Indian Navy – Another Indian Kilo-class submarine is being overhauled in Russia.

• The Hindu: Indian submarine in Arctic shipyard for repairs

US Navy – The Office of Naval Research is heading up the
Autonomous Intelligent Network and Systems (AINS), a program that aims to create
an operational drone army by the year 2020.

• Wired:
  The Drone Armies Are Coming

US Navy – What are the signs that the US is preparing to move against Iraq?

• Financial Times: Long war build-up is more about politics than logistics

US Coast Guard – Deepwater will bring the Coast Guard into the present, technologically.

• TechTV: ‘Deepwater’ Launches Tech Upgrade for Coast Guard

US Marines – Some Afghanistan lessons learned from the Marines.

• Associated Press: Marine Generals Assess Performance

Russian Navy – More details about the Kurk’s sinking emerge from inside Russia.

• Washington Post: Report Shows Sloppiness May Be to Blame in Kursk Accident
• Moscow Times: Kursk Probe Shows Navy’s Negligence

US Navy – Why leadership still matters???

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: Leadership is More Valuable Than Technology

Israeli Navy – Israel is using its navy to try to stop smuggling into the Gaza Strip by sea.

• CNN: Palestinian police take over Gaza checkpoints
  

Taiwanese Marines – With Taiwan’s marines on exercises.

• Taipei Times: Media get to see Marines in action

US Coast Guard – The Coast Guard prepares to modernize its maritime distress and response system.

• Sea Power: A Continuing Role as America’s Livesaver

US Navy – Every US submarine is being equipped with a videogame console, courtesy of a videogame trade association.

• Reuters: U.S. Submariners Go from War Games to Video Games

US Marine Corps – How command and control networks are being transformed to command, control, communications and computer networks.

• Marine Corps Gazette: Transforming Marine Corps C4

US Navy – An indepth look at the new MH-60 helicopter and what it can do.

• Virginian Pilot: MH-60: The ”Ferrari” of helos
  

Russian Navy – President Putin vows to improve Russia’s navy.

• Associated Press: Navy Conditions Concerns Russia

US Coast Guard – Drug running go-fast boats are “grapes” for USCG’s new helicopter squadron.

• Sea Power: Coast Guard HITRON

Chinese Navy – A review and synthesis of several recent books about the Chinese Navy that cover its past and its possible future – and how the two are deeply intertwined.

• Naval War College Review: China’s New Imperial Navy

Pakistani Navy – Pakistan launched its Agosta 90B submarine, and announced it will build four F-22 Chinese frigates with assistance from China.

• The Hindu: Pak. to build 4 warships with Chinese assistance
• Pakistan News Service: Pakistan launched indigenously made submarine

Singapore Navy – Singapore’s second submarine is operational.

• The Straits Times: Second submarine up and running

Indonesia Navy – Indonesia is conducting its first naval exercises since 1996.

• Jakarta Post: Megawati hopes Navy remains positive despite old equipment

Background – Aircraft Carriers – Why the aircraft carrier is still important.

• The Straits Times: Aircraft carrier still master of the sea

US Navy – The CH-46 Sea Knight fleet is flying again after a temporary grounding.

• Associated Press: Sea Knight Fleet Resumes Flying

US Navy – The USS Abraham Lincoln makes a port call in Hong Kong.

• The Hindu: US aircraft carrier to visit Hong Kong

History – Battle of Savo Island – A look at one of the US Navy’s worst defeats, from an officer who was there.

• Naval History: Savo Island – the Worst Defeat

US Navy – The US says Exercise Millennium Challenge *was* an extremely useful exercise.

• Virginian Pilot: Controversial war game improved warriors

Background – Iran – An excellent essay by Robert Kaplan on what one possible lawless future for Iran may look like.

• The Atlantic: A Bazaari’s World

US Marines – The Marines are learning just how hard urban combat can be in realistic training scenarios.

• Wall Street Journal: Marines learn urban combat

US Marines – The Commandant of the Marine Corps on lessons learned from Afghanistan.

• Washington Times: Afghanistan lessons don’t apply to Iraq, general says

NAVINT – Anthony Preston’s miscellaneous naval news from the UK, Australia, Chile, France, Sri Lanka, and Japan.

• Sea Power: United States Shows Interest in Swiss 35mm Gun Mount

Russian Navy – What did Russia’s recent naval wargames in the Caspian Sea actually achieve?

• Radio Free Europe: Caspian: Results Of Russian War Games Still A Mystery

Background – Wargaming – The Pentagon answers the acusations that Millenium Challenge 02 was fixed.

• Virginian Pilot: Pentagon leaders defend war game

Background – Wargaming – How the US military is utilizing computer-based wargaming more and more.

• ABC: A Play for Better Soldier

Background – Iraq – James F. Dunnigan nicely summarizes the reasons for and against invading Iraq.

• StrategyPage: Invading Iraq For All The Wrong Reasons

Background – Russia – Does Russia really know what it is doing in arming China?

• Moscow Times: Arming China Makes U.S. Nervous
  

US Navy – How the US Navy hospital ships Comfort and Mercy could be better utilized.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: Counter the Violence with Comfort and Mercy

Indian Navy – An Indian task force is making a port call in Singapore.

• The Straits Times: Three Indian navy ships here on visit

US Navy – The cockpit design of the Joint Strike Fighter is being fine-tuned.

• Aviation Week: F-35 Cockpit Targets Information Integration

US Coast Guard – The new Coast Guard commandant focuses on Readiness, People, Stewardship.

• Sea Power: Charting a New Course for the 21st Century

Background – Alliances – David Isby on why the alliances are key to the US’s success in the war on terrorism, and why we must do more to form them and aid them.

• Washington Times: Brothers in Arms

Royal Navy – The UK is coming close to deciding on what type of aircraft carrier they would like to build and what type of aircraft they would like to fly from it.

• Jane’s: Carrier Countdown

US Marine Corps – The crucial role that intelligence played in establishing and operating Camp Rhino inside Afghanistan.

• Marine Corps Gazette: A New Operating Environment

Royal Australian Navy – Australia has commissioned its fourth Anzac-class frigate.

• Australian Associated Press: Latest warship commissioned

Canadian Navy – The frigate HMCS Ottawa returns home after 6 months in the Arabian Sea.

• CBC: Frigate returns home from war on terrorism
  

US Coast Guard – Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Teams gear up for homeland-security mission.

• Sea Power: The Goal-Line Defense Paradigm

Background – Nation-Building – A fascinating look at how US Special Forces are conducting nation-building inside Afghanistan. An interesting quote from Afghanis: “Only America puts its peacekeepers in the sky???”

• New York Times Magazine: Nation-Building Lite

Royal Marines – A review of 45 Commando’s deployment to Afghanistan.

• Jane’s: Reviewing the UK Afghan deployment

Background – UK – Why the British military has concerns about attacking Iraq.

• The Economist: Windy Soldiers

Background – Wargaming – More by William Arkin on what exactly Millenium Challenge was supposed to be simulating.

• Washington Post: Iraq or Iran?
  Clarifying the Geography and Politics of the Pentagon’s War Game

Background – Wargaming – Was Millenium Challenge 02 rigged?

• Virginian Pilot: War game was rigged, ”enemy” commander charges

Indian Navy – An excellent review of the history and current operations of the Indian Navy.

• Naval War College Review: The Indian End of the Telescope

US Navy – The USS Abraham Lincoln makes a port call in Japan, an unusual event for a nuclear-powered carrier.

• Ashai Shimbum: Nuke-powered carrier calls on Sasebo

Taiwanese Navy – Taiwan will spend 50% of its defense budget in the future on upgrading its navy with Kidd-class destroyers, submarines, P-3 Orions and MH-53 helicopters.

• Taipei Times: Navy pushed to the front lines of defense spending
  

Royal Navy – The Astute submarine program has fallen 18 months behind schedule.

• Jane’s: Astute submarine program hit by design delays

US Navy – How the Chief of Naval Operations is turning the US Navy around.

• Virginian Pilot: At the top, still learning

US Coast Guard – The reinforced importance of port security to the US Coast Guard.

• Sea Power: Port Security–A Mission Renewed

Pakistani Navy – Pakistan is interested in exporting Agosta-class submarines, now that it has learned how to build them.

• BBC: Pakistan ready to build submarines

US Navy – What the US Navy of 2020 could look like???according to participants at a conference sponsored by the Office for Naval Research.

• UPI: Navy 2020: Lasers, maglev, agile vaccines
  

US Navy – The Military Sealift Command is chartering sealift to take arms to the Middle East.

• Reuters: U.S. Navy Retracts Denial of Arms Shipment to Gulf

Royal Navy – The cargo ship hijacked off Somali is now said to be North Korean, rather than British.

• Agence France-Presse: Pirates seek $1.8m for ship, crew

Background – Iran – An excellent essay by a Naval War College professor, with many insights into the current state of Iran and Iranians after a visit there in 2001.

• Naval War College Review: Letter From Iran

US Marine Corps – Miscellaneous aviation notes, including how Marine Corp and Navy air may be integrated.

• Sea Power: Osprey Program Restructured

US Navy – More on the recently completed wargame Millenium Challenge 2002.

• Boston Globe: US takes new tack in war games

Background – Iran – An overview of the current situation in Iran and why the future of Iran is crucial to peace in the Middle East and to success in the war on terrorism.

• The Atlantic: Iran on the Brink

US Marines – The Marines are looking to replace the M16A2 assault rifle.

• San Diego Union Tribune: Marines set sights on new basic rifle

US Navy – The US came very close to losing the submarine USS Dolphin.

• San Diego Union Tribune: Report: Sub came close to sinking
  

US Navy – The USS John F Kennedy will soon be home.

• Associated Press: USS Kennedy Battle Group Returning
  

US Navy – More on the new rules of engagement the US Navy is seeking for boarding ships at sea.

• Associated Press: US may seek power to stop ships abroad

US Navy – Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

• Sea Power: The Real Thing

Royal Navy – HMS Cumberland is searching off of Somalia for a British-flagged tanker which has been said to have been hijacked.

• BBC: Royal Navy search for ‘hijacked ship’
  

US Marine Corps – Where and how expeditionary warfare is taught to Marines.

• Marine Corps Gazette: Expeditionary Warfare School: The Schoolhouse for Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare

Royal Navy – The captain of HMS Nottingham, which ran aground off of Australia, will be rewarded for helping to save the ship.

• Daily Telegraph: Commander ‘who ran aground’ revealed to be ship’s saviour

US Navy – Exercise Millenium Challenge 02 is over.

• Virginian Pilot: Elaborate special-operations war game wraps up
  

History – US Marines – Another look at the Battle for Guadalcanal.

• Sea Power: A Return to “The Ridge”-Guadalcanal Plus Sixty

US Navy – An interview with the Secretary of the Navy

• Virginian Pilot: Q&A: Navy leader says job is ”not fun” after 9/11

Background – Russia – How Russia may attempt to extend its sphere of influence in the future.

• Jane’s: Russia’s sphere of influence
  

Background – Information Warfare – High Power Microwave weapons, designed to attack electronic systems, may be ready for use against Iraq.

• New Scientist: “E-Bomb” may see first combat use against Iraq

US Navy – The US is evaluating the Norwegian patrol boat Skjold this summer.

• TechTV: Navy Tests High Tech Stealth Boat

Indian Navy – India will resume exercises with the US Navy in the fall.

• Rediff: Indian, US navies to resume joint exercises in October

US Navy – The US is looking for more partners to contribute escort vessels to fight the war on piracy.

• The Straits Times: US seeks more escort vessels for its ships

NAVINT – Anthony Preston’s miscellaneous naval news from Australia, Indonesia, Brunei, Iran, Kuwait, Norway and India.

• Sea Power: Australian Naval Budget Receives Major Funding Boost

Taiwanese Navy – To placate China, Taiwan cancels an antisubmarine exercise.

• BBC: Taiwan cancels war games

Russian Navy – Russia is beginning naval exercises in the Caspian Sea.

• Radio Free Europe: Russia: Are Moscow’s War Games In Caspian Muscle Flexing?

US Navy – The US Navy is being sued over its deployment of low frequency active sonar.

• CNN: Environmental groups sue over Navy sonar
  

Background – Iraq – Sir John Keegan on why an attack on Iraq must use all available military forces.

• Daily Telegraph: A ‘light’ war won’t work in Iraq
  

Background – Iraq and Wargaming – William Arkin on how a wargame previously covered here, Millennium Challenge 02, is in reality a wargame for testing different strategies to use against Iraq. The overall theme is to demonstrate the capability to conduct “rapid decisive operations” – that is the use of a much wider range of government resources – diplomatic, economic, covert – and the power to employ the most appropriate of those forces to achieve a desired political or military outcome rather than a level of destruction of the enemy.

• Washington Post Dot Mil: Meet Country X –
  An Innovative Pentagon War Game Fine Tunes a U.S. Attack on Iraq

Indian Navy – India’s new Krivak-class guided missile frigates will be delivered by the end of the year.

• Hindustan Times: Stealth frigates to be delivered to India by year end

Royal Navy – A list of Royal Navy ships that could be used against Iraq in the near future.

• The Times: MoD needs decision ‘within weeks’
  

Russian Navy – Although Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania plan on joining NATO, Russia intends to maintain a strong naval presence in the Baltic Sea.

Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier Kuznetsov is said to be in drydock until 2004, due to problems with its engines. Its airwing has been training in the Ukraine at an airfield the simulates the carrier’s deck.

• The Moscow Times: Saber-Rattling No Solution

US Coast Guard – A look at how the Coast Guard is balancing its new home defense mission with its other traditional roles.

• Christian Science Monitor: Coast Guard cuts new path in terror war

US Navy – How P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft have been used in the war on terror.

• Sea Power: Navy P-3 Operations in the War on Terrorism