Nigerian Navy – The Nigerian Navy will recommission some laid up vessels to help it more aggressively patrol the Niger delta region, to prevent piracy against oil producing installations.
Royal Marines – 42 Commando Royal Marines are agressively patrolling the area around Freetown, having completely replaced 1 Bn The Parachute Regiment.
Sri Lankan Navy – The Sri Lankan Navy sank several supply ships of the Tamil Tigers in a gun battle.
Chinese Navy – The Chinese Navy will soon test fire indigeneously produced cruise missiles just north of Taiwan. Japanese and American surveillance ships are reported in the area.
U.S. Navy – Although the U.S. denies it will get directly involved in the conflict in Sri Lanka, it continues to keep a close eye on the conflict, with a task force steaming near Sri Lanka and P-3C Orions keeping watch on the area from their base on Diego Garcia. The Indian Navy remains prepared to assist in an evacuation of Sri Lankan troops, using landing craft, if necessary.
U.S. Navy – Pacific background – The ability of the U.S. to rely on bases in Okinawa will be increasingly challenged in the future.
U.S. Navy – Elements of a U.S. Navy battlegroup have moved south from the Gulf to the southen Arabian Sea, as a show of solidarity with government forces in Sri Lanka.
Asian Background – In a definite break from the past, the Pentagon is refocusing its war planning from conflicts in Europe to future conflicts in Asia.
U.S. Navy – U.S. Navy, Marine, Air Force and Army forces are participating in Exercise Natural Fire 2000 in Keyna, along with forces from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The exercise is described as a peace operation that stresses how to cope with natural disasters and humanitarian crises.
Indian Navy – The Indian Navy has finalized plans for the evacation of Sri Lanka troops from Jaffna, when the time comes.
Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – A Chinese “Yanbing” class icebreaker, that has a suspected espionage capability, passed legally through the Tsugaru-kaikyo strait for the first time. The icebreaker is being shadowed by the Sawayuki, a “Hatsuyuki” class
destroyer.
Indonesian Navy – The U.S. has quietly resumed military cooperation with Indonesia, particularly the Indonesian Navy and Air Force.
Royal Australian Navy – The Australian Navy will not purchase Kidd-class destroyers from the U.S. Navy, feeling they are not good value for the dollar.
Royal Navy – Britain has stated her long term plans for Sierra Leone include 1) Stabilization of the country by Paras and Royal Marines in the short term, 2) Provision of a long standing military advisory force to train and lead the Sierra Leone Army, and 3) Small arms and ammunition for the Sierra Leone Army.
Indian Navy – The Indian military is now ready to assist with an evacuation from Sri Lanka, if asked to do so.
Royal Marines – Effective immediately, 42 Commando Royal Marines will begin replacing 1 Bn The Parachute Regiment on the ground in Sierra Leone. The paras will be withdrawn to the UK. A UK Military Assistance Training Team will arrive imminently in Sierra Leone to train and equip the army of Sierra Leone. The plan is still to withdraw 42 Commando from Sierra Leone by mid-June.
Indian Navy – the Indian Navy Southern and Western Naval Commands have been placed on alert, to possibly assist in the evacuation of Sri Lankan government forces from the Jaffna peninsula.
U.S. Navy – The Cyclone-class patrol craft Firebolt along with its sister ship Chinook, is off on a six month cruise to South America. The purpose of the cruise is primarily anti-narcotics, with a secondary diplomatic role.
U.S. Navy – The U.S. Navy has retired its tugboat fleet, and contracted the work out to civilian tugs.
Royal Navy – The Royal Navy is also strapped for funds for training, with Sailors “pretending” to fire during live-fire exercises.
Indonesian Navy – Pirate attacks in the Straits of Malacca continue to increase. The Indonesia Navy, under an arms band following the situation in East Timor, is ill-equipped to combat the pirates.
NATO – NATO naval forces just completed Operation Linked Seas off Portugal, designed to simulate naval operations in a humanitarian crisis such as Kosovo. The exercise turned into reality midway through its course when HMS Illustrious and HMS Ocean were detached from the exercise to intervene in Sierra Leone.
U.S. Navy – A day in the life of the U.S.S. Houston, a Los Angeles class attack submarine, and the interesting insights her crew have into their lives.
Royal Marines – Royal Marines from 42 Commando aboard HMS Ocean have carried out exercises to demonstrate they can rapidly reinforce 1 Bn Parachute Regiment ashore in Freetown, if needed.
Chinese Navy – Russia has supplied China with new SSN-22 Sunburn cruise missiles for use on China’s new Sovremenny-class destroyer.
U.S. Navy – A day in the life of the U.S.S. Kentucky, a Trident class ballistic missile submarine. The submarine service, particularly the ballistic missile submarine force, have the highest re-enlistment rates in the Navy. This article points out some of the reasons, including pay and benefits, but even more importantly sense of purpose and esprit de corps.
East Asian Naval Background – In a forward to it’s 2000-2001 edition, Jane’s Fighting Ships stated that the potential exists in East Asia for sudden and violent military activity due to the multiple tensions that exist between countries in the region and the fact that most have rising naval budgets.
U.S. Coast Guard – The U.S.C.G. has its resources stretched to the breaking point, and is facing severe readiness problems. Given too many tasks from too many masters, and being severely underfunded, the U.S.C.G. faces tough choices in the near future.
U.S. Navy – the U.S. Navy has categorically denied allegations that its sonar systems were responsible for the death of marine mammals during exercises in the Bahamas in March.
Royal Navy – A complete list of Royal Navy ships operating off Sierra Leone.
Nigerian Navy – The German Navy, Royal Navy, and U.S. Navy are all interested in helping Nigeria to revive its Navy. The German Navy ships Brandenburg and Emden, which previously were exercising with the South African Navy, are paying a port visit to Lagos. Their next port of call is Senegal.
Royal Navy – HMS Ocean and HMS Illustrious have arrived off Sierra Leone. 42 Commando is remaining embarked, for the time being. Her Majesty’s Government states that mission creep will not set in???
Indian Navy – The Indian Navy and Coast Guard are exercising and maintaining a high state of readiness off Sri Lanka. The Indian government has so far ruled out intervention in the crisis in Sri Lanka.
Taiwan Background – An analysis of open source satellite imagery by the Federation of American Scientists concludes that the Chinese Air Force is less of a threat to Taiwan than the U.S. states.
U.S. Navy – Coming to the defense of Taiwan, if attacked by China, would be a difficult task for the U.S. for logistical and interoperability reasons.
Royal Navy – Mission creep sets in for the British forces in Sierra Leone – they will apparently be used to “stabilize” the situation until more UN peacekeepers arrive. 1 Bn The Parachute Regiment is now dug in around the Freetown airport. SAS units and the Paras’ Pathfinder reccee unit are agressively patroling the area around Freetown to gather intelligence on the rebel forces. 42 Commando should arrive this weekend.
Chinese Navy – The Chinese government announced that last month the Chinese Navy conducted extensive naval exercises in the East China Sea.
Taiwanese Navy ???while Taiwan held naval exercises this week to simulate an invasion of Taiwan from the mainland???
Royal Navy – A summary of UK forces off Sierra Leone. HMS Illustrious will arrive within 24 hours, HMS Ocean by the weekend.
Indian Navy – The upcoming joint naval exercises between India, Vietnam, and Japan which are designed to coordinate anti-pirate efforts in the South China Sea are felt by U.S. analysts to be interpreted by China in a negative light as they will be held in the region of the Spratly Islands, which China claims. This exercise should be seen as a counterbalance to China’s setting up naval and intelligence bases on Burma’s Coco Islands off the northern tip of India’s Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Indian Ocean.
U.S. Navy – U.S. Navy SEALs are said to be operating off Sierra Leone, observing the events in that country as they unfold.
Royal Navy – The evacuation of British and European nationals has been completed successfully. HMS Illustrious has also been dispatched to the theater of operations. British troops may extend their stay in-country.
Royal Navy – 1st Bn The Parachute Regiment have begun evacuation of foreign nationals from Sierra Leone. The task force led by HMS Ocean has yet to arrive.
Japanese Navy – Two ships, TV Kashima and DD Yugiri are on a global goodwill training cruise and have called at Mumbai in India. The goal is to strengthen Indian – Japanese naval cooperation.
Royal Navy – A task force consisting of the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean and 3 support ships containing 42 Commando Royal Marines along with the frigate HMS Chatham are being deployed off Sierra Leone in the event British nationals require evacuation in the near future. The task force will arrive in a few days. They are being joined by the 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment who been positioned for action if needed in Senegal.
Royal Navy – The Royal Navy will launch this Saturday an experimental trimaran ship called Triton, that will be used as a developmental platform for its Future Surface Combatant programme. Triton is built by Vosper Thornycroft Holdings Plc in Southampton, England.
Royal Navy – The Ministry of Defence has been criticized by a group of MPs over its initial response to the humanitarian crisis in Mozambique in which it was accused of trying to charge the UK government an excessive amount of money to supply relief helicopters. The MOD was praised in the report for its later actions during the crisis with the ship RFA Fort George.
U.S. Navy – The U.S. Navy was upset as it was not notified of a test of the Jericho ballistic missile by Israel. During the test, the missile impacted the the sea 44 km from a U.S. Navy cruiser in the Mediterranean, causing it to assume it was under attack — reviving memories of the attack on the U.S.S. Liberty during the 6 Day war in 1967.
U.S. Coast Guard – The Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star has returned from a 6 month deployment to the Antarctic in Operation Deep Freeze 2000. She will soon be deploying to the Arctic.
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 