The Guardian – The MoD is increasingly outsourcing to the private sector. It’s leasing aircraft and ships today; will it be tanks and armies tomorrow?
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Monthly Archives: March 2008
Royal Navy – MoD hands over Royal Navy project to BAE to bypass £700m tax
The Times – The Ministry of Defence will reluctantly hand control of a project to build two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy to BAE Systems in an attempt to avoid a £700 million tax bill.
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Geopolitics / Arctic – Arctic Meltdown: The Economic and Security Implications of Global Warming
Foreign Affairs – Thanks to global warming, the Arctic icecap is rapidly melting, opening up access to massive natural resources and creating shipping shortcuts that could save billions of dollars a year. But there are currently no clear rules governing this economically and strategically vital region. Unless Washington leads the way toward a multilateral diplomatic solution, the Arctic could descend into armed conflict.
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Iraq – Fateful Choice on Iraq Army Bypassed Debate
New York Times – Michael Gordon writes that the decision by L. Paul Bremer III to dissolve Iraqís Army was a reversal from a plan the White House had approved.
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Geopolitics / NATO – Equal alliance, unequal roles
New York Times – Robert Kaplan on the future of NATO.
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Ground Warfare – Scions of the Surge
Newsweek – Five years on, the war is transforming the American officer corps.
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Editorial Note – Announcing the War Studies Primer – an introductory course on the study of war
War Studies Primer is an introductory course on the study of war: 28 lectures and over 1,250 slides.
The purpose of the War Studies Primer is to provide a primer, or introduction, to the study of war.
In its current form, the War Studies Primer is presented as a lecture curriculum for a university course that is an introduction to war studies. It is a non-credit, self-study course.
War Studies Primer was begun in 2004, is a work in progress, and will be updated on a yearly basis.
War Studies Primer is made available for your use and reuse and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
Please contact me with your comments and feedback about the War Studies Primer.
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Editorial Note – NOSI on break until Saturday March 29th
NOSI is taking a short break and will next update on Saturday March 29th. I apologize for posting this so late, I had intended to post it on March 14th???I will see you again on March 29th!
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Afghanistan – Afghan war trend worse than Iraq: U.S. trainer
Reuters – LTC John Nagl comments on the situation in Afghanistan.
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Royal Navy – The Whale In The Drawing Room
Defense Technology International – BAE Systems is working on the design of new-generation ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) for the Royal Navy, under a two-year study program that started after a March 2007 parliamentary vote. The SSBNs are expected to extend the life of the UK’s independent deterrent to at least 2040, together with participation in the US Navy’s Trident D5 Life Extension program and development of a new warhead, either built in the UK or collaboratively developed with the US.
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Piracy – Pirates??? of the Somali Coast
Defense Technology International – Another look at attempts to control piracy off of Somalia.
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Iran – Top U.S. Officer in Mideast Resigns
Washington Post – Thomas Ricks weighs in on Admiral Fallon’s resignation???
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Iran – Top U.S. Commander in Mideast to Retire Early
New York Times – Admiral William J. Fallon, the top American commander in the Middle East whose views on Iran and other issues have seemed to put him at odds with the Bush administration, is retiring early.
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German Navy – Ready for Service: New German Corvette
Defense Technology International – The German navy next month plans to formally put into service the K 130 corvette Braunschweig. It is the first in a five-ship class.
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Iraq – We Can't Win These Wars on Our Own
Washington Post – LTC John Nagl reviews our current position in Iraq and describes the way forward???
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Geopolitics / Resiliency – America the Resilient: Defying Terrorism and Mitigating Natural Disasters
Foreign Affairs – A climate of fear and a sense of powerlessness caused by the threats of terrorism and natural disasters are undermining American ideals and fueling political demagoguery. Rebuilding the resilience of American society is the way to reverse this and respond to today’s challenges.
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US Navy – Congressional panel: Navy should stick to what works
Virginian Pilot – The Navy should delay plans to build a series of expensive and unproven new ships and instead buy more destroyers, amphibious ships and airplanes from production lines now open, lawmakers told top service leaders on Thursday.
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Iran – The Man Between War and Peace
Esquire – Thomas P.M. Barnett’s latest on Admiral Fox Fallon:
As head of U. S. Central Command, Admiral William “Fox” Fallon is in charge of American military strategy for the most troubled parts of the world. Now, as the White House has been escalating the war of words with Iran, and seeming ever more determined to strike militarily before the end of this presidency, the admiral has urged restraint and diplomacy. Who will prevail, the president or the admiral?
And the Admiral’s reply to the article: Commander Rejects Article of Praise.
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US Navy – Ex-Sailor Convicted in Terrorism Case
Washington Post – A former Navy sailor was convicted Wednesday of leaking details about ship movements to suspected terrorism supporters, an act that could have endangered his own crewmates.
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US Navy – U.S. warship stirs Lebanese fear of war
Christian Science Monitor – The USS Cole has deployed off the coast of Lebanon as that nation’s political crisis deepens.
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US Navy – U.S. Forces Fire Missiles Into Somalia at a Kenyan
New York Times – American naval forces fired submarine-launched cruise missiles into southern Somalia on Monday, aiming at what the Defense Department called terrorist targets.
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