A 2,017-ton German submarine appeared off the northern tip of Scotland during a recent military exercise, giving British commandos a staging platform to reach shore by inflatable boat, ascend rocky cliff faces, and direct the guns of a 401-foot Portuguese frigate at targets inland. The drill illustrated how allied forces coordinate covert landings from submarines in difficult shoreline environments.

The exercise brought together a mix of allied military units, combining submarine operations with shore-based strike coordination in a realistic training scenario. Scenarios like this are growing in number as NATO focuses on combined arms coastal tactics.

Separately, the Australian Naval Institute highlighted problems about vulnerable procurement networks underpinning nuclear submarine programs, a warning that creates new urgency to long-term procurement planning for Australia's future submarine fleet. Analysts say supply chain resilience will be critical as Australia works toward fielding nuclear-powered submarines.