US Naval War College Review – Great Britain Gambles With The Royal Navy

The news late last year that the Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland was to be replaced on the Falklands patrol by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Largs Bay in order to join the international counterpiracy effort in the Gulf of Aden raised quite a few eyebrows. This was not because anyone seriously thought that Argentina would seek to profit from the absence of a British warship in these contested waters for the first time since 1982 but more as it seemed to show just how bad things were getting for the once-mighty Royal Navy that its first-line fleet could not apparently cover both commitments at once.

US Naval Institute Proceedings – Follow the Bear

A joint team of active-duty U.S. military officers takes a second look at what worked in Afghanistan for the Soviet Union in the late 20th century and suggests that the United States could learn a thing or two from what transpired.

BBC – Argentina toughens shipping rules in Falklands oil row

Argentina has announced new controls on shipping through its waters to the Falkland Islands in a growing dispute over British oil drilling plans.

BBC – Nimitz docks in Hong Kong despite China tensions

The American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the USS Nimitz, has arrived in Hong Kong at a time of strained relations between the US and China.

New York Times – Soldiers Keep Up Push in Taliban Stronghold

CJ Chivers in Afghanistan.

Virginian Pilot – Congress is battleground over carrier move

Now that the Department of Defense has made clear its intent to move a Norfolk-based aircraft carrier to Mayport, Fla., the battle between Florida and Virginia shifts to Congress.

The Diplomat – Why China’s Naval Rise Could Help the World

The upside of the rise of the People’s Liberation Army Navy…

New York Times – Afghan Attack Gives Marines a Taste of War

CJ Chivers reports that Company K, part of a surge battalion, received a crash course in the Afghan war as it began an assault into the last large Taliban stronghold in Helmand Province.

US Naval War College Review – China’s Aircraft Carrier Ambitions An Update

This article will address two major analytical questions. First, what are the necessary and suffi cient conditions for China to acquire aircraft carriers? Second, what are the major implications if China does acquire aircraft carriers?

Virginian Pilot – Hampton Roads could host futuristic speed boats

A Hampton Roads Army or Navy base could be a homeport for the next generation of rapid transport ship being developed jointly by the services.

Economist – The cruel sea

NATO allies worry about France’s decision to sell big warships to Russia.

The Atlantic – SimCity Baghdad

A new computer game lets army officers practice counterinsurgency off the battlefield.

IANS – Aircraft carrier can’t be sold to India

The aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk is not up for sale to the Indian Navy as it has already “outstretched” its life, a senior US Navy officer said Wednesday.

Washington Post – Marines plan joint mission to eject insurgents from last Helmand stronghold

In the late 1950s, scores of U.S. engineers transformed a swath of uninhabited desert in southern Afghanistan into verdant farmland by constructing a network of irrigation canals fed by the Helmand River. The Afghan government filled the area, which it called Marja, with Pashtun nomads and told them to grow wheat. The wheat fields have since been replaced by tracts of opium-producing poppies. The mud-walled compounds that once housed families now conceal drug-processing labs and roadside-bomb factories. And the canals serve as moats to protect hundreds of Taliban fighters, who use Marja as a staging area for attacks across Helmand province. In the coming days, thousands of U.S. Marines will seek to transform Marja once again. Working in partnership with Afghan soldiers, the Marines are planning a major operation to flush out insurgents and allow the Afghan government to reassert control.

Los Angeles Times – Marines focus on civilian safety in Afghanistan

Preparing for battle in a Taliban stronghold, the Marines are warning civilians to flee the area, and they plan restraint in their use of artillery and air power.

US Naval Institute Proceedings – Mahan’s Lingering Ghost

Alfred Thayer Mahan remains as relevant today in his logic and operational grammar as he was in the 19th century with his doctrines of capital ship and major fleet action.

Associated Press – France agrees to sell Russia advanced warship

France has agreed to sell Russia the Mistral amphibious warship and is considering a Russian request for three more, French defense officials said Monday. It would be the first major arms deal between Russia and a NATO member.

Esquire – The Awakening of Robert Gates

Thomas P.M. Barnett writes that after a career built on avoiding risk, the defense secretary is (finally) ready to get back in the game and gamble, all-in.

Bangkok Post – Japan refuelling ships end Afghan mission

Japanese naval ships returned home on Saturday ending a refuelling mission for US-led military efforts in Afghanistan, while its peacekeeping troops are now set to depart for quake-hit Haiti.

New York Times – As Marines Move In, Taliban Fight a Shadowy War

The Marine infantry company, accompanied by a squad of Afghan soldiers, set out long before dawn. It walked silently through the dark fields with plans of arriving at a group of mud-walled compounds in Helmand Province at sunrise.