Archive July 2003 – December 2003


Wednesday, December 31, 2003

Canadian Navy – Operation Apollo and the war on terror will slow down the introduction of the renovated Upholder-class submarines into Canada’s navy.

US Navy – A large-scale experiment proposed for July 2004 and ongoing technological exploration with robotics could yield new undersea capabilities for the Navy.

Background – NeoCons – The neocons outline their vision for the future of US foreign policy.



Tuesday, December 30, 2003

For Sale – One used aircraft carrier, currently going for only $6 million!

US Navy – The US has seized boats in the Gulf that were felt to be trafficking drugs for al Qaeda.

German Navy – Germany will return to patroling the Strait of Gibraltar.

US Coast Guard – Building on the success of a course designed for prospective cutter commanders and executive officers, the Coast Guard is developing a leadership class for future commanders and executive officers of shore stations.

US Marines – Helpful job search advice for transitioning and retiring military personnel.

Background – 4th Generation War – More from William Lind on 4GW.


Monday, December 29, 2003

Bangladeshi Navy – The Prime Minister of Bangladesh vows to strengthen its navy.

Al-Qaida – Another look at Al-Qaida’s merchant fleet and the terror threat it poses.

US Navy – Naval news from around the US fleet.

Background – US Bases – Another look at how the US will shift its bases towards southern and eastern Europe.


Sunday, December 28, 2003

US Marines – The V-22 Osprey training simulator will bring new capabilities and lower costs to the Marine Corps aviation training program, due largely to the use of commercial technologies.

Russian Navy – The U.S. Department of Energy administers more than a dozen nonproliferation programs in Russia designed to reduce the risk of nuclear material or expertise falling into dangerous hands. Of these, the joint physical security upgrades at Russian naval facilities have been highly successful?largely because of the flexible and stepwise working approach chosen and the cooperative working spirit and trust developed. Its lessons could contribute to other U.S-Russian nonproliferation activities.


Saturday, December 27, 2003

US Navy – The advent of new ways of warfare, and the emergence of new missions for the military has heightened the urgency to find better ways to improve human performance and show the necessity for new approaches to training.

Background – History – Throughout 1941, long before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy is at a high state of readiness in the Atlantic, secretly searching for German and Italian warships.


Friday, December 26, 2003

Background – Piracy – An overview of piracy in Asia.

Background – Pakistan – Ahmed Rashid gives insightful background to the 2 recent assassination attempts against President Musharraf of Pakistan.

Background – Intelligence – An interesting Cold War intelligence coup, carried out by the British military intelligence unit BRIXMIS. For more on BRIXMIS, look here.


Thursday, December 25, 2003

US Navy – Most of the Atlantic Fleet will spend Christmas in port.

US Navy – An early draft of a study by the U.S. Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute plays down the significance of speed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and says the effort did not necessarily illustrate that "jointness" is a precondition for a low-casualty win.


Wednesday, December 24, 2003

US Navy – The latest naval news from Sweden, Mexico, Vietnam, and the Netherlands.

Background – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – Air Force planners say the Hellfire-equipped Predator UAV is only the beginning.

Background – Iraq – Thomas Ricks interviews Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul D. Wolfowitz, one of the architects of the neocon’s foreign policy.

Background – Iraq – ???and then Thomas Ricks goes on to interview General Anthony Zinni, former CENTCOM CINC and one of the harshest critics of the neocon’s foreign policy.


Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Military Sealift Command – A look at strategic planning within the Military Sealift Command.

US Marines – How to maintain martial arts training while not impacting further on the Operating Forces? operational tempo.

Background – Person of the Year – Time Magazine has named the US soldier the "Person of the Year." John Keegan reflects on what the American soldier means to him, in a historical sense.


Monday, December 22, 2003

US Navy – You should not be able to detect the difference between regular and reserve forces. Use reserves wisely, or lose them.

Background – Iraq – Another look at what went wrong with the post-war planning for Iraq, along with an excellent look at life inside Iraq today, from multiple points of view – the military, the Coalition Provisional Authority, and the Iraqis. A very long piece, but worthwhile.


Sunday, December 21, 2003

US Navy – The feral city – savage, toxic, ungovernable – may be a phenomenon that never takes place, yet indications are that its emergence may be imminent in various parts of the world that are already latent threats to the United States. The phrase itself suggests the nature of what may become one of the more difficult security challenges of the new century.

US Marines – The Marine Corps is confronting the dual realities of tight budgets and rapidly advancing flight technology by making fundamental changes in its training structure and processes.

Background – Wargames – James F. Dunnigan on why the good old days of wargames have passed.

Background – History – Dating back to the Uniform Regulations of 1826, Marine Corps officers have worn the Mameluke sword in commemoration of 1stLt Presley O’Bannon’s assault on Derna, Tripoli.


Saturday, December 20, 2003

US Marines – What it is like to be a Marine Security Guard in Jerusalem.

Background – History – A volatile element in the Persian Gulf today is the presence of Iranian troops on three small but strategically located islands near the Straits of Hormuz. How they got there – an unintended result of the rapid withdrawal of the United Kingdom from "east of Suez" in 1968-71, despite the concerted efforts of the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, and the Foreign Office has recently been illuminated by declassified British sources.

Background – Manpower _ James F. Dunnigan on why the US military does not want to increase in size.


Friday, December 19, 2003

US Navy – The Navy intends to make Battle Stations 21, a series of simulated exercises designed to present new recruits with the ultimate12-hour final exam, even more realistic.

Background – Lessons Learned – James F. Dunnigan explains the difference between identifying lessons and learning from them.


Thursday, December 18, 2003

US Marines – A look at how the 9th Engineer Support Battalion provided support to Operation Enduring Freedom on Basilan Island, Republic of the Philippines.

Background – War Gaming – An overview of how the US Department of Defense develops wargames for troop training.


Wednesday, December 17, 2003

Canadian Navy – The Canadian military has signed a $4.1-million deal to create a deep-sea "tripwire" system to catch smugglers, terrorists or others trying to approach Canada’s coasts illegally.

US Navy – The future of nanotechnology in the Navy.

Background – Transformation – James F. Dunnigan describes, in his own words, what is transformation.


Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Indian Navy – An analysis of the Indian Navy in 2003.

Background – Iraq – John Keegan comments on Saddam’s capture.

Background – Third Infantry Division After Action Report – Here is an HTML version of the 3rd ID AAR. I had posted a PDF version earlier.

Background – Operation Telic Lessons Learned – The UK’s lessons learned, from the recent war in Iraq.


Monday, December 15, 2003

US Marines – More on what 1 MEF will attempt to accomplish in Iraq.

US Navy – The Navy leadership is rebuilding its fleets following the experience of Operation Iraqi Freedom, but don’t expect Adm. Vern Clark, chief of naval operations, or Navy Secretary Gordon R. England to call for more ships or more money before they decide on the shape the reconstituted force ought to take. The Navy has stopped arguing for "presence" and "numbers" in favor of "presence with a purpose," and a fleet that is measured in terms of its capability rather than hulls.

Background – Fourth Generation War – More from William Lind on how to fight it.


Sunday, December 14, 2003

Algerian Navy – Algeria and Italy are exercising together.

US Navy – Another UHF Follow-on communications satellite is to be launched, to be used by the Navy for tactical communications.

Background – Iraq – Seymour Hersh reports the US is setting up a new counter insurgency unit to fight the Iraqi guerrillas. The unit is being influenced by US experiences in Vietnam and Israeli experiences battling the Intifada.

Background – Global Operations – Examining trends in the global security environment and the ways in which the U.S. military has organized to deal with past challenges provides the foundation for understanding the implications for America’s armed forces today, as we transform our military into one that is ready to provide effective missile defense, information operations, space operations, and other capabilities that do not respect our traditional regional boundaries.


Saturday, December 13, 2003

US Marines – A look at the peacekeeping strategies and tactics to be used by the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force when they return to Iraq in the spring, and how they differ from what the US Army is doing currently.

Royal Navy – You’ve read the analyses over the last 2 days, now read the primary source material yourself.

Background – Russia – Russia’s experiment with parliamentary democracy, never full-hearted, is more or less dead. The country’s wellbeing now depends more than ever on one man.

Background – History – A review of the Marine’s role in The Boxer Rebellion in China.


Friday, December 12, 2003

Indian Navy – Israel volunteers to help India build a nuclear powered submarine.

Royal Navy – An indepth look at the Defence White paper published today.

US Navy – Another look at how the US Navy is using US ranges to replace Vieques.

US Navy – The latest sea based anti-ballistic missile test is a success.

Background – Fourth Generation Warfare – William Lind provides some initial thoughts on how to fight Fourth Generation foes.


Thursday, December 11, 2003

Russian Navy – Russia’s nuclear-armed Northern Fleet is falling to pieces – quite literally – as scavengers plunder its ships of precious metal components.

Pakistani Navy – Pakistan Navy is commissioning the first indigenously built Agosta 90B submarine PNS/M SAAD on Friday.

Royal Navy – More analysis of the upcoming Defence White Paper.

US Navy – Another test of the sea-based ballistic missile system is about to take place.

Background – Deep Diving Vehicles – In 3 years, US scientists will be able to explore the deepest parts of the world’s oceans, up to seven miles below the surface, with a novel underwater vehicle capable of performing multiple tasks in extreme conditions.

Background – Pakistan – Pakistan is?????? A) a terrorist spawning ground; B) the next Islamic theocracy; C) a volatile nuclear power; D) a crucial American ally; E) all of the above. A journey through a state of disequilibrium.


Wednesday, December 10, 2003

German Navy – A German task force is being withdrawn from terrorism patrol in the Strait of Gibraltar because it has little to do.

US Marines – With the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit about the USS Peleliu, off of the Horn of Africa.

Royal Navy – A preview of the upcoming Defence White Paper, which will call for more expeditionary forces.

Royal Navy – HMS Glasgow is exercising off of Africa.

Background – Iraq – An interesting look at the divide that exists between the units in the field and the rear echelon troops in Iraq. The article opines that the Coalition Provisional Authority is essentially useless???

Background – Iraq – A closer look at the intelligence controversy in the UK regarding Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction.


Tuesday, December 9, 2003

French Navy – James F. Dunnigan reviews the operational problems of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

Background – Weapons of Mass Destruction – A previously unthought of form of WMD: a dirty radiological bomb mounted on top of a weather rocket that has a range of several miles. Where can you buy this? In the tiny sepratist enclave of Transdniester which broke off from Moldova.

Background – Missile Defense – A balanced look at the state of the US anti-ballistic missile system, and the Navy’s role in it.


Monday, December 8, 2003

Background – Defense Spending – A fascinating review of the sordid truth about defense spending in America, that is brought to light by an interview with retired Pentagon crusader, Chuck Spinney. Spinney states that the increase in defense spending since 9/11 is doing nothing to address the threats the US faces from its new terrorist enemies.

Background – History – The role the US Marines played on the Western Front in World War I.


Sunday, December 7, 2003

Background – Fighting Sail – If you wish to have a feel of how naval warfare was conducted in the age of sail, I strongly recommend you see the current film adapation of Patrick O’Brian’s books on the big screen, entitled Master and Commander. This is the most realistic depiction of what life and combat was like on an 18th century warship that you will ever see. Here are some links to provide background on the film and the author???


Saturday, December 6, 2003

US Navy – A new set of naval ocean surveillance satellites is launched.

Background – Iraq – Michael Gordon surveys an expert on what went wrong with the post-war planning in Iraq.


Friday, December 5, 2003

US Navy – A look at some of the jobs performed by submarines in the war against Iraq.

Royal Navy – Will there be a fleet review in honour of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar?

Canadian Navy – Canada’s Atlantic Fleet will be without its supply ship for 10 months while she is overhauled.

Canadian Navy – Canada intends to maintain surveillance of its coasts with a new land-based over the horizon radar system called the High-Frequency Surface Wave Radar Network.

Bruneian Navy – Singapore and Brunei are exercising – via computer.

Royal Australian Navy – the ANZAC frigates are to be upgraded with an anti-missile system.

Background – Iraq – More pessimistic analysis from William Lind and others on the progress of the guerilla war in Iraq. They believe the US will be unable to triumph in a 4th Generation War.


Thursday, December 4, 2003

Royal Navy – Will the UK and France share aircraft carriers?

Military Sealift Command – Cargo ships chartered by the U.S. military to carry supplies and equipment to American forces worldwide are vulnerable to terrorist attacks while visiting ports.

Background – History – A history of the Springfield rifle used by the US Marines.


Wednesday, December 3, 2003

Background – History – An overview of the history of US Naval aviation.


Tuesday, December 2, 2003

Indian Navy – A question and answer sesssion with the Chief of the Indian Navy.

US Marines – A look at the Marine’s upcoming Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle.


Monday, December 1, 2003

Taiwanese Navy – A look at the French "frigates to Taiwan" scandal.

Background – Airpower – Powered flight was born exactly one hundred years ago. It changed everything, of course – but most of all, it changed how we wage war – an interview with historian Walter Boyne.


Sunday, November 30, 2003

US Navy – The first Expeditionary Strike Group, with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is pioneering new tactics that call for closer integration of Marine and Navy forces.

Background – China – The recent crisis over North Korea’s nuclear weapons has had at least one unexpected aspect: the crucial — and highly effective — intervention of Beijing. China’s steady diplomacy is a sign of how much things have changed in the country, which has long avoided most international affairs. Recently, China has begun to embrace regional and global institutions it once shunned and take on the responsibilities that come with great-power status. Just what the results of Beijing’s new sophistication will be remains to be seen; but Asia, and the world, will never be the same.


Saturday, November 29, 2003

Myanmarese Navy – Myanmar agressively defends its territorial waters.

Nigerian Navy – Nigeria is exercising to defend its oil facilities.

US Navy – How will the US increase its forces on Guam?

US Marines – Troubled by lack of progress on preventing friendly fire deaths, Marine commanders seek technology to end friendly-fire deaths

Background – Third Infantry Division’s After Action Report – A nice summary of the 3rd ID’s lessons learned from Operation Iraqi Freedom.


Friday, November 28, 2003

Background – Central Command – General John Abizaid has driven big changes in the American military. Now, as he commands U.S. forces in the Middle East, his ideas are being put to the test.


Thursday, November 27, 2003

US Marines – More Marines will head to Iraq.

US Marines – U.S. forces have disrupted several planned terrorist attacks against Western and other targets in the Horn of Africa and local authorities have killed or captured more than two dozen militants, according to the Marine general in command of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

US Navy – The Navy has further detailed its plan to reorganize its helicopter communities to use the new MH-60 helicopters to full advantage.


Wednesday, November 26, 2003

US Navy – The USS Cole deploys for the first time since it was attacked in Yemen.

Background – Al Qaeda – James F. Dunnigan asks if it is inevitable that terrorist organizations ultimately evolve into mafia-like organizations more focused on profit than terror.


Tuesday, November 25, 2003

Royal Navy – The new aircraft carrier’s names have been chosen – Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales.

US Navy – The latest naval news from around the US fleet.


Monday, November 24, 2003

Royal New Zealand Navy – HMNZS Canterbury will be repaired, after an onboard fire.

Background – Ocean Gliders – The latest on ocean gliders, a form of unmanned underwater vehicle.

Background – Public Awareness of Naval Affairs – Most Britons are ignorant of the Royal Navy and what it does for the country, according to a recent poll. If only they all would just read NOSI???sigh???;-)

Background – Mission Creep – William Arkin on how mission creep is seeping through the Pentagon, as American armed forces are assuming major new domestic policing and surveillance roles.


Sunday, November 23, 2003

US Navy – A surface action group departs for the Mediterranean Sea.

Background – Foreign Aid – Critics have long derided the U.S. government for stinginess in international giving. But such charges miss the point. Today, it is private funds that make the difference in poor countries, and here the United States leads the pack.


Saturday, November 22, 2003

US Marines – The first Marine to lead an Expeditionary Strike Group takes charge.

Royal Navy – The UK’s First Sea Lord says a sea-borne terrorist strike against the UK is inevitable.

US Marines – The Marines continue to experience problems with close air support.


Friday, November 21, 2003

US Navy – Aircraft from the USS Enterprise are providing close air support in Iraq.

Background – War in Kosovo and General Wesley Clark – An interesting look at the War in Kosovo and its lessons, told through the lens of Wesley Clark’s presidential candidacy.


Thursday, November 20, 2003

US Navy – HSV-2 Swift is exercising with the Ghanaian military.

Indian Navy – India has finally signed a deal for the Russian aircraft carrier Gorshkov?

US Navy – The latest naval defense industry news.


Wednesday, November 19, 2003

US Navy – More on the significance of the USS Vandegrift’s visit to Vietnam.

US Marines – More on the Marine’s new deployment plans.


Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Background – War Planning – The US is substantially modifying its warplanning, based on its experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Background – Saudi Arabia – James F. Dunnigan analyses the developing civil war in Saudi Arabia.


Monday, November 17, 2003

Background – Terrorism at Sea – A more indepth look at the potential for a terrorist act in the Straits of Malacca.

US Marines – An interview with the Commandant of the Marine Corps.


Sunday, November 16, 2003

Background – Lessons Learned on Occupation – U.S. troops on conquered territory, infrastructure in ruins, international squabbling over reconstruction: a window onto occupied Germany seven months after V-E Day, when progress was still unsteady and Europe’s future hung in the balance.


Saturday, November 15, 2003

Chinese Navy – More details of the Chinese – Indian exercises this week.

Background – Iraq – Ralph Peters analyzes the situation in Iraq.

Background – Air Power – For three months, it was all the rage. Then its popularity faded fast.


Friday, November 14, 2003

Background – Piracy – A look at how deadly links between pirates and terrorists could be in the Straits of Malacca.

US Navy – A profound change is occurring in the way the Navy will acquire computer combat systems. In the past, vessels and aircraft were equipped separately with computers designed to perform specific functions, working together ad hoc when required. But as the Navy now wants seamless, networked cooperation among its warships, airplanes, aircraft carriers, and submarines, a new paradigm is required in computer combat systems.


Thursday, November 13, 2003

US Navy – More on the Sea Power 21 vision???

Background – Iraq – John Keegan analyzes the situation in Iraq???

Background – Iraq – ???while Thomas Ricks asks if Saddam’s plan for the war is finally becoming clear???


Wednesday, November 12, 2003

Sea Power International – The latest naval news from the Spanish, Turkish, UK, Danish, Indonesian, Singaporean, Indian, and South African navies.


Tuesday, November 11, 2003

Asian Navies – Navies in Asia are expected to double their spending on shipbuilding in the next few years. As the European naval market dries up, the Asian market is expanding???

Taiwanese Navy – Taiwan says the US submarine being offered to it are too expensive.

US Marines – Young Marines went off to war straight from entry-level training and performed superbly, validating the Corps’ quality efforts in making Marines who can win America’s battles.


Monday, November 10, 2003

Indian Navy – India again successfully tests the Brahmos cruise missile.

US Navy – An advanced version of the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM), armed with seven warheads rather than one, is under development to improve the Navy’s land attack capability.


Sunday, November 9, 2003

Background – Iraq – Two interesting analysis pieces, one of which is by William Lind, stating the tide is turning against Coalitiion forces in Iraq.

Background – Foreign Policy – Ralph Peters argues that the 21st century will not be "The Pacific Century", but instead "The Atlantic Century."


Saturday, November 8, 2003

Canadian Navy – The destroyer HMCS Huron is formally mothballed.

Background – War Correspondents – What is it like to be a war correspondent? Veteran war correspondent Peter Maass gives us some idea, and gives us the background to his excellent story ‘Good Kills’ from earlier this year about his journey with the US Marines in Iraq.


Friday, November 7, 2003

Background – Electromagnetic Pulse Weapons – An overview of the allure and danger of electromagnetic pulse weapons.


Thursday, November 6, 2003

Feedback – Thanks for the 13 Comment Forms I have received in the last week. I have been hard at work improving NOSI over the last month, implementing a set of new features that have been on my "To Do List" for too long. Now that I am caught up on my list, I am analysing the two hundred emails and Comment Forms I’ve received over the last 3 years, looking for new ideas to implement. I’ll summarize what I learned and what I intend to do in the near future. In the meantime, please keep the Comments coming. I am interested in learning how you use NOSI to educate yourself and others. I am especially interested in hearing from military personnel or teachers at all levels.

Indian Navy – India and China will hold their first joint naval exercise.

US Marines – The Marines are headed back to Iraq for occupation duties.

US Navy – The USS Nimitz battlegroup returns home.

Background – War Studies Courses – More courses from the US Naval War College.


Wednesday, November 5, 2003

Royal Marines – The SBS continue to mount special operations inside Iraq.

Background – War Studies Courses – Over the last two weeks, as I have been putting together the Reading List / Curriculum page, I have realized that taken in whole, this reading list may serve as a basic introduction to, and curriculum in, war studies that may be used to give context to current and future naval operations. Therefore I thought I would provide some pointers to formal courses in War Studies.

Background – US Army – The After Action Report of the US Army’s Third Infantry Division from Operation Iraqi Freedom. Reality is separated from fantasy, and important lessons learned are well documented.


Tuesday, November 4, 2003

Nigerian Navy – Nigeria arrests more oil pirates.

Background – Operations Other Than War – How the Bush administration’s prewar planners bungled postwar Iraq. A tragic case study of how not to conduct an operation other than war.


Monday, November 3, 2003

Royal Australian Navy – The United States is negotiating a new defence treaty covering the use of the high-tech North West Cape naval communications base in Western Australia to maintain contact with its submarines operating in the region, using very low frequency radio.

Royal Navy – The British continue to hunt drug smugglers in the Caribbean.

Background – US Navy Intelligence Operations – A course designed to provide the minimum essential information for drilling Naval Reserve Intelligence Professionals prior to performing an annual training period at sea. The course gives a good introduction to the type of intelligence processing systems likely to be encountered aboard ship. Highly recommended.


Sunday, November 2, 2003

Chinese Navy – China pays a port call to Guam.

Canadian Navy – Aboard HMCS Calgary, patroling in the Persian Gulf.

US Navy – The US is grounding EA-6B Prowlers due to wing wear, pending their repair.

Background – Iraq – Thomas Friedman and Ralph Peters opine as to what the US has at stake in Iraq and why the US must succeed. The Atlantic opines that Thomas Friedman’s view of the Middle East is all wrong. Who is right? Time will tell???

Background – Diplomacy – Niall Ferguson asks "What is Power?" – that is, which global players have power today?and which are likely to acquire it in the coming decades?


Saturday, November 1, 2003

Indian Navy – India’s SU-30MKI aircraft are being adapted for a maritime role.

US Navy – A US ship will make a port call visit to Vietnam, for the first time since the end of the Vietnam War.

Background – Bases – In the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, Russia has set up a military base – its first on foreign soil since the USSR imploded. The Kant airbase is also close to a US airbase established two years ago. How do the two co-exist?


Friday, October 31, 2003

Taiwanese Navy – Taiwan does not appear to be seriously interested in upgrading its defenses, much to the dismay of the U.S.

Background – Iraq – James F. Dunnigan analyses the evolving civil war in Iraq between the Sunnis and everyone else.


Thursday, October 30, 2003

US Marines – The combat development process has undergone many changes in order to be more responsive to the needs of the Marine Corps and its Operating Forces.


Wednesday, October 29, 2003

Background – Airpower – Mark Bowden, author of "Black Hawk Down," goes inside the cockpit with members of the 391st Fighter Squadron, veterans of the recent air war in Afghanistan. An excellent illustration of what war in the air is like today???


Tuesday, October 28, 2003

It is that time of the year again when I ask you for feedback about NOSI. I am interested in learning how you use NOSI to educate yourself and others. I am especially interested in hearing from military personnel or teachers at all levels. Please take a minute to fill out the Comments Form. Your comments and anecdotes are most appreciated!

Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – Japan sends another supply ship, Tokiwa, to aid coalition ships in the Gulf.

Royal Australian Navy – HMAS Manoora returns home from the Solomons.

US Army – The US Army continues to procure high speed vessels.

US Navy – The Navy and Marine Corps are in the midst of an intense analytical process to determine the range of capabilities expected of their next generation of maritime prepositioning force ships. The Navy anticipates that its analysis of alternatives–a report of possible options–for its Maritime Prepositioning Force (Future) vessels will be complete in January 2004. The results likely will provide more than just answers to the future of MPF(F); they are apt to reveal the direction the Navy plans to take with its joint command-and-control capabilities.


Monday, October 27, 2003

Background – Islam – The growing voice of political Islam suggests that the United States faces a much more nebulous enemy in its war on terrorism than a movement of religious zealots.

Background – History – What qualifies one to be called a hero? An attempt to answer the question by retelling the stories of the U-2 pilots during the Cuban Missile Crisis. During the Cuban missile crisis, Maj. Rudolf Anderson faced the same dangers his fellow U-2 pilots did. But he was the only one to die. Does that make him the hero?


Sunday, October 26, 2003

Royal Marines – Is 45 Commando preparing to return to Afghanistan?

US Navy – Doing more with less – a plan that will fundamentally change the way the Navy deploys and sustains fighting forces after it recovers from the nearly exhaustive efforts of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Fleet organization and maintenance will be altered favoring a less predictable and more "surge ready" force under the Navy’s Fleet Response Plan, a scheme to reshape the business of naval warfare.

Background – Nuclear Weapons – The U.S. is looking to rightsize its nuclear arsenal to make it a more credible deterrent in the post-Cold War world.

Background – Empire – Robert Kaplan states it is a cliche these days to observe that the United States now possesses a global empire different from Britain’s and Rome’s but an empire nonetheless. It is time to move beyond a statement of the obvious. Our recent effort in Iraq, with its large-scale mobilization of troops and immense concentration of risk, is not indicative of how we will want to act in the future. So how should we operate on a tactical level to manage an unruly world? What are the rules and what are the tools?


Saturday, October 25, 2003

US Navy – The USS Iwo Jima amphibious ready group returns home and the Navy continues transitioning from amphibious ready groups to expeditionary strike groups. Meanwhile, the new deployment schedules of expeditionary strike groups will be similar to that of carrier battlegroups – no more routine 6 month long inflexible deployments.

Canadian Navy – The Upholder-class submarines have difficulty operating in warm climates.

Nigerian Navy – Nigerian pirates are now using tankers to siphon oil out of Nigeria’s pipelines.

US Navy – A look at what U.S. patrol boats are doing off of Iraq today.

US Marines – How one Marine general led from the front in Iraq.

Background – Intelligence – Seymour Hersch on how conflicts between the Bush Administration and the intelligence community marred the reporting on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.


Friday, October 24, 2003

2002

World Naval Operational News Highlights

Overall, I think it is quite interesting to reflect on just how correct open source intelligence stories were in 2002 in regards to what has subsequently transpired in Iraq. The stories NOSI covered described precisely the buildup of forces and logistics in theater, the evolution of the war plan, and predicted accurately the challenges the U.S. would face in a post-Saddam Iraq.

  • Several recurring themes were identified throughout this year’s naval news stories, many of which persist from last year:
    • Yet another navy running out of operating funds. This year it was the Portuguese Navy, which ran out of money to operate in March and had to return to port.
    • Continued piracy on the high seas, particularly in the South China Sea. This year, however, increased patrols in the Straits of Malacca by the Indonesian, Malaysian, Indian, and U.S. navies have led to some decrease in the amount of piracy.
    • The tension in the Taiwanese Straits between Taiwan and China, with China continuing to probe Taiwanese territorial waters with spy ships.
    • Territorial disputes over islands in the South China Sea, such as the Spratly Islands. This year the USS Bowditch, a survey ship, did its best to assert the U.S. Navy’s right to freedom of navigation in this region.
    • Territorial disputes in the Caspian Sea, based upon oil drilling rights to the vast oil riches in the region.
    • The threats terrorists pose to ships, this year demonstrated through stories about terrorist plots to attack shipping in the Straits of Gibraltar, and the terrorist attack against the French tanker Limburg off of Yemen.
    • The dangerous nature of submarine operations, evidenced this year with a fire about the USS Dolphin and many continued teething problems with Canada’s Upholder-class submarines.
    • Concern over the damaging effect that low frequency active sonar has on marine mammals.
    • Concern that the decaying former Soviet Navy nuclear submarine force tied up at dock is having a damaging effect on the marine environment.
  • Significant naval operations this year included:
    • The continued joint operations against terrorism at sea lead by the German Navy in the Horn of Africa and the Royal Australian Navy in the Persian Gulf.
    • The most professional amphibious operation of the year was the use of the Royal Marines 45 Commando to hunt down Taliban troops in Afghanistan.
    • The use of a combined arms force by the Spanish Navy to evict Moroccan troops from Spanish islands off of Morocco.
    • The most significantly averted combat of the year was the near-war between India and Pakistan due to heightened tensions in Kashmir. Both navies had sortied from their bases; interestingly the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle played a roll in deconflicting the two sides.
    • The only ship-to-ship combat of the year was the continuing conflict between Sri Lankan and Tamil Tiger gunboats and a sharp, brief battle between North and South Korean gunboats.
  • The naval training story of the year was the loss to the U.S. Navy of the training area on Vieques island, in Puerto Rico. The long term effect of this upon U.S. forces will need to be watched carefully.
  • The most strategically significant naval news story of the year is the continued move by China to position itself near strategic naval choke points through the acquisition of commercial port facilities near them.
  • The most significant personnel naval news story this year was the U.S. Navy’s intention to obtain more underway days in theater from its ships by forward basing and dual-crewing more of them.
  • The most narrowly averted naval disaster of the year was the fire about the research submarine USS Dolphin, which luckily occurred close to shore.
  • The most intriguing naval news story of the year was the Spanish Navy’s seizure at sea, at the bequest of the U.S., of a cargo ship carrying SCUD missiles from North Korea. The U.S. later allowed the cargo ship to deliver the SCUD missiles to their destination, Yemen, as it is an ally of the U.S. What is the official U.S. position on the proliferation of ballistic missiles?
  • The most humorous naval news story of the year was the Royal New Zealand Navy’s use of rented civilian jet warbirds to simulate enemy attacks during training, now that New Zealand’s air force has disposed of its fighter aircraft.
  • The procurement story of the year is India’s on-again, off-again purchase of the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov.
  • The most ignored story of the year is port security in the U.S., or the lack thereof.
  • The most surprising story of the year was the deployment of the command ship USS Mount Whitney, nicknamed the "USS Never Sail," to the Horn of Africa for 7 months to head up the U.S. war on terrorism in the Horn of Africa.
  • The most technically significant naval news story of the year was the new and unique uses that the U.S. Navy’s P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft community was devising for their aircraft, including its use as a ground surveillance platform in Afghanistan.
  • The most interesting naval experiment of the year were the U.S.’ experiments with high speed transport vessels – the U.S. Marine Corps with its HSV WestPac Express and the U.S. Army with its HSV-X1 Joint Venture.
  • The newly deployed naval weapon of the year was the F-18E Hornet, which made its first cruise on the USS Abraham Lincoln.
  • The quietest naval story of the year was the near-war between India and Pakistan due to heightened tensions in Kashmir with both navies deploying on war footings.
  • The non-story of the year was that of the new U.S. aircraft carrier CVN-77, which will not be built to a radically different design as initially proposed, but instead will be the last of the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.
  • The most insulting naval news story was the naming of the next U.S. aircraft carrier after former president George H.W. Bush. The politicization of the naming of U.S. Navy ships has truly reached a new low.
  • And finally, the naval news story of the year with the most potential long term significance was the Royal Navy’s decision to scrap its Sea Harrier fleet and leave it’s aircraft carriers unequipped with interceptor aircraft. Is this a creeping beginning of the end for the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier program?

Statistics

In 2002, there were news stories linked to on 351 / 365 days – that is on 96% of the days.

In 2002, NOSI linked to 1,673 articles covering 1,529 news stories.

In 2002, 614 of these stories (40%) were related to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, or U.S. Military Sealift Command.

In 2002, 305 of these stories (20%) were background stories and 27 stories (2%) were historical stories.

The remaining 583 news stories (38%) covered the operational activities of 53 nation’s navies, coast guards, and marine corps:

Argentinean, Bangladeshi, Burmese, Canadian, Chilean, Chinese, Columbian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Indian, Indonesia, Iranian, Iraqi, Irish, Israeli, Italian, Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force, Japanese Coast Guard, Malaysian Navy, Malaysian Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, Myanarese, NATO, Nigerian, Omani, Pakistan, Palestinian, Phillipine Navy, Phillipine Marines, Portuguese, Romanian, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Marines, Royal New Zealand Navy, Russian, Singaporean, South African, South Korean, Spanish, Swedish, Sri Lankan, Taiwanese, Taiwanese Marines, Thai, US Coast Guard, US Marine Corps, US Military Sealift Command, US Navy, Venezuelan

In 2002, 175,462 pages of information were read on NOSI by 67,242 users.


Thursday, October 23, 2003

Singaporean Navy – Singapore will send troops and a naval contingent to Iraq, including Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs).

Chinese Navy – The navies of China and Pakistan are exercising together.

US Navy – The Chief of Naval Operations is asked to serve another term.

Background – Intelligence – John Keegan reminds us of the shortfalls of intelligence, throughout time. Spies don’t win wars, soldiers do.

US Marines – A few innovative (and some not so innovative) ways to improve force-on-force exercises in MOUT.


Wednesday, October 22, 2003

The Reading List / Curriculum section has been completed. Please browse through it, I am sure you will find some new and old articles in it that you will find valuable.

US Marines – With the Marines of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit off of the USS Peleliu, attempting to stop oil smuggling in Iraq.

US Marines – It looks as if more Marines are going back to Iraq.

US Navy – An interview with John J. Young Jr., assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development, and acquisition.


Tuesday, October 21, 2003

The Online Courses section has been expanded.

Royal Navy – More on the delay of the U.K.’s aircraft carrier program.

Background – Afghanistan – On patrol with the U.S. 10th Mountain Division on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Things are not going so well for the U.S. on the ground???


Monday, October 20, 2003

Background – North Korea – Know thine enemy. Kim Jong Il, the world’s most dangerous dictator, has always been a figure surrounded by mystery and myth. But, from defectors and former aides, a portrait is emerging of family dysfunction, palace intrigue and imperial menace.


Sunday, October 19, 2003

US Marines – The large outbreak of malaria among Marines who spent time ashore in the West African nation of Liberia in the summer was apparently caused by a nearly wholesale failure of the troops to follow protective measures, and in particular not taking a once-a-week malaria-preventing drug.

Background – Iraq – Thomas Ricks looks at the pros and cons of the latest U.S. exit strategy from Iraq.

Background – History – US and Soviet naval forces nearly clashed at sea while Israeli and Arab forces fought the Yom Kippur war.


Saturday, October 18, 2003

Another day, another New Feature: Archive. The archive is an archive of all of NOSI from the start, divided into 6 month long files. It will be updated each January and July.

Royal Navy – Like the Russian Navy, the Royal Navy struggles to dispose of decommissioned nuclear submarines.


Friday, October 17, 2003

I have come across a number of naval-related online courses that should be of interest to teachers, students, and self-learners. I will archive these in the new left hand button Online Courses. If you know of any others, please contact me using the comment form. Please note, I have already checked the U.S. Naval War College and US Naval Postgraduate school and come up empty handed, so far.

Background – Online Courses – The study and understanding of the ocean can be considered to be a building block to the study and understanding of naval affairs. Here are the complete course materials for the majority of the courses offered by The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Ocean Engineering. The courses cover the areas of Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, and Ocean Engineering.

Background – Online Courses – Here are the course materials for a number of online courses on Oceanography and Marine Sciences from Fathom.

Indian Navy – A few more details of Operation Sagittarius, the mission marked the first time Indian warships escorted US ships.

US Marines – the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, with about 2,200 Marines aboard the USS Peleliu, went ashore in southern Iraq to assist a campaign to halt the smuggling of oil and fuel.


Thursday, October 16, 2003

US Navy – As the Navy and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) prepare for the next test flight of the Aegis in the Pentagon’s ballistic-missile defense program, lessons from the last flight, in which an interceptor rocket failed to destroy its target, underscore the challenges of hit-to-kill technology.


Wednesday, October 15, 2003

Announcement of New Feature – I have added a new feature to NOSI today, in the left-hand navigation bar, a Reading List / Curriculum. The intention of this reading list and curriculum is to provide a reference library of articles that can be used both by new users of NOSI to bring them up-to-date on a subject; and by long-time users to NOSI to help them quickly review a subject. Think of the whole list of articles as a basic curriculum in current military affairs. All of these are articles I have linked to in the past. What you see right now is just a start, over the next few months I’ll put some more up as I review all the articles I have linked to from the start.

Israeli Navy – Could the Harpoon be used as a nuclear-tipped land attack missile?

US Navy – Sometime this winter, the Pentagon will take another step in its 22-year search for an effective and politically feasible missile-defense system, as it decides upon appropriate basing platforms, or modes, for U.S. interceptor missiles intended to destroy attacking ballistic missiles during their first few seconds of flight. A decision is not expected for months, but some missile defense experts believe that the Pentagon’s long and tortuous path toward development of a missile-defense system should end under water.


Tuesday, October 14, 2003

US Navy – The U.S. Navy will drastically limit the use of a controversial low-frequency sonar system, which environmental groups say disorients and kills endangered whales and other species, under a court agreement disclosed yesterday.

US Navy – P-3 Orions are being used for ground surveillance in the Phillipines.

US Marines – Leadership is more than taking charge. The author provides keen insights on the totality of effective leadership.


Monday, October 13, 2003

US Navy – The US will make its first port call in Vietnam in 30 years.

US Navy – Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vernon Clark’s call in June 2002 for creating a "culture of innovation," to help transform the U.S. Navy’s ability to project and sustain persistent combat power, has resulted in the development of a Navy "roadmap" for experimentation that will shape the sea services’ more than $10 billion annual investment in technology.


Sunday, October 12, 2003

Israeli Navy – The U.S. confirms that Israel’s Dolphin-class submarines are armed with nuclear-tipped Harpoon cruise missiles that serve as a submarine-based strategic deterrent force for Israel.

Royal Navy – The U.K. trims back on its design for its new aircraft carriers.

Background – Diplomacy – Niall Ferguson asks did the United Kingdom’s influence in its heyday match the United States’ today? Two Hegemonies provides an answer; but "empire" might be the better word.


Saturday, October 11, 2003

Background – Secretary of Defense – The political evolution and influences of Donald Rumsfeld.


Friday, October 10, 2003

Russian Navy – Germany will help Russia disassemble its decommissioned nuclear submarines.

US Navy – More from the Chief of Naval Operations on why routine 6 month deployments are a thing of the past.

US Navy – Navy investments for the future emphasize connectivity, modularity, and unmanned systems. Taking these concepts to sea will be a trio of surface sea frames?beginning with the Littoral Combat Ship in 2007.


Thursday, October 9, 2003

Merchant Marine – As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) takes steps to better protect U.S. ports and harbors, questions linger about the potential effectiveness of the Container Security Initiative (CSI) in helping to ensure that terrorists do no harm by taking advantage of security gaps in international shipping.


Wednesday, October 8, 2003

Apologies for the late update today???

Background – Bases – A great redeployment of forces is reshaping the US network of overseas military facilities.


Tuesday, October 7, 2003

US Marines – The Iwo Jima amphibious ready group prepares to return home.

US Marines – How the Marine Corps will organize to fight can be found within a hierarchy of concepts.


Monday, October 6, 2003

US Coast Guard – Secretary Rumsfeld questions continued reliance on the Coast Guard in military deployments.


Sunday, October 5, 2003

US Navy – The US fleet has shrunk to its smallest size since WWI.

Background – History – The distinguished public servant and scholar James Schlesinger recently gave marching orders to those assembled for the annual Midway Night, this year commemorating the 61st anniversary of the Battle of Midway. Here is an edited version of his remarks.


Saturday, October 4, 2003

Background – Information Warfare – Network-centric operations have already made U.S. forces capable of moving faster and lighter, as shown in Iraq, but they are just as useful in low-intensity conflict or in rebuilding a nation.


Friday, October 3, 2003

Royal Australian Navy – A look at how oil smuggling is still being carried out in the Gulf.

US Navy – A look at how carrier battlegroup workups have changed since the closure of Vieques.

Background – History – A look at a day of naval combat against Iran – April 18, 1988.


Thursday, October 2, 2003

US Navy – The US is considering basing an aircraft carrier in Hawaii.

US Marines – A veteran of two tours in Vietnam offers his views on preparing to fight in military operations on urbanized terrain (MOUT).


Wednesday, October 1, 2003

US Navy – The latest naval news from the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

Background – Iraq – The full text of General Zinni’s recent speech to the US Naval Institute.


Tuesday, September 30, 2003

US Navy – The Iwo Jima amphibious ready group pulls out of Liberia.

US Marines – Sometimes the best way to learn to lead is to watch our superiors in action.

Background -War on Terror – William Arkin reviews the progress of the war on terror, 2 years in.


Monday, September 29, 2003

Canadian Navy – Canada considers outsourcing its sovereignty patrol.

US Navy – More naval news from around the US fleet.


Thursday, September 25, 2003

Singaporean Navy – The navies of Singapore and Malaysia are exercising in the Malacca Straits.

US Navy – The Chiefs should be reading Proceedings???

Background – Iraq – A visit with America’s greatest Middle East sage, Professor Bernard Lewis.

NOSI will next be updated on Monday, so here is Sunday’s background piece???

Background – Diplomacy – The Bush administration’s tone-deaf approach to the Middle East reflects a dangerous misreading of the nature and sources of Arab public opinion . Independent, transnational media outlets have transformed the region, and the administration needs to engage the new Arab public sphere that has emerged.


Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Royal Australian Navy – The latest on the Collins-class submarines.

US Navy – The US will close its base at Roosevelt Roads, in Puerto Rico.

US Navy – Tucked between the lines of Navy Assistant Secretary John J. Young, Jr.’s announcement in August regarding a block-buy for Virginia-class submarines are clear indications the Navy’s procurement of ships and aircraft is in store for major change across-the-board.


Tuesday, September 23, 2003

US Marines – A review of Marine Corps amphibious operations during the Cold War?with some insightful observations.


Monday, September 22, 2003

Canadian Navy – Aboard HMCS Calgary, the Canadian Navy is burned out from the war on terror.

US Navy – Naval news from around the US fleet.


Sunday, September 21, 2003

Background – 4th Generation Warfare – Remarks by H. Thomas Hayden, USMC, Ret., July 18, 2003. Interesting insights from a guy who’s been there and done it.

Background – Diplomacy – Former Assistant Secretary of State James Rubin asks why did most of the world abandon Washington when it went after Saddam Hussein? The war in Iraq could never have been an easy sell, but nor should it have been such a difficult one. The Bush administration badly botched the prewar maneuvering, presenting a textbook study in how not to wage a diplomatic campaign.


Saturday, September 20, 2003

South African Navy – South Africa will receive the first of its new corvettes this fall.

US Marines – The light armored reconnaissance (LAR) community possesses a weapons system that could be an asset for many missions?the special application scoped rifle (SASR). However, there is no clear concept of employment within the LAR community. SASR employment is viewed at best with uncertainty and ambivalence, at worst with disdain. In fact, by giving the scout teams a powerful and precise long-range weapons system, the SASR offers great flexibility to the LAR unit across the gamut of LAR operations.


Friday, September 19, 2003

Nigerian Navy – Nigeria attempts to clamp down on crude oil smugglers.

Pakistani Navy – Comments from Pakistan’s Naval Chief of Staff.

US Navy – U.S. Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force Share in Army-led Networking Fire Support Program.

Background – American Empire – The transcript of a lecture given by Professor and author Niall Ferguson on the American Empire. Ferguson is a compelling and witty lecturer, as he attempts to teach Americans some lessons of the British Empire.


Thursday, September 18, 2003

Indian Navy – India looks forward to strengthing ties with the US and French Navies in the near future.

Background – Airpower – Modern airpower owes much to the elite USAF commandos who hang out with the ground forces.


Wednesday, September 17, 2003

US Navy – The short take-off/vertical landing Joint Strike Fighter is an ideal way to support the Navy’s "Sea Power 21" concept of Sea Basing by enabling the use of unconventional aircraft carriers, allowing increased sorties per mission, and decreasing host nation logistical support. Adoption of STOVL JSFs by the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force would dramatically increase aviation capability and transform the nation’s carrier air power.


Tuesday, September 16, 2003

US Navy – The US will send ships from its base at Norfolk to sea to avoid Hurricane Isabel.

US Marines – Here are some of the new items the Corps is examining and procuring, as lessons learned evolve into new gear.


Monday, September 15, 2003

Canadian Navy – Aboard the submarine HMCS Victoria.

Background – Piracy – Piracy at sea, far from being a forgotten relic of the world’s buccaneering past, is now a modern growth industry.

US Navy – How and why to improve ship maintainence.


Sunday, September 14, 2003

US Navy – The US continues to look for naval applications for blimps.

Background – Secretary of Defense – Thomas Ricks looks at Secretary Rumsfeld’s current standing.

Background – Diplomacy – Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright describes how since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Bush administration has pressured every country in the world to make a simple choice: Are you with the United States or with the terrorists? But by casting the choice so starkly–and expanding the war on terror to include its campaign in Iraq–Washington has alienated many natural and potential allies and made the fight against al Qaeda more difficult. It didn’t have to be this way. The White House has acted as if it doesn’t care what others think, and the country is paying the price for its mistake.


Saturday, September 13, 2003

Royal Australian Navy – The first international military exercise on intercepting shipments of weapons of mass destruction has begun in the Coral Sea off the north-east coast of Australia.

Indian Navy – India is considering purchasing P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft.

US Navy – The USS Carl Vinson battlegroup is set to return to port after an eight month deployment.

US Navy – Some options for the future of the US Navy surface forces.


Friday, September 12, 2003

US Navy – The crew of a Navy spy plane that landed on China’s Hainan Island in April 2001 after colliding with a Chinese fighter jet did not destroy all classified materials aboard, and it is "highly probable" that some fell into Chinese hands, Navy investigators concluded.

Background – Military Space – A fascinating article describing how an individual, using open source intelligence in the form of commercially available satellite photographs, is trying to open up many secret US installations.

Background – Naval Bases – A list of US naval bases that have been documented by the Cryptome sight. The satellite pictures and maps are most instructive.


Thursday, September 11, 2003

US Navy – Details emerge about the cause of the collision between the nuclear attack submarine USS Oklahoma City and a tanker in the Straits of Gibraltar in 2002.

US Navy – An interview with Vice Admiral Phillip M. Balisle is commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), largest of the Navy’s five major acquisition and support organizations, managing nearly one-fifth the service’s annual budget, or almost $20 billion annually.

Background – 4th Generation Warfare – Is the war on terror a 4th generation warfare conflict?

Background – Terrorism – Gwynne Dwyer asks if we are overinflating the threat.


Wednesday, September 10, 2003

US Marines – A large number of Marines who spent time ashore in Liberia have contracted malaria.

US Marines – A review of the fratricide incidents that occured in Iraq.

Background – Information Warfare – James F. Dunnigan on how important it is to win the media war.

Background – Wargaming, Information Warfare, and Transformation – An article by noted wargame designer Mark Herman, which makes the case that to be realistic, future wargames must stop being based upon force attrition models and instead must be based upon a model of a force’s entropy, or cohesion. Written in 1998, the article now appears quite prescient in light of the conflict in Iraq earlier this year in which the entropy of Iraqi forces can be said to have been maximised, leading to their disintegration.


Tuesday, September 9, 2003

Indian Navy – India and the United States will hold the biggest-ever joint naval exercises off the Kochi coast in which for the first time an American nuclear submarine is to take part.

Background – Airpower – A look at how the Republican Guard was destroyed from the air.


Monday, September 8, 2003

US Marines – An in-depth look at the Battle of An Nasiriyah on March 23, 2003

Background – Empire – The United States has always been interventionist. What is new is the absence of a doctrine ? or even an honest principle or two.


Sunday, September 7, 2003

Royal Navy – The Royal Navy’s most senior officer has given warning that Britain does not have enough ships to secure the country’s sea lanes from terrorist attack.

Background – North Korea – A discussion of the unparalleled cult of personality around North Korea?s President, Kim Jong Il, and the threat that the country poses to international peace.

Background – Naval History – An excellent history of piracy on the high seas.


Saturday, September 6, 2003

Indonesian Navy – Indonesia needs hundreds of additional patrol boats to police its territorial waters.

Nigerian Navy – The US will donate patrol boats to Nigeria to help it better patrol its territorial waters.

US Navy – A look at the current state of the US submarine force.

US Navy – The U.S. Navy’s formal report on Fleet Battle Experiment Kilo (FBE Kilo) is set for a fall release, but preliminary reports indicate the venture–at least its antisubmarine warfare (ASW) portion–provided numerous insights into managing the underwater battlefield.

Background – Iraq – General Zinni harshly criticises the US reconstruction of Iraq. As a former Commander in Chief of Central Command, his views should carry great weight.


Friday, September 5, 2003

US Navy – The United States and 10 of its allies wil press on with plans to intercept vessels suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction.

US Navy – An essay by James F. Dunnigan describing how much ship’s sizes and lethality have increased over the last century.


Thursday, September 4, 2003

US Marines – The Marines begin to turn over control of Iraq to a Polish-led force.


Wednesday, September 3, 2003

US Marines – The Marine Logistics Command came of age during Operation Iraqi Freedom, putting velocity and endurance into the logistics support operations for I MEF.


Tuesday, September 2, 2003

Russian Navy – A Russian cruiser makes a port of call in Italy???

Russian Navy – ???more details emerge about the newly sunken Russian November-class submarine.


Monday, September 1, 2003

Russian Navy – More details emerge about the loss of the Russian submarine last week.


Sunday, August 31, 2003

Russian Navy – A decommissioned Russian nuclear-powered submarine, being towed to a scrapyard, has sunk.

US Marines – The last Marines are about to pull out of Iraq. Here is a look at what they have accomplished during peacekeeping operations, and why we should fear their replacement by a multinational force.

US Coast Guard – Defense Secretary Rumsfeld is going to take away the Coast Guard’s warfighting roles.

Background – Al Qaeda – Despite the setbacks al Qaeda has suffered over the last two years, it is far from finished, as its recent bomb attacks testify. How has the group managed to survive an unprecedented American onslaught? By shifting shape and forging new, sometimes improbable, alliances. These tactics have made al Qaeda more dangerous than ever, and Western governments must show similar flexibility in fighting the group.


Saturday, August 30, 2003

US Navy – A look at the USS Ronald Reagan, the newest Nimitz-class carrier.


Friday, August 29, 2003

Background – Military Space – Facts, figures, agency and system profiles, budget data, and other information about US and foreign space programs.


Thursday, August 28, 2003

US Navy – The USS Enterprise carrier battlegroup is about to deploy, starting a new era in carrier deployments.

US Coast Guard – Too many types of boats can cause too many big headaches.


Wednesday, August 27, 2003

South Korean Navy – More minor clashes off the Korean coast.

US Navy – More legal problems for the Navy’s low frequency sonar.

US Navy – The U.S. Naval Reserve is top heavy: more than three-quarters of its entire budget is spent on its own administration. It is time to remove the redundant bureaucracy that has separated the reserves from the active-duty Navy and integrate them into the fleet.


Tuesday, August 26, 2003

US Navy – How the US is trying to use technology to make up for the loss of Viecques as a training location.

US Navy – A look at the next upgrade to the EA-6B Prowler.


Monday, August 25, 2003

US Marines – The Marines in Liberia have returned to their ships, their mission ashore accomplished for the moment.

Al Qaeda’s "Navy" – Estimates as to number of merchant ship available to al Qaeda varies from a low of a dozen to as many as 50. Assessing their numbers is complicated by the extensive use of ‘flags of convenience’ by maritime trade, in which vessels, often owned by Western companies, are registered overseas to avoid stringent safety standards and other regulations routinely imposed by the U.S. and Western European countries. Just how big a threat is posed by al Qaeda’s ‘Navy,’ and what measures have been put in place to counter this?

Background – What the US is looking for in Allies – She may look like G.I. Jane, but Defense Minister Kristin Krohn Devold has made her country’s military the model for small nations that want a meaningful role in world affairs.


Sunday, August 24, 2003

Background – History – As the armistice brought Korean War hostilities to a close in July 1953, the First Marine Division was tasked to form a unique military police unit to help enforce the demilitarized zone.

Background – – Jim Dunnigan explains what Non Governmental Armed Forces are.


Saturday, August 23, 2003

US Navy – The new SECNAV will be???the old SECNAV?

US Navy – The first Expeditionary Strike Group sets sail???and is described as an "Amphibious Ready Group on steroids."

US Marines – The second in a continuing series of articles on the operations of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment against Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Background – Iraq – Military historian Gwynne Dwyer provides an interesting look at the guerilla’s possible strategy in Iraq.


Friday, August 22, 2003

US Navy – This $4.5 billion piece of next-gen naval hardware is already obsolete – by design. Welcome aboard the flexible technology platform called the USS Ronald Reagan.

US Coast Guard – For decades the helicopters of the U.S. Coast Guard–looked upon by an admiring public for their rescue service along the nation’s coastlines–carried no armament and comported in the manner of the unarmed London Bobbies of yore. But like bobbies–who took up bearing arms in recent years to counter increasing violence on London’s streets–the Coast Guard’s helicopters are being equipped with small arms to enable them to meet their new post-9/11 homeland defense responsibilities.

Background – Iraq – John Keegan on why Iraq is not another Vietnam.


Tuesday, August 19, 2003

US Navy – Why people enter the silent service.

US Navy – The latest naval news from the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Australia, Russia, India, Canada, and China.

Background – History – Beach patrols, as performed by the US Coast Guard, in World War II.

Background – Terrorism – Defining terrorism has become so polemical and subjective an undertaking as to resemble an art rather than a science. Most attempts to arrive at a workable definition have tended to revolve around three inter-related factors namely, the terrorists? (or persons being termed terrorists) motives, identity and methods. The second article in CDI?s Explaining Terrorism series examines the difficulties involved in defining terrorism.

NOSI will next be updated on Friday.


Monday, August 18, 2003

US Navy – The US will attempt to intimidate North Korea through upcoming naval exercises.

US Coast Guard – With the Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team 02 (MSST-02).


Sunday, August 17, 2003

US Navy – Aboard the new nuclear attack submarine USS Virginia.

US Marines – With the Marines in Liberia.

Background – Persian Gulf – The sweeping military victory in Iraq has cleared the way for the United States to establish yet another framework for Persian Gulf security. Ironically, with Saddam Hussein gone, the problems are actually going to get more challenging in some ways. The three main issues will be Iraqi power, Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and domestic unrest in the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council. None will be easy to handle, let alone all three together.


Saturday, August 16, 2003

US Navy – Navy training is about to undergo a profound change.

US Coast Guard – How the Coast Guard is supporting US Navy operations around the world.


Friday, August 15, 2003

US Marines – The Marines enter Liberia.

US Navy – How the lack of a Secretary of the Navy is hurting the Navy.

US Marines – By demonstrating knowledge, concern, and respect for the Islam religion, Marines will make better ?ambassadors? when in Muslim countries.


Thursday, August 14, 2003

US Marines – More Marines prepare to go ashore in Liberia.

North Korean Navy – A detailed look at how North Korea smuggles Scud missiles via the sea.

US Navy – Cdr. Doug Denneny describes what it was like to be "on the first wave of ’shock and awe’" as he led the initial Navy and Marine Corps attack on Baghdad from the air.


Wednesday, August 13, 2003

Taiwanese Navy – Taiwan detains a North Korean vessel carrying supplies for making rockets.

US Coast Guard – In spite of increasing responsibilities in homeland security, Coast Guard forces remain committed to and equipped to support expeditionary operations.


Tuesday, August 12, 2003

US Navy – The USS Iwo Jima amphibious ready group remains off of Liberia.

US Navy – The Ohio-class SSGNs will do more than just fire cruise missiles.


Monday, August 11, 2003

Russian Navy – Russia is constructing the world’s deepest diving and quietest nuclear submarine.

US Marines – The Marines get a new helmet.

Background – Training – How the US military is outsourcing some of its training activities to civilian firms today; and how this most likely will increase tremendously in the future.

Background – Information Warfare – The first acknowledgements of how the US undermined Iraq’s military before the war.

Background – Iraq – Having assumed responsibility for the physical and political reconstruction of an Arab state in the heart of the Middle East, the United States has yet to clearly articulate how this task is to be accomplished. Its success or failure will have wide-ranging strategic implications for America?s relationship with the Arab/Islamic world, the war on terrorism, WMD proliferation, oil prices, and the political stability of friends and enemies alike. CDI Research Analyst Dr. Michael Donovan argues that the stakes for the United States have never been higher.


Sunday, August 10, 2003

Royal Navy – Iraqi’s continue to smuggle oil out of Iraq.

Canadian Navy – A serious fire occurs aboard HMCS Ottawa.

Background – American Warfighting – "The American way of war" refers to the grinding strategy of attrition that U.S. generals traditionally employed to prevail in combat. But that was then. Spurred by dramatic advances in information technology, the new American way of war relies on speed, maneuver, flexibility, and surprise. This approach was put on display in the invasion of Iraq and should reshape what the military looks like.


Saturday, August 9, 2003

Royal Australian Navy – More problems with the Collins-class submarines.

Taiwanese Navy – China probes Taiwan yet again.

US Coast Guard – Deepwater is more important than ever to the Coast Guard.


Friday, August 8, 2003

US Navy – The Navy considers using blimps for anti-terrorism applications.

US Marines – We are Marines who are also logisticians, not logisticians who are also Marines.

Background – Military Policy – Dr. Nikolai Zlobin, CDI Senior Fellow and Director of CDI’s Russia and Asia Programs, argues that changes in technology, political structures, threats and social conditions require a re-evaluation of security policy.


Thursday, August 7, 2003

US Marines – The first few Marines arrive in Liberia.

Taiwanese Navy – Is Taiwan serious about paying for its own defense?

Background – Liberia – As the US considers sending peacekeepers to Liberia, an in-depth review of the relationship between the US and Liberia.


Wednesday, August 6, 2003

US Navy – What is involved in decomissioning the aircraft carrier USS Constellation.

US Navy – Problems with the arresting cables on the USS Ronald Reagan.

US Navy – The Cyclone-class coastal patrol ship may have found a new lease on life.

Background – Liberia – James F. Dunnigan’s analysis of the situation in Liberia.


Tuesday, August 5, 2003

US Navy – The USS Iwo Jima amphibious ready group is off of Liberia.

US Navy – The USS John F. Kennedy comes out of overhaul.

Royal Navy – More on how the Royal Navy may be forced to downgrade their aircraft carrier plans.

US Coast Guard – The Integrated Deepwater System project is under way, and will change the face of Coast Guard aviation as it introduces new systems?such as CASA twin-engine maritime patrol aircraft? and upgrades legacy aircraft.

Background – Asymetrical Warfare – Yet another way to think about asymetrical warfare.


Monday, August 4, 2003

US Marines – The latest on the MV-22 Osprey.

Background – CENTCOM – Thomas Ricks on the new Commander of Central Command.

Background – Al Queda – An interesting review of why we have not found Bin Laden yet.


Sunday, August 3, 2003

Background – History – ?The storm broke suddenly, about four o?clock in the morning. About six battalions of the enemy launched a ?do-or-die? counterattack preceded by intense mortar fire. Approximately a battalion of this force struck the positions of the [M]arines on Fonte Hill, with other hostile units hitting the line to [the] left and right in the zones of the 3d and 21st Marines. About two hours of fierce hand-to-hand combat ensued with the enemy coming in apparently never ending waves.?


Saturday, August 2, 2003

International Naval News – The latest news on the Indian, Greek, Canadian and Royal Navies.


Friday, August 1, 2003

US Navy – A very interesting paper based on lessons learned from high speed vessel concept development and experimentation.


Thursday, July 31, 2003

Royal Marines – The British Army wants to take over the Royal Marines.

US Navy – The pros and cons of e-mail for naval professionals.

Background – Lessons Learned in Iraq. – A very interesting pair of lessons learned articles regarding infantry equipment as used in Iraq. It is fascinating to read how the soldiers and Marines end up buying a large amount of their own equipment because what they are issued by the government is not adequate.


Wednesday, July 30, 2003

Royal Australian Navy – A tour of HMAS Manoora, anchored off of the Solomon Islands.

Royal Australian Navy – An interesting proposed design for a miniature aircraft carrier.

US Marines – The Marine Corps must seek to expand its capabilities while simultaneously reinforcing our traditional role as expeditionary experts.


Tuesday, July 29, 2003

Royal Australian Navy – Australia sends more ships to the Solomons.

US Navy – Unmanned underwater vehicles move to the forefront of naval warfare.

Background – Iraq – Another optimistic view of what the US is accomplishing in Iraq, by Paul Gigot.


Monday, July 28, 2003

US Marines – A chronicle of the first – and last – embedded reporter’s adventures with the US Marines in Iraq.

Royal Navy – A first pass at the UK’s lessons learned from Iraq. Unfortunately this document is only available in Adobe PDF format.


Sunday, July 27, 2003

Background – Liberia – An analysis of what the Marines face once they get to Liberia.

Background – Solomons – Why Australia is intervening in the Solomon Islands.

Background – Civil-Military relationships – I just reread this essay by Robert Kaplan and found it to be especially timely, although written 7 years ago. An interesting look at the military’s relationship with the rest of America???"At Fort Leavenworth, where the Army trains its top brass, captains and colonels study high-tech warfare, read the classics, and ponder what will be left to defend in a transnational world???"


Saturday, July 26, 2003

US Marines – The USS Iwo Jima amphibious ready group is ordered to sail to Liberia and await further orders.

US Navy – A new affordable cruise missile, called The Affordable Weapon, is being developed.

Background – Syria – A look at how Syria has been aiding the war on terror???and why they are not any longer.


Friday, July 25, 2003

US Navy – Battlespace engineering brings new realism to dockside training.


Thursday, July 24, 2003

Royal Australian Navy – HMAS Manoora lands troops on Guadalcanal’s Red Beach.

US Marines – More Marines are landed at the embassy in Liberia.

US Marines – The use of naval mobile construction battalions (NMCBs) is a needed force multiplier, not an engineer redundancy.


Wednesday, July 23, 2003

US Navy – From its inception, the Virginia-class has been an innovative platform for both its warfighting capabilities and for its unique and effective design, development, construction, and testing processes.

Background – Japan – Can Japan shoulder a greater burden of its defense?


Tuesday, July 22, 2003

Royal Australian Navy – An intervention force for the Solomons is being shipped via HMAS Manoora.

US Marines – More Marines are being sent to reinforce the embassy in Liberia.

Russian Navy – The first of Russia’s new class of diesel electric submarines – St. Petersburg – may go to sea in 2004.

Background – Pakistan – More bad news on how close Islamic radicals are to taking over Pakistan.

Background – Afghanistan – An excellent look at what the situation is like on the ground today in Afghanistan. In the hunt for Al Qaeda on the Afghan-Pakistani border ? perhaps the most dangerous place in the world ? intelligence is sketchy, the troops don’t trust their translators and even apprehending suspects increases the sense of futility.


Monday, July 21, 2003

US Navy – The Navy’s swimmer delivery vehicle (SDV) platoons are some of the highest-priority and least-available units of America’s military forces.

Background – Iraq – The air war against Iraq began in the fall in the fall of 2001; alternatively one could say it continued non-stop from 1991???

Background – Iraq – The Iraqi military’s view of the war, from their side???

Background – Iraq – Ralph Peters says things are going better than we think in Iraq???


Sunday, July 20, 2003

US Marines – With the Marines of the First Marine Division, who are still in Iraq.

Background – History – As the cease fire approached, the scramble for terrain took its toll on leathernecks of the First Marine Division.


Saturday, July 19, 2003

US Navy – The USS Iwo Jima amphibious ready group is moving closer to Liberia.

US Navy – A possible future for signals intelligence aircraft in the US Navy.

Background – North Korea – Thomas Ricks on how the US is drifting towards war with North Korea.


Friday, July 18, 2003

US Navy – Tactical Tomahawk will not begin to reach the fleet in significant numbers for two to three years, but it is time to start planning what the follow-on to this vital long-range strike capability will be.


Thursday, July 17, 2003

Taiwanese Navy – The US pushes Taiwan to consider purchasing used submarines.

US Navy – An interview with the director of the Navy’s Submarine Warfare Division.


Wednesday, July 16, 2003

US Marines – On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Korean War armistace (July 1953), the Gazette takes a look at how artillery was employed in that war.


Tuesday, July 15, 2003

South African Navy – South Africa is sending patrol boats to Burundi.

Royal Australian Navy – Australia sends another frigate to the gulf.

Singaporean Navy – Singapore and the US are exercising.

US Navy – The Navy has laid out a plan for development and procurement of its next-generation carrier-based electronic attack aircraft, which is expected to reach operational capability in 2009. The EA-18G–a derivative of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighter–will capitalize on the Improved Capability III (ICAP III) electronic warfare suite being developed as an upgrade for the Navy’s current EA-6B Prowler.


Monday, July 14, 2003

Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – Japan is going to build small aircraft carriers.

Royal Navy – Are the UK’s new aircraft carriers about to shrink in size?

Background – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – A Lockheed Skunk Works stealthy unmanned aerial vehicle was used for reconnaissance over Iraq.


Sunday, July 13, 2003

US Navy – The new Virginia-class submarines will have improved habitability over the Los Angeles-class submarines.

US Navy – Fundamental shifts in the international security environment, and in the military capabilities of the United States and its adversaries, are among the forces that will change the conduct of warfare in the 21st century. Shifts in the application of key technologies also will play a part.

Background – US Bases – More on the thinking behind the repositioning of US forces around the world.

Background – Future Wars – Analysts at the RAND Corporation lay out ten international-security developments that aren’t getting the attention they deserve.

NOSI will next be updated on Tuesday. See you then???


Saturday, July 12, 2003

Taiwanese Navy – The latest on the US promise to supply submarines to Taiwan – Taiwan will wait until 2006 to budget money for the submarines.

Indian Navy – The US and India participated in search and rescue exercises.

US Navy – The US is considering forward deploying a second aircraft carrier in the Pacific.

US Marines – Some of the Marine Corps immediate lessons learned from Iraq.

Background – Liberia – Austin Bay gives an nice overview of Liberia’s recent history.

Background – North Korea – The latest about the potential naval blockade of North Korea.


Friday, July 11, 2003

US Navy – What it is like to be the captain of a newly commissioned aircraft carrier.

US Marines – The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is exercising in Djibouti.

US Marines – Another in a continuing series of articles on Marines as they prepared to go to battle in Operation Iraqi Freedom.


Thursday, July 10, 2003

US Navy – The comeback trail for military airships is getting wider and smoother in the aftermath of Operation Iraqi Freedom.


Wednesday, July 9, 2003

US Marines – Marines added new lines to the fabled history of Iraq.


Tuesday, July 8, 2003

US Marines – Will the USS Iwo Jima amphibious ready group be sent for peacekeeping in Liberia?

US Navy – The USS Ronald Reagan prepares to be commissioned.

US Navy – An interview with Admiral Arthur K. Cebrowski, who is known in Washington as the Pentagon’s transformation czar.

Background – Middle East – A look at the new commander of the US Central Command.

Background – 4th Generation Warfare – William Lind on how the US is not prepared to wage 4th Generation Warfare.


Monday, July 7, 2003

Russian Navy – Russia resumes its nuclear submarine deterrent patrols.

Background – Air War – Long before they went into combat, US forces had gotten the goods on their Iraqi foe.

Background – Command and Control – William Arkin on how the US is going about upgrading its nuclear command and control capabilities.


Friday, July 4, 2003

ASEAN Navies – ASEAN naval chiefs are meeting to discuss issues of common interest.

US Navy – The Trimersible, the design of which envisions a monohull platform fitted with two semisubmersible pontoons, could be tailored for a variety of missions.

Background – Homeland Security – Flying combat air patrols over US cities with US Air Force pilots in their F-16’s.

Background – Terrorism – A concise history of terrorism.

NOSI will next be updated on Monday. See you then!


Thursday, July 3, 2003

US Marines – Definitions of 4th Generation Warfare, Nontrinitarian War, Nonlinear Warfare, Asymmetric Warfare, and Third-Wave War.


Wednesday, July 2, 2003

US Navy – Some of the SEALs missions in Iraq.

Background – Oceanography – The deepest diving submersible in the world has been lost at sea.

Background – History – America’s first submarine – the Turtle.


Tuesday, July 1, 2003

Canadian Navy – Canada’s navy is taking a year off to rest and recuperate.

US Coast Guard – If ever a Coast Guard cutter dealt with nearly everything short of toe-to-toe combat, it was the Charleston-based Dallas on its recent deployment to the Mediterranean.

US Marines – An excellent review and bibliography of published works on British and U.S. amphibious operations Bin the last century.

Background – Iraq – James F. Dunnigan analyses the American situation in Iraq and what the way forward should be.

To read news stories from previous months and years, use the calendar in the upper right hand corner of the page or use the Archive.

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