About Strikepod Systems

"Across the government, there were failures … The most important failure was one of imagination."
    -- The 911 Commission

We are witnessing the dawn of a new era in naval warfare. It is warfare in miniature, but warfare nonetheless, with far-reaching implications for national and global security.

Navies worldwide are currently racing to develop highly advanced, unmanned microsubmarines. Thanks to a stream of scientific and technological breakthroughs in power production, propulsion, undersea communications, weapons technology, and signal processing, revolutionary miniature submarines are joining the fleets of navies worldwide, ushering in a new era of conflict: the era of micronaval warfare.

WHAT WE DO

Strikepod Systems was founded in 2016 with a singular mission: To imagine and envision micronaval warfare.

• We publish an array of anticipatory intelligence on micronaval affairs, including creative analytic pieces and speculative fiction (FICINT).

• We design and develop custom microsubmarine wargames and wargaming modules using Strikepod Command™, our propriety tabletop gaming engine that simulates autonomous undersea conflict and features Strikepods, networks of Atom-class microsubmarines programmed to execute missions of varying scale and complexity, such as anti-submarine warfare (ASW), intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), mine countermeasures (MCM), and precision strike.

• We provide custom research and analytic products to policymakers and warfighters, equipping them with the critical insight they need to navigate the coming era of autonomous undersea conflict.

Please see our FAQ for more information.

WHO WE ARE

David R. Strachan, Senior Analyst David Strachan is a naval analyst specializing in unmanned maritime systems. Through a combination of in-depth research, rigorous analysis, and speculative fiction (i.e. fiction intelligence, or FICINT), he provides warfighters and policymakers with the ideas and insights they need to successfully navigate the challenges of micronaval conflict. Mr. Strachan holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Lafayette College. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland with his family.

Dhimas Afihandarin, Principal Design Engineer Dhimas Afihandarin is a generalist and 3D artist from the Indonesian province of East Java specializing in the mechanical design of aircraft, ships, and undersea systems. His main tools of trade are Blender 3D, MS Excel or any relevant means of calculation, as well as an arsenal of digital books containing details and various concepts of his interests. His skills range from concept design to full 3D models, including environment building/lighting/rendering and human modeling. When not designing next generation unmanned systems, Mr. Afihandarin dreams of producing his own comic books and animated films. He holds a bachelors degree in Biology from University of Airlangga, and can be reached through his DeviantArt profile at stealthflanker.deviantart.com. He is also an active member of several forums like Secret Projects and Key Publishing.

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Publications/Appearances

• Imagining Autonomous Micro-naval Warfare & Future Underwater Conflict
  Society for Underwater Technology/The Underwater Technology Podcast
  sut.org

• Operation Indigo Spear and the Second Tanker War of 2022
  Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC)
  cimsec.org

• China Enters the UUV Fray
  The Diplomat
  thediplomat.com

• Alternative History:
  An Assessment of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy Azhdar Unmanned Undersea Vehicle
  Divergent Options
  divergentoptions.org

• Prepare for Autonomous Undersea Conflict
  Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC)
  CIMSEC.org

• Operation Eminent Shield and the Advent of Unmanned Distributed Maritime Operations
  Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC)
  CIMSEC.org

• The Nanxun Jiao Crisis and the Dawn of Autonomous Undersea Conflict
  Center for International Maritime Security
  CIMSEC.org
  Runner-Up for 2019 CIMSEC CFAR. See David's presentation below:

• Forward ... from the Seabed?
  Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC)
  CIMSEC.org

• CIMSEC Forum for Authors and Readers to feature The Battle of Locust Point
  Center For International Maritime Security (cimsec.org)
  CNA's Center for Naval Analyses (cna.org/centers/cna)

• The Battle of Locust Point:
  An Oral History of the First Autonomous Combat Engagement
  Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC)
  CIMSEC.org