CNA

On March 23, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) underwent major organizational reform that included the establishment of a new Fleet Information Warfare Command (FIWC). The new command elevates information warfare to the responsibility of a vice admiral—replacing a lower-level organization headed by a captain.

Contact: Office of Communications communications@cna.org Report Finds National Security Gaps in Commercial Shipping, Offers Solutions Arlington, VA The analytical organization CNA conducted a congressionally mandated study on maritime strategy for the US Maritime Administration which finds that in a major war, the United States would not have enough assured access to commercial ships to support US military operations.

Is war in Iran bringing China and Russia closer together? Some analysts emphasize the common interests China and Russia share in their approach to the US-Israel war against Iran. These can be seen in parallel actions at the UN and a shared opposition to outside efforts at regime change in authoritarian states. Others see the instability in global energy markets leading Beijing to opt for more extensive energy ties with Moscow.

This congressionally mandated study for the Maritime Administration (MARAD) in the Department of Transportation (DOT) is meant to inform development of a national maritime strategy—its ends, ways, means, strategic problems, and priorities. This study focuses on the national security aspects of shipping, merchant mariners, and commercial shipbuilding.

Episode 206: Who is Iran’s New Supreme Leader? Iran has a new Supreme Leader for the first time in almost 37 years, Mojtaba Khamenei. This episode explores his background, education, and ideology.

Episode 205: How Technology Has Shaped Four Years of War in Ukraine This episode examines how the ubiquitous presence of drones in the Ukraine War has shaped the conflict.

Contact: Office of Communications communications@cna.org CNA Honors Erin Mohres with Volunteer Service Award Arlington, VA CNA has named Erin Mohres the recipient of its 6th annual Volunteer Service Award, recognizing her extraordinary commitment to community service spanning Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

Episode : Four Years of War in Ukraine As we enter the fifth year of war in Ukraine, experts from CNA’s Russia Studies program sit down to discuss what the war has revealed about the Russian way of war.

Episode 203: Iran’s Stability in the Aftermath of the Grand Bazaar Protests This episode covers the most recent wave of protests in Iran, what they mean for the government’s stability, and how US regional allies are responding.

The shadow fleet is stepping out from the shadows. The ships that have been circumventing oil sanctions for years in a reactive cat-and-mouse game with the US and Europe have changed tactics, creating unprecedented questions of international maritime law, which might have to be adjudicated in an international court. On January 7, 2026, the US Coast Guard boarded and seized the Bella 1/Marinera oil tanker off the United Kingdom after a week-long chase that started in the Caribbean.