NOSI is taking its annual 2 week break and will be back on March 16th. See you then???

US Navy – A brief log of the USS Abraham Lincoln battlegroup’s most recent cruise, recently completed.

• Seattle Post Intelligencer: The Abraham Lincoln comes home
• Seattle Post Intelligencer: It’s happy berthday for the carrier Lincoln

Indian Navy – The Indian Navy continues to negotiate with Russia for the lease of a nuclear submarine.

• Rediff: India, Russia close to clinching sub deal

Indian Navy – India called for assistance in combating the growing problems of piracy, drug-trafficking and gun-running in the region’s troubled sea lanes. The President of India also stated that “The security of the seas was necessary for the independence and prosperity and security of nations as well as for world peace.”

• BBC: Call to combat Asian sea piracy
  

• The Hindu: Security of seas vital for peace: Narayanan
  

US Navy – The US intends to substantially upgrade air and naval facilities at Rota, in Spain — but there will be local opposition .

• The Guardian: New Nato nuclear trouble in Spain

NATO – NATO’s annual Dogfish antisubmarine warfare exercise is now underway in the Mediterranean.

• Stars and Stripes: NATO begins Dogfish exercise, says
  steps to ensure safety have been taken

US Navy – While it seems less and less likely the MV-22 Osprey will make it into production, the helicopter it is to replace, the CH-46, is becoming less and less useable.

• Associated Press: U.S. Wary on Viet-Era Helicopters

Taiwanese Navy – The Taiwanese task force exercising in the Pacific Ocean will not be allowed to call in the Marshall Islands.

• Agence France Presse: US Bans Taiwan Navy Visit to Marshall Islands

US Navy – A journalist reflects on the open access she experienced during a cruise on the Trident-class submarine USS Ohio???

• MSNBC: Remembering a visit on board a sub

US Navy – ???while a crewman claimed that civilians distracted him from doing his job plotting surface contacts on the USS Greenville???

• BBC: Civilians ‘distracted’ sub crewman

US Navy – ???as the US Navy’s public relations disaster continues???and may impact negatively on the US – Japan defense relationship, specifically in regards to US bases on Okinawa???

• BBC: Blunders fuel sub row
• Christian Science Monitor: Japan waits patiently for answers in submarine accident
  

Russian Navy – The Russian investigation into the sinking of the Kursk is coming to the conclusion it was caused by a problem with its torpedos.

• Agence France Presse: Kursk’s Torpedoes Played Role in Submarine’s Demise

Royal Navy – The newest Trident ballistic missile submarine, HMS Vengeance, has become operational.

• BBC: New Trident submarine in service

US Navy – Another essay on how the abbreviated defense review being undertaken by the Pentagon may have a far-reaching impact on all the armed services.

• Economist: New arms for a new world

Canadian Navy – The Canadian air force will ground half of its aircraft due to lack of funds, including its CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft.

• CBC: Canadian air force grounding half its fleet

Indian Navy – The International Fleet Review, hosted near Mumbai (Bombay) was a huge success. The review can been seen as a signal by the Indian Navy that it is now a force to be reckoned with, at least in the Asia Pacific region.

• BBC: India stages naval review
  

• Rediff: IFR 2001 ends with a stunning show on Marine Drive

US Navy – The US Navy will take the opportunity to exercise with the French Navy and Royal Australian Navy after the International Fleet Review.

• Associated Press: US to join naval exercises after Indian maritime pageant
  

US Navy – The raid against Iraqi command and control centers is claimed to have been successful.

• Daily Telegraph (registration required): Bombs destroyed Iraqi command centre

US Navy – The sunken Japanese fishing trawler has been found on the ocean floor; meanwhile a court of inquiry will be convened to investigate the incident.

• BBC: Top-level inquiry into trawler sinking

US Navy – US and British aircraft have attacked Iraqi air defense command and control facilities. F-18’s from the USS Harry Truman participated in the raid.

• CNN:
  Pentagon: Strike in planning stages for ‘some time’

• Washington Post: U.S., Britain Bomb 5 Iraqi Sites

Russian Navy – Iran is concerned about the influence of Russian naval forces in the Caspian Sea.

• Radio Free Europe: Iran: Russian Naval Power In Caspian Causes Concerns

US Navy – More background on the USS Greeneville accident, including interviews with the civilians who were on board the submarine at the time.

• Jane’s: Greeneville accident ‘not totally avoidable’
  

• BBC: Sub collision prompts review
• Washington Post: President Backs Look At Military’s Guest Policy

US Navy – The US Navy will soon homeport three attack submarines on Guam, to move them closer to China in case of a conflict.

• Washington Times: US Navy Reportedly Planning to Deploy Submarines in Guam

Taiwanese Navy – A small Taiwanese Navy task force is cruising to Central America, in a diplomatic show-of-force.

• Agence French Presse: Taiwan Naval Ships Set Sail for Central America

US Military – Background – the Bush administration has asked one of the Pentagon’s most controversial thinkers, Andrew Marshall, to conduct a review of the US military and report back within weeks to provide a vision for the future. The report is expected to substantially influence future defense policy and is expected to be highly controversial.

• Washington Post: Pentagon Study May Bring Big Shake-Up
  Unconventional Defense Thinker Conducting Review

US Navy – How some things never change in damage control???

• Virginian Pilot: Ancient bundles still save lives at sea
  

US Navy – Chipping and painting, the bane of sailor’s lives, may come to an end in the US Navy.

• Boston Globe: Chipping away at a Navy tradition

Royal Australian Navy – An illustration of the destructive power of a Mk 48 torpedo fired from a Collins-class submarine as it sinks a Leander-class frigate.

• Jane’s: Death of a destroyer escort
  

US Navy – The search for survivors from the Japanese fishing trawler sunk by the USS Greeneville continues???

• CNN:
  Search for ship survivors resumes as hopes fade

Russian Navy – An excellent essay demonstrating the huge gap between hope and reality in the Russian Navy.

• Christian Science Monitor: Cold realities of Russia’s Navy

US Navy – The USS Greeneville, a Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine, sunk a Japanese fishing trawler off of Hawaii during an emergency surfacing exercise. Japan has asked for the trawler to be raised. This is not an isolated incident, fishing trawlers are sunk accidentally by submarines on a regular basis.

• BBC: Raise trawler from ocean floor
  

• BBC: Danger from the deep

Royal Navy – The new Astute-class nuclear submarines under constructions may be modified to allow them to carry women crew members.

• Times of London (registration required): New sub could make way for women crew

US Navy – The contract for the design and building of CVN-77, the last Nimitz-class carrier, has been awarded to Newport News. This ship will serve as a bridge to the next generation aircraft carrier, CVNX-1.

• Jane’s: CVN 77 contract paves way for next carrier class

Background – Naval Forces – The sermon from the mount, for 2000-2001, on the naval scene world wide. Please note this is a long essay, but should make for good weekend reading???

• Jane’s Fighting Ships: Fighting Ships 2000-2001

Ghanian Navy – The US will give two patrol ships to the Ghanian Navy, to help it patrol its coastal waters in the Atlantic.

• Reuters: U.S. to Give Ghana Two Naval Ships, Train Troops

Ukranian Navy – Elements of the Ukranian Navy participated in search and rescue operations last week after a passenger and cargo ship sank in the Black Sea.

• Associated Press: Ukrainian navy, air force continue search for ship-sinking victims

Malaysian Navy – A Malaysian Navy patrol boat fired on a trawler carrying illegal immigrants. One person was killed.

• BBC: Malaysian navy fires on trawler
  

Southeast Asia – Background – Thailand and Malaysia grow closer together, as evidenced by the resumption of Thai-Malaysian naval exercises this year and the scaling back of US-Thai exercises this year. The result will lead to a shifting of US resources to the Phillipines and Singapore to counterbalance this action.

• Stratfor: Thailand-Malaysia Redrawing Strategic Map of Southeast Asia

Indian Navy – The Indian Navy has been giving assistance to earthquake victims using converted hospital ships to treat casualties and supply ships to deliver emergency supplies.

• Express India: Navy treats quake victims
• Rediff: Navy and Army: The Peacetime Warriors of Kutch
• Rediff: Two navy ships converted into hospitals

US Navy – Human error aboard the USS Denver was found to be the cause of the collision between the Denver and the USS Yukon last July.

• San Diego Union Tribune: Denver’s skipper is blamed for collision

US Navy – The commander of the USS Tarawa Amphibious Ready Group was relieved of his command for using inappropriate language which caused morale problems within his command.

• San Diego Union Tribune: Amphibious flotilla boss is relieved of command

US Navy – An insightful essay that insists the US Navy needs to overcome a number of post-Cold War myths. Things are not really as bad as they seem, this essay wants us to believe. We need to start focusing not on the two-major- theater-war standard, but instead on clustered responses to failed states.

• US Navy Institute Proceedings: Top 10 post Cold War myths

US Military – Background – A well thought out essay by William Arkin on why Bill Cohen was the worst Secretary of Defense, ever???

• Washington Post: The Man Who Never Was

US Military – Space Background – A recently conducted government-sponsored war game that focused on warfare in space showed the US miltary is more vulnerable than it should be, with potentially diastrous consequences.

• New Scientist: War games: A virtual space war reveals the US’s over-reliance on commercial satellites

US Navy – The team lead by General Dynamics has revealed their design for the DD-21 Zumwalt-class land attack destroyer. It is nothing short of revolutionary.

• Jane’s: Blue team reveals DD-21 design details

US Navy – The US Navy continues to test its potential anti-ballistic missile system.

• Honolulu Star-Bulletin: Navy rates Kauai missile test a winner