Winnipeg Free Press - Gwynne Dyer ends the year on an interesting note, as always, summarizing the state of conflict in the world in the last year???

Los Angeles Times - Robert Kaplan says if you want to meet the future political leaders of America, go to Iraq.

Independent - Life in today’s Nigerian Navy.

Daily Press - A look at the life of a Hospital Corpsman.

Virginian Pilot - A look at the new Secretary of the Navy.

Virginian Pilot - Navy Secretary Gordon England - who has also been serving as the acting deputy defense secretary - gave up his Navy post today, clearing the way for a new naval leader. The move will allow Donald Winter to be sworn in as Navy secretary next week.

Military & Aerospace Electronics - Improved displays and screens are helping engineers build sharper pictures, but the greatest improvement in military simulation and mission rehearsal has been in software. Military users strive to feed the simulators with real-world, nearly real-time data freshly collected from satellite-based sensors.

Bellona - The Russian strategic nuclear submarine Dmitry Donskoy launched the new Bulava ballistic missile in the White Sea.

Bellona - The nuclear submarine K-114 Tula Project 667BDRM, having undergone repair at the Zvezdochka shipyard in Severodvinsk in Arkhangelsk region, will not be handed over to the Russian Navy as planned???The reason is the Ministry of Defence’s major debts to the plant.

Marine Corps Gazette - The Marines contributation to Operation Anaconda.

Leatherneck - Noncommissioned officers are up-front leaders, so who better to provide lessons for improving combat capabilities and tactics.

Indian Express - By the time Russian-built aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov arrives in 2008, the Navy will have a contingent of 32 pilots, trained in specialised deck-based fighter operations at the US Navy training command in Pensacola, Florida.

New York Times - Tamil separatists attacked two Sri Lankan Navy ships early Thursday morning, abducting three sailors, the military said, and pushing the battered island nation closer to resuming its two-decade civil war.

World War II - In the twilight of peace, the China Marines found themselves on the front lines of conflict.

Wall Street Journal - The U.S. military wins hearts and minds in Pakistan.

Virginian Pilot - Just like their names Ò Whirlwind, Squall, Hurricane and Thunderbolt Ò the NavyÌs fleet of patrol coastal ships has had a storm-tossed history. After operating the 13 sleek, compact craft for the first six years of their lives, the Navy decided in 1998 the gas guzzlers were too expensive to maintain and began getting rid of them. The service volunteered to give five to the Coast Guard and sell others to allied navies???Now the Navy is taking them all back.

Knight Ridder - The last two U.S. battleships, the USS Iowa and the USS Wisconsin, have been decommissioned and reactivated several times in their 60-year history. Now they are facing their final deactivation and could be turned into museums.

BBC - A £31bn project to replace Royal Navy aircraft carriers and fighter planes may be falling "behind schedule", an influential group of MPs has warned.

New York Times - When Google introduced Google Earth, free software that marries satellite and aerial images with mapping capabilities, the company emphasized its usefulness as a teaching and navigation tool, while advertising the pure entertainment value of high-resolution flyover images of the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and the pyramids.

But since its debut last summer, Google Earth has received attention of an unexpected sort. Officials of several nations have expressed alarm over its detailed display of government buildings, military installations and other important sites within their borders.

Norway Post - The US elite force Navy Seals has shown considerable interest in the Norwegian high speed patrol boats of the "Skjold" class, built with stealth technology. This makes the vessels difficult to detect by radar.

Daily Telegraph - Evidence that the "ink spot" strategy can work in Iraq. A report from Tal Afar, where Colonel H.R. McMaster and the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment are showing how its done???

Sea Power - Naval news from Chile, Australia, India, United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan

Virginian Pilot - The aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy apparently will remain in service until at least next fall as Congress continues a full year of debate over the shipÌs future and the size of the nationÌs carrier fleet.

Virginian Pilot - Some Navy reservists are finding a desert deployment harder than they imagined.

Foreign Affairs - During Richard Nixon’s first term, when Melvin Laird served as secretary of defense, we withdrew most U.S. forces from Vietnam while building up the South’s ability to defend itself. The result was a success — until Congress snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by cutting off funding for our ally in 1975. Washington should follow a similar strategy now, but this time finish the job properly.

Associated Press - The Navy’s F-14 Tomcat, a Cold War-era fighter jet emblazoned in the public’s imagination as Tom Cruise’s sleek ride in the movie "Top Gun," is beginning its final weeks of combat sorties over Iraq before being retired from the U.S. arsenal.

World War II - As their escorts turned away, the ships of the doomed Allied convoy followed orders and began to disperse in the Arctic waters.

Economist - After brutal blunders in Iraq and Afghanistan, the American army has become more intelligentÛand hopes to be more effective.

Any article that quotes General David Petraeus, Colonel H.R. McMaster, and Major John Nagl - three of the Army’s intellectuals - must be interesting???

Virginian Pilot - Through most of his eight overseas deployments during 30 years in the Corps, no one was much interested in what Michael R. Regner, or any other Marine, wanted in the way of creature comforts aboard their amphibious ships???However, the Navy asked for their opinions before building its newest amphib, the San Antonio.

Taipei Times - Chinese leaders are acutely conscious of the sea’s importance to their country’s economic development and, indirectly, to their political survival. They have come to view defending the sea lanes where merchant ships haul the oil, gas and other raw materials needed to fuel the economy as a vital national interest. China is less and less content to entrust its interests at sea to the uncertain goodwill of the US, its rival for regional pre-eminence and Asia’s long-time guardian of maritime security.

Accordingly, China has embarked on an assertive foreign policy in Southeast and South Asia, which adjoin the sea lines of communication connecting Chinese seaports with the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. Its strategy: to build up sea power, measured in ships, bases and alliances.

Washington Post - An interesting, longitudinal look at the 7th Cavalry’s recent 1 year tour of duty in Iraq.

Virginian Pilot - As the Navy assumes a greater role in the Iraq war Ò mostly in support positions to ease an overburdened Army Ò sailors are thrown in the middle of the Kuwaiti and Iraqi deserts.

ITAR-TASS - A naval squadron of Russia’s Pacific Fleet (PF) returns to Vladivostok on Tuesday after an almost-three-month-long cruise to the Indian Ocean.

Associated Press - A look at how post traumatic stress disorder has made one ex-Marine extremely controversial.

Defense and the National Interest - Military historian Martin van Creveld gives his opinion on what the US should do in Iraq.

Defense and the National Interest - A look at the role that Improvised Explosive Devices are playing in the defining the operational aspect of Fourth Generation Warfare.

New Yorker - When the Americans begin to withdraw from Iraq, will their main contribution be in the form of air power?

New Yorker - Osama bin LadenÌs first lessons in jihad.

Jerusalem Post - The Israel Navy has decided to cease sending its warships through the Suez Canal, out of concern they will be targeted by global jihad terrorists.

Military History - Conducted against great odds, the September 1950 amphibious landings at Inchon rehabilitated the U.S. militaryÌs tarnished postÒWorld War II image.

Defense and the National Interest - William Lind reviews the use of suicide bombing in Fourth Generation Warfare.

Virginian Pilot - Aboard the Navy coastal patrol boat USS Firebolt.

Air Force - The Air Force is locked in a global struggle to attack, defend, collect, and manipulate data.

Virginian Pilot - A new proposal to revive Navy shipbuilding and add more than 30 vessels to todayÌs fleet of about 280 depends on the serviceÌs ability to control construction costs and keep other expenses Ò including the war on terror Ò from eating into shipbuilding budgets.

Virginian Pilot - The Iraqi navyÌs main goal is to protect the country’s oil terminals. U.S. and coalition forces now protect the rigs against attacks by terrorists and smugglers.

Copley News Service - In another move away from its Cold War concentration on deep-ocean operations, the Navy is forming a command that will focus on missions on land and in the shallow waters of ports and rivers, which could be more relevant in fighting terrorism???The new Navy Expeditionary Combat Command will have a certain back-to-the-future look, with units designed to operate in the rivers and coastal waters much like the "brown water" Navy missions in Vietnam and in the Civil War. It will consist of about 40,000 sailors trained for a physical, up-close style of conflict more from the 18th century than today’s stand-off, high-tech naval combat.

New York Times - With the Marines in Anbar Province, attempting to implement the inkblot strategy???

New York Times - The Navy wants to increase its fleet to 313 ships by 2020, reversing years of decline in naval shipbuilding and adding dozens of warships designed to defeat emerging adversaries.

Virginian Pilot - With the F-14 mechanics aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Persian Gulf.

Foreign Policy - Amid the chaos in Iraq, one company of U.S. Special Forces achieved what others have not: a functioning democracy. How? By relying on common sense, the trust of Iraqis, and recollections from Political Science 101. Now, their commander reveals the gritty reality about nation-building in Iraq, from the ground up.

World War II - The waterway at deck’s edge was neatly lined with shoes, and???a short while later, terrible to behold, every doorway, hatch or open space was ablaze.

Virginian Pilot - A look at the work of the members of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 4.

Richmond Times Dispatch - The problems are so great with the Advanced SEAL Delivery System, the Special Operations Command announced yesterday that it is stopping further tests on the prototype, delaying the next two and re-examining the program.

Christian Science Monitor - An interesting look at how the Marines feel about the media’s coverage of the war in Iraq.

Bellona - The nuclear submarine, Ryazan, has moored at the quayside of the Zvezdochka federal state unitary enterprise to enable work to be carried out to extend its service life.

San Diego Union Tribune - The USS Dolphin returns to sea after its near-death experience in 2002.

The Herald - The latest on the UK carrier acquisition.

Esquire - Thomas P.M. Barnett’s insightful essay into Donald Rumsfeld’s tenure as Secretary of Defense.

New York Times - A look at combat stress in soldiers in Iraq.

Military History - When French Vice Adm. Pierre de Villeneuve emerged from Cadiz with his 33 mammoth warships, BritainÌs Royal Navy awaited him with only 27, often smaller, ships of the line. But the British also had Lord Horatio Nelson.

New York Times - The United States intends to close one of its two foreign naval bases that service nuclear submarines. The 33-year-old naval base at La Maddalena, off the coast of Sardinia, will close because of "military reshuffling."

Virginian Pilot - A Navy command that operates 133 ships manned mainly by civilians, but not usually counted in the fighting fleet, is getting a new name and headquarters. The Military Sealift Command has established in Norfolk the Military Sealift Fleet Support Command.

Virginian Pilot - Welcome to the world of landing signal officers aboard a Navy aircraft carrier. ItÌs about as far as you can get from toiling in an office cubicle.

Reuters - The Pentagon will order an initial eight highly-automated DD(X) destroyers being developed by Northrop Grumman Corp. and General Dynamics as the centerpiece of the U.S. Navy’s 21st century fleet.

New Kerala - India has sent five major warships and a submarine for a wargame with the French Navy in the Gulf of Aden that is aimed at building joint capabilities for anti-terror operations and interdiction on the high seas.

Sea Power - Naval News from Capitol Hill

APP - Two Chinese Navy ships arrived to carry out first-ever joint exercise with the Pakistan Navy outside the Chinese territorial waters.

Associated Press - Increasing levels of ocean noise generated by military sonar, shipping, and oil and gas exploration is threatening dolphins and whales that rely on sound for mating, finding food and avoiding predators.

New York Times - On a Marine sweep through Husayba and neighboring Euphrates River towns near the Syrian border.

Sea Power - In December 1929, one of the more unusual relief efforts in the U.S. NavyÌs history took place in the Pacific Northwest.

Foreign Affairs - Foreign governments want control of the Internet transferred from an American NGO to an international institution. Washington has responded with a Monroe Doctrine for our times, setting the stage for further controversy.

Associated Press - The Navy intercepted and destroyed a warhead as it separated from its booster rocket during a test Thursday off Hawaii Ò the first time a ship at sea has shot down a multi-stage missile.

Aviation History - When Fred Avey joined "Pappy" Boyington’s flock, he found himself among a pack of wolves in Black Sheep’s clothing.

Virginian Pilot - The Navy has decided to send the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier George Washington to Japan to replace the aging carrier Kitty Hawk when it is retired from service in 2008

Washington Post - A federal grand jury indicted a military engineer, his wife and his brother Tuesday for failing to register as Chinese agents in a case that the FBI had said involved an attempt to smuggle "extremely sensitive" U.S. warship technology to China.

Sea Power - The Iraqi Navy is making a comeback as a viable force in the Persian Gulf.

Marine Corps Gazette - 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) embedded explosive ordnance disposal in every aspect of their Marine air-ground task force operations.

Sify - The Pentagon has notified the Congress of plans to lease two P-3C reconnaissance aircraft to India.

Washington Post - US Marines broadened their offensive in western Iraq on Monday, launching a major attack on insurgent positions in the town of Ubaydi near the Syrian border and killing about 50 insurgents in precision airstrikes and house-to-house street fighting

Sea Power - Industry experts believe the nation is vulnerable to a sneak attack from the sea, and the idea is gaining traction in Washington.

Washington Post - An interesting assessment of the legacy of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

Foreign Affairs - The Bush administration contends that the push for democracy in the Muslim world will improve U.S. security. But this premise is faulty: there is no evidence that democracy reduces terrorism. Indeed, a democratic Middle East would probably result in Islamist governments unwilling to cooperate with Washington.

CNN - A street-level look at fighting in Husayba.

BBC - Pirate attacks off Somalia’s coast are being organised from command vessels, or "mother ships", the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has said.

World War II - A series of top-secret Japanese submarine missions could have altered the course of World War II.

Sea Power - Foreign area officers help forge relationships between U.S. forces and indigenous populations.

San Diego Union Tribune - The USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group returns from a deployment in the Gulf.

BBC - Serious pirate attacks off the Somali coast have jumped dramatically after a two-year lull.

BBC - A closer look at the nonlethal weapon that was used to protect a cruise ship from pirate attack.

Sea Power - An interview with Lt. Gen. Michael Hough, Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Aviation

Associated Press - The crew of a luxury cruise ship used a non-lethal sonic weapon that blasts earsplitting noise in a directed beam while being attacked by a gang of pirates off Africa this weekend