☃️ 🇨🇳 🧊 PLA in the Arctic: under the ice?

👤 by Niklas Swanström

In terms of naval capabilities, the PLA Navy has made substantial investments in developing submarines and surface vessels that can operate in Arctic conditions. The type 095 nuclear submarine is particularly important, as these vessels are specifically designed with under-ice operations in mind. This represents a major shift in Chinese submarine doctrine and capabilities, potentially allowing for deterrent patrols or intelligence gathering under Arctic ice and to ensure a second-strike nuclear capability for China. The PLAN has also been quietly upgrading its surface combatant fleet with ice-strengthened hulls and cold-weather systems while simultaneously developing civilian-military dual-use vessels, ranging from research vessels to “commercial” fishing vessels, that could provide logistics support in Arctic waters.

🔽 Continued

https://www.isdp.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/files_PLA-in-the-Arctic-under-the-ice.pdf

☃️ 🇨🇳 🧊 A Crewed Submersible Has Been Sent Under The Arctic's Ice By China For The First Time | September 29, 2025

Described as “a leap in deep-sea exploration capabilities,” four Chinese research vessels docked in Shanghai on Friday, September 26, after completing the country’s largest-ever scientific exploration in the Arctic Ocean.

One of the expedition’s biggest achievements was reportedly using the deep-sea submersible Jiaolong to send a crew of people to the bottom of the sea in the Arctic Ocean below ice-covered waters – an accomplishment that only a handful of nations have ever pulled off.

Cruising under a sheet of ice with a crewed submersible is no easy feat, namely because of communications and navigation. Conventional technologies struggle to function reliably under ice, making it nearly impossible to use satellite systems, coordinate with surface ships, or maintain contact with command bases.

China defined the High North as a “new strategic frontier” in 2015 and later declared itself a “near-Arctic” state. It's evident that science is a key part of this strategy. Between 2000 and 2024, the share of Chinese scientists publishing research on the Arctic increased fivefold, while the proportion of US scientists working on the topic declined significantly.

https://www.iflscience.com/a-crewed-submersible-has-been-sent-under-the-arctics-ice-by-china-for-the-first-time-80983

☃️ 🇨🇳 📝 Cold Realities | USNI

In principle, there are clear strategic opportunities for China in the Arctic, but a closer examination limits their appeal. The Arctic eventually may become the “Polar Mediterranean” Canadian explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson predicted; however, today it is unique among the world’s oceans in its isolation.9 The Northwest Passage carries negligible traffic and nothing of strategic importance. While climate change eventually will open the region to more traffic, geography makes the Arctic a poor candidate for Chinese sea control or denial.

As a sea route, the Arctic offers time and distance advantages to ships moving between Europe or the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and Asia, but even in a future of heavy transpolar trade, much of this commerce would be to or from China. In times of conflict, trade between the West and China would be closed or limited regardless of what presence China maintained in the Arctic. China still could interdict shipping to its democratic neighbors, but it is hard to see how doing so would be easier than attacking South Korean, Taiwanese, or Japanese shipping closer to home, where ports lie within easy reach of Chinese missiles.

Interdicting U.S. military sealift also seems a questionable proposition. Deploying warships from Norfolk to the Sea of Japan is roughly 2,000 kilometers (km) shorter through the Northwest Passage than through Panama; however, the northern route is hampered by unpredictable ice conditions. Even in an ice-reduced future, the region will remain inaccessible to non-ice-strengthened ships during the winter, with hazardous sailing conditions persisting in the shoulder seasons. While sealift through the Northwest Passage or the Polar Basin to reinforce an Asian theater may make sense in some circumstances, it will remain a niche alternative confined to the summer—and perhaps not even then.

Likewise, Chinese SSBNs using the Arctic as a missile-launching position is probably exaggerated, given the serious operational problems inherent in sending large missile boats into the Arctic Ocean. The first of these is simply entering the region. Access to the Arctic is through the Bering Strait, and that means traversing an 80 km–wide passage bordered by Russia and the United States. Sitting in the middle is St. Lawrence Island, U.S. territory that has hosted submarine detection systems since the 1960s.

There would seem to be better options. The range of China’s current and planned submarine-launched ballistic missiles would place most of the United States in jeopardy from anywhere in the Pacific. From the Aleutians to French Polynesia there are tens of millions of square kilometers of deep water in which to hide, all a safer bet than the Arctic.

This is not to say a Chinese Arctic presence would be of no concern. PLAN boats in the Polar Basin would create new dangers and add layers of complexity to continental defense planning, requiring a U.S. and allied response. Yet, such deployments also would impose costs on China, leading to dangerous and probably inefficient diversions of some of its most valuable naval assets.

https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2022/may/chinese-submarines-under-ice

📢 🇫🇮 🇷🇺 Finnish President Alexander Stubb has stated that Finland is “prepared for security challenges of various kinds,” and will “respond to them as necessary,” following reports of damage caused this morning to several underwater-submarine cables by a Russian cargo ship in the Gulf of Finland.

📎 OSINTdefender

📖 🇸🇴 🪖 Scholars critical of military rule argue that African military governments were often as corrupt as their civilian predecessors.

However, Somalia under Siad Barre is singled out as an exception to this pattern.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 1969 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.”

A 1975 investigative report by the United States on the Somali Democratic Republic identified Somalia as one of the least corrupt nations in Africa.

“The socialistic regime of General Siad has survived five years, and imposes a stable and effective government on the Horn of Africa today. It is almost certainly one of the least corrupt governments in Africa. General Siad is a recognized leader having just completed a term as Chairman of the Organization of African Unity. He will begin to serve in July as Chairman of the League”

📎 Lt Khalifa

🌊 🤖 Most underwater robots still rely on propellers.

That works well for speed, not for control.

C-Ray takes a different route.

Instead of rigid thrusters, it uses flexible hyperbolic fins that create thrust through body-like waves. The same mechanism lets it:

• swim like a ray
• crawl across the seabed
• jet forward when needed
• slide through tight spaces

The benefit is not just motion variety.

The undulating drive is quiet, energy-efficient, and far less disruptive to the environment.

That makes it useful for long missions like reef surveys, infrastructure inspection, or mine countermeasures, where low noise and low power matter more than top speed.

Built by Pliant Energy Systems.

📎 Ilir Aliu - eu/acc

🇺🇸 ❌️ 🏴‍☠️ On Dec. 30, at the direction of Sec War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted kinetic strikes against three narco-trafficking vessels traveling as a convoy. These vessels were operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and had transferred narcotics between the three vessels prior to the strikes. Three narco-terrorists aboard the first vessel were killed in the first engagement. The remaining narco-terrorists abandoned the other two vessels, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank their respective vessels. Following the engagements, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified USCG to activate the Search and Rescue system. Dept of War #OpSouthernSpear

📎 SOUTHCOM

💵 🇺🇸 🏦 "The Federal Reserve just pumped a staggering $31 Billion into the U.S. Banking System through overnight repos. This is the LARGEST liquidity injection since Covid and surpasses even the peak of the Dot Com Bubble. Happy New Year!!!"

📎 Barchart

💵 🇺🇸 🏦 US Treasury prints another $105b today.

📎 MartyParty

🚢 🇷🇺 🏴‍☠️ The runaway tanker BELLA 1 has officially rebranded as MARINERA in Russia’s shipping registry. By adopting the vessel under its national flag, Moscow has potentially created a major legal hurdle for U.S. forces currently in pursuit.

📎 Christiaan Triebert

🇺🇸 ❌️ 🏴‍☠️ On Dec. 31, at the direction of Sec War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and engaged in narco-trafficking. A total of five narco-terrorists were killed during these actions - three in the first vessel and two in the second. 

📎 SOUTHCOM

🇨🇺 📉 Population Decline in Cuba 2020-2025: The Demographic Emptying

Estimates based on official census and migration flows

Loss: 2.7 million people (24% decline)

📝 Great Reversal: "For historic context, Cuba’s 24% decline in 5 years is similar to the Irish potato famine (20-25% decline). This will be looked back on as an epoch defining moment for Cuba, it’s too big to be anything else."

https://en.cibercuba.com/noticias/2025-12-30-u2-e2-s27061-nid317552-emigracion-cubana-2025-redistribucion-global-exodo

📎 andyd