Dr Sidharth Kaushal

Sidharth Kaushal, a senior researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in the U.K., told Newsweek that the role of European aircraft carrier deployments is more diplomatic and strategic than strictly military—signaling, among other things, national commitments to engaging with regional partners and to principles such as freedom of navigation."

Within GUGI's ranks, Kaushal said, the organization has hydronauts—specialized personnel who pass "punishing" entrance criteria to steer submersibles at extreme depths. These hydronauts are pulled from Russia's 29th Separate Submarine Division, based at the submarine hub of Gadzhiyevo in the northwestern Murmansk region and close to the Northern Fleet headquarters.

The outbreak of fresh violence in the Middle East has used up interceptor missiles of many types, but mainly those fired by the American Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems, which intercept ballistic missiles, and missiles fired from ships, said Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow with the British think tank the Royal United Services Institute.