Category Archives: modern military conflict

Army deploying new ‘terrain-shaping munition’ to Europe

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The 2nd Cavalry Regiment, based at Rose Barracks in Vilseck, Germany, will be the first unit to field the recently IOC’d XM204 Top Attack Terrain Shaping Munition.

The regiment is the longest continuously serving cavalry unit in the Army and plays a key role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Enhanced Forward Presence initiative.

“For units on the frontlines of deterrence in Europe, having access to advanced terrain-shaping capabilities like the XM204 strengthens our ability to influence key terrain, slow adversary movement, and protect our forces,” said Maj. Gen. John T. Reim, Joint Program Executive Officer for Armaments and Ammunition and Commanding General of Picatinny Arsenal. “This system gives our warfighters a decisive edge as we train and operate alongside NATO allies.”

What is the XM204?

Built by Textron, the XM204 has been in development since 2022 and is a low-profile hand-emplaced anti-tank “smart” mine of a sort.

At 84 pounds, it includes four bouncing top attack munitions with Tantalum explosively formed penetrators that can be fired independently and reach out to 50 meters from the device.

It holds four of these little guys

Rather than old anti-tank mines that require a vehicle weighing over 4 tons to be driven over, the XM204 utilizes seismic sensors with a classified range and, according to reports, programmable target profiles to distinguish between, for example, a bulldozer and a T-72.

Some say it can distinguish between an Abrams and a T-72 as well, which is interesting, but I wouldn’t want to be the Abrams platoon commander to try that for the first time.

It has a 30-minute delay in arming and a timed self-destruct (4 hours, 48 hours, or 15 days) to inert itself if not reclaimed and has “anti-tamper” features to keep the bad guys from using them. They can be collected by follow-on troops and redeployed if they haven’t been tripped.

The XM204 has been successfully used against T-72s at Yuma Proving Ground.

“XM204 anti-vehicle munition with standoff and top attack capabilities designed to support terrain shaping operations in action during a test run. (U.S. Army photo)”

A video of the XM204 in theoretical use:

It is interesting to imagine what Rommel and Montgomery would have done with 10 pallets of these in North Africa in 1942.

New Uniforms for the Pontifical Swiss Guard

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So the Swiss Guards introduced a new uniform this week.

Now calm down, the classic “Michelangelo” enlisted Gala uniform (which was introduced by commandant Jules Repond in 1914, to a design inspired by 16th-century frescoes of Raphael of the Swiss Guard) isn’t going away.

You know, this one, seen in full ceremonial (with white collar and armor) and standard, with Basque hat, formats:

This uniform is worn by the Swiss Guard’s 85 Hellebardiers and 41 NCOs when on normal ceremonial duties during the day.

Which is covered by a waterproofed Mantle in inclement weather.

Except for special occasions, the unit’s nine officers and chaplain wear business suits, and when more formality is needed, such as for Easter services and swearing-in ceremonies, they wear this rarely seen red velvet number.

Then there is the more common so-called “Night and Exercise uniform,” which is used, as its name would imply, by after-hours guards as well as those in less public-facing areas, such as along the roads and at the entrance to St. Anne’s.

The dark blue and more fatigue Swiss Guard Exercise uniform.

They even wear them in the 100-mile march in 4 days at Nijmegen every year, where they march with the regular Swiss Army’s contingent.

And of course, as all members are well vetted Swiss Catholics who have completed their Swiss military service, there is a training uniform as well.

Plus, for deployed service outside of the Vatican, every Swiss Guard, officer, and man has a well-cut issued dark suit.

All those will remain in service.

What is changing is the “Repräsentationsuniform,” which is only used by the Guard’s nine officers for things such as receptions and official dinners that need to be more dressy than the standard “duty” business suit, but where the red, velvet, and very delicate Gala-uniform is not appropriate. After all, food and velvet do not mix.

The old Repräsentationsuniform. It is based on the circa 1870s Swiss Army Ordnance uniform.

The new Repräsentationsuniform is a bit more, well, it’s a bit more.

If you ask me, it looks like the House Atreides undress uniforms of Dune, 1984.

David Lynch would be proud.

Warship Comings and Goings

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The past week has been a very busy one when it comes to new warships coming online and old ones getting the (sometimes hard) goodbye.

Comings

The future Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Ted Stevens (DDG 128), equipped with the new-to-the-fleet AN/SPY-6 (V)1 radar and Aegis Baseline 10 Combat System, recently completed her builder’s sea trials. 

Stevens will be commissioned in Alaska in May or June 2026 as she honors the former senator from that state.

Ingalls delivered the first Flight III, USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), in June 2023 and has five others under construction. In all seriousness, these should probably be re-classified as Lucas-class cruisers (CG) as they are stepping into the AAW boss role in carrier battle groups left vacant by the retirement of the Ticonderogas.

Speaking of Flight III Burkes, the future USS Louis H. Wilson Jr (DDG 126) was christened on Bath Iron Works’ drydock over the weekend.

She was sponsored and christened by the daughter of Mississippi-born General Louis H. Wilson Jr., USMC, who served as the Twenty-Sixth Commandant of the Marine Corps during its immediate post-Vietnam rebuilding process. Wilson was no slouch when it came to valor, having earned a MoH while leading a rifle company of the Ninth Marines on Guam in 1944 at the ripe old age of 24.

When it comes to another storied WWII vet, the 82-year-old Gato-class fleet boat USS Cobia (SS-245) is looking great after a dry docking at Fincantieri shipyard. Among other things, she has blasted, primed, and coated with 1,945 gallons of paint, and her sea chests have been cleared of mussels and blanked off with metal plates. A leak was also found in main ballast tank 2, which was drained, cleaned, and repaired.

Her $1.5 million refresh is scheduled to take six weeks and keep her ship-shape for another 25 years, after which she will go back on display at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc around mid-October.

Cobia was last dry-docked in the fall of 1996, which tracks.

Goings

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) was officially decommissioned during a ceremony onboard Naval Station Norfolk on Sept. 25, 2025. Commissioned in 1989, she has given 36 years of hard service and is the second U.S. Navy warship to carry the name.

Now, only seven of the 27 Ticos are still in active service, with another 15, all decommissioned since 2022, nominally in the Reserve Fleet. Five earlier non-VLS Ticos have all been disposed of.

Finally, the retired Norwegian Olso-class (modified Dealy class DEs) frigate KNM Bergen (F301) was disposed of in a sinkex off the coast of her homeland last month.

There is some confusion over whether she was sunk by a torpedo from the Ula-class submarine KNM Uthaug (S 304) or a Quickstrike delivered by a visiting USAF B-2. As some of the photos released by the Norwegian Navy are clearly taken via periscope, it may be a combination of the two.

It is known that a visiting B-2A “Spirit of Indiana” (82-1069), accompanied by a Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35A Lightning II and P-8A Poseidon aircraft, did use a 2,000-pound class GBU-31 JDAM (Quicksink variant) against “a maritime target” off Andøya in the Norwegian Sea, on 3 September, so this may have been against ex-Bergen.

Either way, it was a dramatic end to the 2,000-ton frigate, which served faithfully on the front lines of the Cold War from 1967 to 2005.

USCG Gets Serious on drones as largest icebreaker finishes last (planned) overhaul

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A slate of press releases from the Coast Guard has the service spending some big money, something in the area of $378 million, on bettering its aviation and drone/robot inventory.

Those updates, part of the giant OBBBA Homeland Security outlay, will buy, in part:

  • $4.8 million to procure 16 VideoRay Defender remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to replace Deployable Specialized Forces’ aging fleet. These will be used for waterfront and pier inspections, hull assessments, subsurface infrastructure surveys, disaster response, and search and rescue missions.
  • $2 million to procure six Qinetiq Squad Packable Utility Robot (SPUR) and 12 mini-SPUR robots to replace outdated unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) at Strike Teams to access and sample air in confined spaces aboard commercial vessels.
  • $4.3 million to purchase 125 SkyDio X10D [a type that is getting much love from the Department of War lately] short-range unmanned aircraft systems (SR-UAS). The SR-UAS will support operations including infrastructure inspections, environmental observation, pollution response, post-storm surveys, ice surveys, and communications.
  • $14.3 million order for the delivery of 13 new General Electric T700 engines for its growing MH-60 helicopter fleet. The USCG plans to go to an all-MH-60T rotary wing fleet with 127 new aircraft, replacing older MH-65 Dolphins altogether.
  • $13.9 million for three AN/APY-11 multi-mode radar systems to be installed on future HC-130Js during the Minotaur missionization process.

Roll that beautiful drone footage sizzle reel, including a good look at 161-pound Shield AI MQ-35A V-BAT, which is currently part of a $198 million contract.

 

USCGC Polar Star Returns to Seattle after 308 days

After 308 days away from its Seattle home port, the 49-year-old U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) and crew returned home last Tuesday. Of that, 175 days were spent refirbing the 13,500-ton, 399-foot icebreaker, which first took to the water in 1976.

After 308 days away from its Seattle home port, the 49-year-old U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) and crew returned home, Sept. 23, 2025. Upon completing Operation Deep Freeze 2025, Polar Star returned directly to Mare Island Dry Dock in Vallejo, Calif., to complete the final year of a five-year Service Life Extension Program prior to returning to Seattle. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Annika Hirschler.

The crew of the USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10) poses for a group photo underneath the cutter’s stern while in dry dock in Vallejo, Calif., Aug. 1, 2025. 250801-G-G0200-1001

The rudder of the USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10) is being removed while in a Vallejo, Calif., dry dock, April 1, 2025. The maintenance work completed over the past five years recapitalized integral systems, including propulsion, communication, and machinery control systems. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Seaman Nestor Molina)

Upon completing Operation Deep Freeze (ODF) 2025, Polar Star returned directly to Mare Island Dry Dock in Vallejo, Calif., to complete the final year of a five-year Service Life Extension Program (SLEP).

The maintenance work completed over the past five years recapitalized integral systems, including propulsion, communication, and machinery control systems. These efforts are designed to extend the cutter’s service life as the Coast Guard begins construction of its first Polar Security Cutter. Until PSCs becomes operational, Polar Star will remain the only U.S. icebreaker capable of completing the annual breakout of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, in support of the U.S. Antarctic program (USAP).

Looks like the ACV is really happening

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How about this photo series recently posted by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, showing operational Marine Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACVs) at play from a big ‘phib.

An amphibious combat vehicle with Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, launches from amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 14, 2025. Elements of the 11th MEU embarked Boxer to conduct integrated training off the coast of Camp Pendleton, California. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joseph Helms)

A U.S. Marine Corps amphibious combat vehicle with Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, conducts an open-water transit prior to embarking the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 14, 2025. Elements of the 11th MEU embarked Boxer to conduct integrated training off the coast of Camp Pendleton, California. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joseph Helms)

U.S. Marine Corps amphibious combat vehicles with Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepare to embark the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 14, 2025. Elements of the 11th MEU embarked Boxer to conduct integrated training off the coast of Camp Pendleton, California. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joseph Helms)

Based on the Italian Iveco SuperAV 8×8, the BAE-produced ACV is the replacement for the troubled and long-serving (circa 1972) AAVP-7A1, the last of the Marine Corps amtracs.

These guys:

The legacy AAVP7.. AAV7A1 assault amphibious vehicles transport Marines with 2d Assault Amphibian Battalion and 1st Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, both with 2d Marine Division, for a wet-gap amphibious crossing as part of a company-sized infiltration on Camp Lejeune, N.C., Aug. 10, 2021. The infiltration focused on maneuvering across complex terrain and picket lines with near-peer capabilities in an unscripted force-on-force scenario. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jacqueline C. Arre)

Whereas the 29 ton AAVP-7A1 was a giant (26 foot long, 11 tall and wide) bread box that was clad in 45mm of armor and was good for 45mph on surfaced roads and 7 knots in the water, the even heavier (32 ton) and larger (30 feet by 10 by 10) ACV can carry about half the personnel (13 Marine passengers vs 21) but can at least do it faster, with a published speed of 65mph on paved roads and 6 knots on the water.

The Corps announced the delivery of the 300th ACV at its BAE production facility in York, Pennsylvania, earlier this month. That’s about half of the way to the finish line of 623 vehicles, based on the latest program of record, to equip its three active and one reserve Assault Amphibian Battalions.

National Guard waves goodbye to its Airborne Battalions

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While the 16th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was activated under the Army National Guard in 1960, and later separated into the 19th and 20th SFGs by 1961, which remain active and with some 2,000 members on their rolls each, the Guard has had few dedicated parachute-certified units.

Company D (Ranger), 151st Infantry, the “Indiana Rangers,” was Airborne qualified during its service in Vietnam, although they made no combat jumps during their hard-fought 1968-69 deployment to Southeast Asia.

Indiana Rangers: The Army Guard in Vietnam By Mort Kunstler

The old 1970s-80s Pathfinder Dets (typically just 6-12 men each) in the Guard morphed into long-range surveillance detachments (LRSDs), which in turn were disbanded circa 2006.

Shots of the 77th Infantry Detachment (Pathfinder)(Airborne), 73rd Infantry Brigade (SEP), Ohio National Guard, which was stood up in 1977 and disbanded in 1990.

At their peak around 2000, the Guard counted three 163-man LRSCs (company-sized units of three platoons aligned to Corps HQs on mobilization) and nine 56-man LRSDs (each organized into six six-man LRS teams plus support personnel) allocated to divisional HQs. While many of its members were Ranger-tabbed, and the teams worked up much more than standard Guard units, they still needed at least a 90-day workup before deployment and often ran as much as 40 percent under strength.

Then, in 2015, the Guard redesignated the 1st Battalion, 143rd Infantry Regiment (the old Texas 3rd Infantry) as an airborne light infantry battalion and the next year aligned it officially with the Italy-based 173rd Airborne Brigade, which only had two active battalions. The 1st-143rd was comprised of mostly Texas-based units with one (Charlie) Company hailing from Rhode Island.

They followed up in 2019 with the 2nd Battalion, 134th Infantry Regiment, made up of five companies of Nebraska paratroopers and one from Indiana. Confusingly, they were assigned to the Oklahoma Guard’s 45th “Thunderbird” Division. While it would have been logical to align it with the Alaska-based 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division (which included an active-duty airborne battalion, 1st/501st), it seems that was never done.

Now, with the 4th BCT, 25th ID reformed as the very light 11th “Arctic Angels” Airborne Division, which includes two paratrooper battalions and two of “leg” infantry, and the Army looking to reduce the number of parachute-certified (and jump paid) personnel from a somewhat amazing 56,000 to around 33,000 soldiers, the Guard’s two Airborne battalions are losing their wings.

The 2nd-134th Infantry conducted their last jump over the weekend at the Husker Drop Zone. Last month, they made a breathtaking jump in front of Chimney Rock in western Nebraska.

The move is expected to save at least $40 million per year in jump pay alone, not to mention gas in planes/helicopters, and millions in lifecycle costs on the T-11 NMC parachute system.

Plus, the Army says it has a hard time passing enough new personnel through jump school every year, does not have enough assets to conduct the mandatory four jumps a year for everyone to maintain the certification, and has a dearth of empty billets in the parachute rigger specialty. Of note, 92R MOS riggers now have a $22K enlistment bonus. 

On the upside, with the cut in 23,000 para positions, Soldiers in the remaining “priority formations” will see significant increases in training opportunities, with top-tier units executing up to 12 jumps per year—three times the current minimum.

‘They told me you’d never load 8 missiles on an F-15E’

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The USAF recently released an amazing 36-minute doc, “Dangerous Game” about the 13 April 2024 overnight air-to-air swirling fight involving a squadron of F-16Cs (D.C. Air National Guard’s 113th Wing) and two of F-15Es (335th and 494th FS) vs 185 Shahed loitering munitions, followed by at least 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles.

“I can’t emphasize how dangerous this mission set is. At times, I’m 1,000 feet above the ground. Minsafe altitude was 4,000 feet. I am 3,000 feet below the altitude that is going to keep me alive because I can’t see the ground. There’s not enough ambient light.”

They even tried to get a hole-in-one shot on a moving drone with a LJDAM, as they were out of missiles, with the concept of hitting the ground ahead/around the low-flying UAV and knocking it out with the blossom.

Screaming across the desert to get back to base with all their ordnance expended, they wound up flying through a 360-degree hailstorm of Iranian ballistic missiles being launched ahead of them while IDF ABMs were reaching out and intercepting them in flight above them, leaving green flaming shrapnel to rain down on the F-15Es.

Then came 32-minute Integrated Combat Turnarounds (ICT) to get refueled and rearmed aircraft back in the fight– as Iranian missiles were inbound to their base.

It is well worth your time.

Eye(s) in the Sky, Las Vegas Metro Style

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The Las Vegas Metro Police Department, with the help of donations, is building 13 UAV hive “Skyports,” each housing numerous docked and ready to deploy Skydio X-10 quadcopters (38 on hand, supplemented by 12 spare X-10s).

With a 40-minute flight endurance, weather resistance, and rapid deployment capabilities, the Skydio X10 enhances situational awareness. It empowers first responders to make informed, timely decisions during critical operations, making it a vital asset in DFR deployments.

The department has received authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), allowing for remote operation from a central command center.

Skyports are strategically located in areas of high crime or where they are needed most. These drones remain climate-controlled, fully charged, and mission-ready, and are equipped with built-in safety features such as parachutes in the event of an unplanned landing. Anyone who attempts to damage a police drone is subject to the same penalties as damaging a police vehicle.

Going past the Skyports, drone unit vehicles will be on call with 16 smaller Skydio X2s capable of flying out of the back of a marked SUV, presumably four units per shift. Each of these Mobile DFR (Drones as a First Responder) units consists of two officers, or an officer paired with an LVMPD drone pilot and a deployable drone.

“Similar to a traditional K9 unit that deploys trained dogs, the Mobile DFR program deploys drones to provide real-time overwatch and situational awareness from the sky, offering critical support to officers on the ground during high-priority incidents.”

You can bet that this will be policing in the future.

Add to that border security, base security, sovereignty protection, etc., et al.

Just when you thought cruisers were gone, they pop back up

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Modern steel warships dubbed “cruisers” have been around since the 1870s and 1880s starting with the Tsarist Imperial Navy’s 5,000-ton 8-inch gunned General-Admiral (1874), the first armored cruiser, followed a few years later by the Royal Navy’s 5,600-ton 10-inch gunned HMS Shannon and what could be described as the first second class or light cruiser, the 3,700-ton 6.3-inch gunned HMS Mercury, in 1879.

Since then, hundreds of cruisers have come and gone, with the last few remaining being the nine still-active (but scheduled to retire by 2029) 9,800-ton Ticonderoga-class Aegis cruisers (122 VLS cells, 2×5″/62s) and the two equally old Russian 25,000-ton nuclear-powered Kirov-class battlecruisers, the latter the largest non-aviation surface warships in the world since USS Missouri retired for the last time in 1992. The Russians also have two 11,000-ton Slavas in service.

Norfolk, Va. (January 20, 2025) The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), departs from Naval Station Norfolk to deploy to the U.S. Southern Command Area of Responsibility (USSOUTHCOM AOR) to support maritime operations with partners in the region, conduct Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) port visits, and support Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-South) to deter illicit activity along Caribbean and Central American shipping routes. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Evan Thompson/Released)

Of note, the Russian Admiral Nakhimov (080), which commissioned as Kalinin back in the old Soviet Red Banner Fleet in 1988 the year before the Wall came down, was recently on sea trials and is slated to return to service after being laid up since 1997 (not a misprint) with two new reactors and now packs a massive 176 VLS tubes (80 for anti-surface and 96 for anti-air warfare) and the ability to fire Kalibr-NK and/or Oniks cruise missiles as well as the Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile. Whether or not she actually gets back in realistic service, with Moscow’s cash-strapped defense budget, is anybody’s guess, but it looks very possible.

I mean, she looks good after 27 years in ordinary/overhaul/mothballs.

Every NATO submarine skipper’s wet dream! (On August 18, 2025, the Admiral Nakhimov was assisted by tugs out to open water in the White Sea for the first set of sea trials)

Meanwhile, in the Pacific, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) 13,000-ton 112-VLS Type 055 Renhai-class guided-missile destroyers, which are rated as “cruisers” by NATO, are among the most formidable warships afloat. While eight have been commissioned since 2020, another eight are on the schedule.

PLAN’s Nanchang (DDG-101) Type 055, from a Japanese MOD intel picture/press release earlier this year. Look at all those VLS cells…

It then should come as no surprise that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has now re-rated its ludicrously designated 25,000-ton, soon to be F-35B carrying, Izumo-class “helicopter destroyers” (DDHs) to CVMs, or basically a “aircraft-carrying multi-role cruiser.” While CV or CVL is probably more appropriate, it is at least a call back to the 1970s concept of the 20,000-ton British Invincible class “through deck” cruisers, which were later re-rated as aircraft carriers.

SOUTH CHINA SEA (June 11, 2019) The Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), left, operates with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) helicopter destroyer JS Izumo (DDH 183), June 11, 2019. The ships, along with the JMSDF destroyers JS Murasame (DD 101) and JS Akebono (DD 108) conducted communication checks, tactical maneuvering drills and liaison officer exchanges, June 10-12, designed to address common maritime security priorities and enhance interoperability at sea. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of JMSDF/Released)

190611-N-AB123-0002 SOUTH CHINA SEA (June 11, 2019) The Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) operates with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) helicopter destroyer JS Izumo (DDH 183), June 11, 2019. The ships, along with the JMSDF destroyers JS Murasame (DD 101) and JS Akebono (DD 108) conducted communication checks, tactical maneuvering drills, and liaison officer exchanges, June 10-12, designed to address common maritime security priorities and enhance interoperability at sea. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of JMSDF/Released)

Further, the Japanese will be designating their planned 14,000-ton 128-VLS celled SPY-7 Aegis system equipped vessel (ASEV) super destroyer as a “CG.”

The Japanese Aegis system-equipped vessels (ASEV) super destroyer will be classed as a “CG” and will be geared towards ballistic missile defense

With that in mind, maybe it is time to just go ahead and call the three 15,000-ton Zumwalt DDGs as CGs, which is what they really are, especially after they get their planned LRHW tubes.

Zumwalt undocking, 6 December 2024, Pascagoula, HII photo

Heck, let’s even revisit the circa 1980s nuclear-powered strike cruiser (CGVN) and CGHN concepts, with tons of room and spare electrical capacity or growth.

They looked at 180~ VLSs, twin 5-inch (or even 8-inch Mk 71) guns as well as room for 4-10 MH60/AV-8 platforms in a 15,000-20,000 ton package.

The U.S. “strike cruiser” concept of the 1970s which never grew beyond the model phase.

An artist’s concept of a VLS-carrying battle cruiser (CGH-67) with the SWATH (small waterplane area twin hulls) configuration. May 1986. DN-SC-86-04714

In today’s terms, that could translate to a lot of drones as well. You could build one heck of a surface action group around one of these, and using one as the AAW Boss in a CVBG is ideal.

Greyhound and pups

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How about this great, and very diverse, image released this week as part of Operation Pacific Viper, a joint DOW/DHS operation run through Southern Command that has bagged a reported 75,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean since early August, averaging over 1,800 pounds interdicted daily.

You have one Navy and three different Coast Guard blue water classes represented in profile. A rare shot.

(U.S. Navy Photo by Naval Aircrewman (Tactical Helicopter) 2nd Class Teague Bullard)

The include, from left to right, the 270-foot Legend (Bear) class USCGC Seneca (WMEC 906), the ancient 210-foot Reliance-class USCGC Venturous (WMEC 625), the 509-foot Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson (DDG 102), and the frigate-sized 418-foot National Security Cutter USCGC Stone (WMSL 758).

While Sampson was commissioned in 2007, and Stone in 2021, Seneca dates to 1987, while the Ohio-born Venturous, one of just eight of her 16 sisters still in active service, was commissioned in 1968.

Another head-on shot, with an HC-130J overhead, but in a different formation with Sampson and Stone on the outside and the smaller boys in the middle. While they look high speed, the group can’t be going over 16 knots, which is the 210’s top speed these days.

Coast Guard and partner agencies support Operation Pacific Viper in the Eastern Pacific Ocean in August 2025. Operation Pacific Viper is a counter-drug operation focused on interdicting, seizing, and disrupting transshipments of cocaine and other bulk illicit drugs. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

Nonetheless, they have all been very busy, across 20 interdictions that also netted 59 individuals suspected of narco-trafficking. And you know what happens to narco boats in the Eastern Pacific once the evidence has been documented and suspects removed.

They get deep-sixed.

USCG photo 250918-G-IV660-1003

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