I think the commercial fleet could portray an even bigger threat … modularized weapon systems, such as drone swarms, covertly hidden in what look like standard shipping containers.
Yes, the Russians the been doing that for a long time with intelligence collection assets disguised as trawlers. Of course it’s hard to hide an intelligence platform if you get close enough to see all the antennas and sensors. It’s a bit easier with ships that want to damage or exploit under sea infrastructure, as their mechanics are usually under the waterline.
I think the commercial fleet could portray an even bigger threat … modularized weapon systems, such as drone swarms, covertly hidden in what look like standard shipping containers.
Good point — there’s definitely a risk there.
I’d just be a bit cautious about jumping straight to hidden weapons. That kind of escalation is harder to disguise.
The more immediate challenge is simpler:
commercial ships give you access and ambiguity.
They can loiter, observe, and sit close to infrastructure without clearly doing anything wrong. That’s what makes them difficult to challenge.
Which is where data and intelligence really matter. Bastion can detect a submarine, but interpreting a “normal” merchant ship is much harder.
Yes, the Russians the been doing that for a long time with intelligence collection assets disguised as trawlers. Of course it’s hard to hide an intelligence platform if you get close enough to see all the antennas and sensors. It’s a bit easier with ships that want to damage or exploit under sea infrastructure, as their mechanics are usually under the waterline.