle of the Atlantic' (it was a campaign) and 'Bastion' (something applied to a different type of maritime context/power) as framing tools, while striking, are not overly useful to the point of mischaracterising the situation or creating misleading expectations. Just a thought.
⚓ ‘Although some European countries are rebuilding their naval forces, this is not going far enough or fast enough,’ writes William Freer, our Research Fellow, in part 1 of a 2-part analysis of ‘Atlantic Bastion’
#Memorandum #BritainsWorld
www.britainsworld.or...
#Memorandum #BritainsWorld
www.britainsworld.or...
Exit ‘fourth battle of the Atlantic’, enter ‘Battle of the Bastions’: Part 1
The Memorandum | No. 47.2025
www.britainsworld.org.uk
December 17, 2025 at 9:39 AM
The adoption of 'Battle of the Atlantic' (it was a campaign) and 'Bastion' (something applied to a different type of maritime context/power) as framing tools, while striking, are not overly useful to the point of mischaracterising the situation or creating misleading expectations. Just a thought.
🇬🇧🇳🇴Lunna House Agreement on improving maritime domain awareness and dealing with subsurface threats. Also a P8 and Type 26 owners club. Plug in 🇩🇪 in due course and maybe 🇨🇦 as 212 operators and get some communality in uncrewed systems and this becomes a good foundation.
www.gov.uk/government/n...
www.gov.uk/government/n...
UK and Norway to operate together to counter Russian undersea threat through major new defence agreement
Combined fleet of at least 13 warships, bolstered by autonomous systems, will hunt Russian submarines and protect critical infrastructure in the North Atlantic as part of new agreement.
www.gov.uk
December 4, 2025 at 11:00 AM
🇬🇧🇳🇴Lunna House Agreement on improving maritime domain awareness and dealing with subsurface threats. Also a P8 and Type 26 owners club. Plug in 🇩🇪 in due course and maybe 🇨🇦 as 212 operators and get some communality in uncrewed systems and this becomes a good foundation.
www.gov.uk/government/n...
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Reposted by Marcus Faulkner
Interesting on growing use of submarines by drug traffickers. 'semi-submersibles have significantly reduced their physical, thermal and acoustic signature' www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/uncrewed-and-under-radar-how-auvs-transform-drug-smuggling
Uncrewed and Under the Radar: How AUVs Transform Drug Smuggling
Drug traffickers are constantly innovating to increase profitability and lower operational risk. Their experimentation with uncrewed semi-submersible technology presents a predicament for counternarco...
www.rusi.org
December 2, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Interesting on growing use of submarines by drug traffickers. 'semi-submersibles have significantly reduced their physical, thermal and acoustic signature' www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/uncrewed-and-under-radar-how-auvs-transform-drug-smuggling
Subsurface and seabed warfare is en vogue these days. Uncrewed, autonomy and services are going to be more centre stage going forward too.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
‘A step-change’: tech firms battle for undersea dominance with submarine drones
As navies seek to counter submarines and protect cables, startups and big defence companies fight to lead market
www.theguardian.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Subsurface and seabed warfare is en vogue these days. Uncrewed, autonomy and services are going to be more centre stage going forward too.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Reposted by Marcus Faulkner
Wow. The things you stumble upon when looking for something completely different. This picture, taken during Operation Pedestal, shows HMS Nelson or Rodney using 16in guns with HE shells timed to explode in front of approaching torpedo bombers! IWM A11205 #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
November 26, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Wow. The things you stumble upon when looking for something completely different. This picture, taken during Operation Pedestal, shows HMS Nelson or Rodney using 16in guns with HE shells timed to explode in front of approaching torpedo bombers! IWM A11205 #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory
More frigates for the Baltic, and the largest ones 🇸🇪 has operated to date might not quite be the top priority for the theatre.
“We re looking what frigates there are that are available, that would also suit our quite ambitious timeline,” Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said.
Sweden sees frigate decision early next year as France touts 2030 date
“We re looking what frigates there are that are available, that would also suit our quite ambitious timeline,” Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said.
www.defensenews.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:22 PM
More frigates for the Baltic, and the largest ones 🇸🇪 has operated to date might not quite be the top priority for the theatre.
This end to the Constellation-class underlines the real problem the USN has in being able to conceive, design and build smaller, more limited role warships. A proven design was chosen to over come one set of issues only to require a redesign creating others.
news.usni.org/2025/11/25/n...
news.usni.org/2025/11/25/n...
Navy Cancels Constellation-class Frigate Program - USNI News
This post has been updated with a statement from Fincantieri The Navy is walking away from the Constellation-class frigate program to focus on new classes of warships the service can build faster, Sec...
news.usni.org
November 26, 2025 at 9:28 AM
This end to the Constellation-class underlines the real problem the USN has in being able to conceive, design and build smaller, more limited role warships. A proven design was chosen to over come one set of issues only to require a redesign creating others.
news.usni.org/2025/11/25/n...
news.usni.org/2025/11/25/n...
Reposted by Marcus Faulkner
Latest news commentary:
Carrier Strike – just how full is Full Operating Capability?
www.navylookout.com/carrier-stri...
Carrier Strike – just how full is Full Operating Capability?
www.navylookout.com/carrier-stri...
November 25, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Latest news commentary:
Carrier Strike – just how full is Full Operating Capability?
www.navylookout.com/carrier-stri...
Carrier Strike – just how full is Full Operating Capability?
www.navylookout.com/carrier-stri...
Reposted by Marcus Faulkner
🔱 Catch of the Day:
„A team of 🇬🇧litter-picking scuba divers have recovered what is believed to be a 🇷🇺Russian tracking device off the Welsh coast.
An independent defence analyst said he was "confident" the recovered object was an imploded Russian RGB-1A sonobuoy.”
„A team of 🇬🇧litter-picking scuba divers have recovered what is believed to be a 🇷🇺Russian tracking device off the Welsh coast.
An independent defence analyst said he was "confident" the recovered object was an imploded Russian RGB-1A sonobuoy.”
Suspected Russian sonobuoy discovered off Pembrokeshire coast
A submarine expert says he is "confident" the recovered object is an imploded Russian sonobuoy.
www.bbc.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:20 AM
🔱 Catch of the Day:
„A team of 🇬🇧litter-picking scuba divers have recovered what is believed to be a 🇷🇺Russian tracking device off the Welsh coast.
An independent defence analyst said he was "confident" the recovered object was an imploded Russian RGB-1A sonobuoy.”
„A team of 🇬🇧litter-picking scuba divers have recovered what is believed to be a 🇷🇺Russian tracking device off the Welsh coast.
An independent defence analyst said he was "confident" the recovered object was an imploded Russian RGB-1A sonobuoy.”
Reposted by Marcus Faulkner
#OTD in 1969: HS-4 from the USS Hornet (CV-12) recovered Apollo 12’s all-Navy crew after their Moon mission—Gordon, Conrad, and Bean. More on the Navy’s Apollo role:
usni.org/magazines/n...
usni.org/magazines/n...
When the Navy Flew to the Moon | Naval History Magazine - December 2023, Volume 37, Number 6
Apollo 12 featured the only all Navy crew of the Apollo program.
www.usni.org
November 24, 2025 at 11:00 PM
#OTD in 1969: HS-4 from the USS Hornet (CV-12) recovered Apollo 12’s all-Navy crew after their Moon mission—Gordon, Conrad, and Bean. More on the Navy’s Apollo role:
usni.org/magazines/n...
usni.org/magazines/n...
Now available in Japanese. 13 years after it was first published the Second World War naval atlas now has another language edition - very telling also of how maritime affairs have come to the forefront in parts of the world today. This version is also ever so slightly updated.
November 25, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Now available in Japanese. 13 years after it was first published the Second World War naval atlas now has another language edition - very telling also of how maritime affairs have come to the forefront in parts of the world today. This version is also ever so slightly updated.