US Navy – Aboard the USS Carl Vinson with the bunker busters.

• Washington Post: Mountain Caves Used by Taliban Latest Targets of U.S. Bombs

US Navy – Why the use of “kinetics” is not the way to win in Afghanistan.

• Washington Post dot mil: Euphoria Lost

Royal Australian Navy – Refugees continue to try to land in Australia.

• BBC: ‘Hijacked’ refugee boat found
  

Background – Afghanistan – An excellent history, from 1985, by the military historian John Keegan that covers the history of Afghanistan including the British and Russian invasions in great depth and describes which tactics work and don’t work in Afghanistan.

• The Atlantic: The Ordeal of Afghanistan

US Navy – The true effect the air raids are having on Afghan morale, as seen by the correspondent John Simpson who is an observer on the ground. Simpson claims that the US technological precision does not awe the Afghans, but instead makes them regard the US as being effete. Read this, then read the next essay from 12 years ago to see if we have learned the lessons from the last war in Afghanistan???

• Daily Telegraph: The Taliban are a ragbag of deluded opportunists

Background – The Soviet Defeat – An interesting essay from 1989 written by Robert Kaplan that says the reason the Afghans ultimately defeated the Russians was the Afghan’s willingness to die.

• The Atlantic: Afghanistan Post Mortem

US Navy – The USS Enterprise is on her way home.

• Virginian Pilot: Enterprise on its way home

Canadian Navy – The second Upholder-class attack submarine, HMCS Windsor, has arrived in Canada.

• Canada.com: Second refitted British submarine, HMCS Windsor, arrives to joyful welcome

Given the current interest in biological weapons, in the next few days I will be bringing to your attention a few excellent background articles on biological warfare from the New Yorker magazine.

Background – Anthrax – A historical case report of one of the last anthrax cases in the United States, from the early 1960’s, told in story form. A good review of what anthrax does to humans.

• New Yorker: A Man Named Hoffman

Royal Marines – 200 Royal Marines from 40 Commando will stay in the Persian Gulf and assist in the campaign. They will be based on HMS Fearless and will have their helicopters based on HMS Illustrious.

• BBC: Blair outlines UK troop decision
• The Times: Britain deploys 4,200 troops in show of resolve
• Sunday Times: Mountain marines ready for snow strike
• Daily Telegraph: Ground phase gains momentum

Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – Japan may send naval ships to the Indian Ocean, but not to the Persian Gulf.

• Associated Press: Japan Reportedly Considers Warships

US Navy – Does the US Navy still need it’s Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) communications network for communicating with ballistic missile submarines?

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Battle lines drawn over ELF

US Navy – Night air operations aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

• BBC: Night shift on USS Theodore Roosevelt
  

US Navy and Marines Corps and Royal Navy – Lockheed-Martin wins the competition to build the Joint Strike Fighter which will be the next generation fighter for the US and the British militaries.

• BBC: Lockheed wins fighter contract
  

Russian Navy – A look inside the Kursk.

• BBC: First pictures inside charred Kursk
  

Russian Navy – Russia will officially close its naval base in Vietnam at Cam Ranh Bay.

• Philadelphia Inquirer: Russia to close two foreign bases and focus on home

US Navy – The life of a landing signals officer aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

• Associated Press: Pilots Help Guide Planes to Carrier

US Navy – Part of the Enterprise battlegroup has returned to port, but the USS Enterprise remains at sea.

• Virginian Pilot: Four ships of the Enterprise bring 1,000 sailors home

US Marines – The Marines of the USS Peleliu amphibious ready group are ready to go.

• Virginian Pilot: Special-op Marines ready, commander says on Roosevelt
  

Russian Navy – The nuclear attack submarine Gepard will soon be commissioned.

• Strana: Awesome tribute of the ìsilent serviceî new boat

Background – Strategy – How the strategy is evolving.

• Economist: A puzzling war

Russian Navy – Work begins on removing the Granit missiles from the Kursk.

• BBC: Kursk gives up its dead
  

US Navy – With the pilots aboard the USS Carl Vinson.

• Reuters: U.S. Pilots Admit to Nerves on Afghan Air Raids
  

Royal Marines – It seems likely Royal Marine Commandos will be committed to the battle.

• BBC: UK ground troops on Afghan alert
  

Background – Strategy – The long view of the war, from Britain’s top military officer.

• New York Times (registration required): British Commander Calls Long Ground Raids Likely

Background – John Keegan on why al-Qa’eda must be extinguished.

• Daily Telegraph: Why the new terrorism threatens all of humanity

US Navy – Aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The USS Enterprise may be heading home soon.

• Virginian Pilot: U.S. Navy pilots providing air support to northern alliance
  

US Navy – Hand held computers are revolutionizing naval life.

• Wall Street Journal: U.S. forces pack pocket computers

Royal Marines – The Royal Marines of 3 Commando Brigade are ready for cold weather warfare.

• The Times: Marines poised for action in cold-weather combat zones

Danish Navy – The Danish Navy will send a ship to join NATO’s nine-ship Standing Naval Force Mediterranean, to free up other NATO members ships for operations in the Persian Gulf.

• Associated Press: NATO-member Denmark to send warship to alliance’s naval force in Mediterranean
  

Background – Collateral Damage – Has the Pentagon become too concerned with causing civilian casualties?

• Washington Post: Civilian Casualties and the Air War

Canadian Navy – HMCS Halifax has cleared the Suez Canal on her way to the Gulf.

• Globe and Mail: Gulf-bound HMCS Halifax past Suez Canal, navy says

US Navy – Underway replenishment aboard the USS Carl Vinson.

• Reuters: Fruit, Bikes, Bombs Replenish U.S. Aircraft Carrier
• Reuters: Helicopters Reload U.S. Carrier as Raids Go On

US Marines – More on the US Marines Mountain Warfare Training Center.

• Associated Press: Marines prepare for battle in Afghanistan-like Sierra setting

Background – National Security Agency (NSA) – An essay on what went wrong at the NSA that allowed the US to be blindsided on September 11 – a desire to live in the cryptological past rather than trying to embrace the future.

• New Yorker: The Intelligence Gap

Royal Australian Navy – HMAS Kanimbla, an amphibious ship, has departed for service in the Persian Gulf. The frigate HMAS Anzac remains in the Gulf.

• BBC: Australian ship heads for Gulf
  

Romanian Navy – More on the sale of Type 22 frigates from the Royal Navy to Romania.

• Daily Telegraph: MoD accused of hypocrisy over warship sale to Romania

Background – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

• Daily Telegraph: US rushes to develop unmanned strike plane
• Jane’s: Coming soon: attack of the killer UAVs
  

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: UAVs Hold Promise for No-Fly Zone Enforcement

Royal Marines – The 24 man strong Royal Marine Brigade Patrol Troop specializes in winter recce work.

• Daily Telegraph: British unit prepares to defy extremes of the Afghan winter

US Navy – Aboard the USS Carl Vinson with one of the few female F-14 Tomcat pilots.

• Daily Telegraph: ‘I was smiling: I had dropped my bombs. They hit’

US Navy – Aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

• Associated Press: U.S. pilots focusing more on Taliban troops, tanks and providing air cover

Background – Middle East – Is the US winning the battle but loosing the war? The view from inside the Beltway.

• Washington Post: At Pentagon: Worries Over War’s Costs, Consequences

Background – CIA – What is wrong with the CIA and why it missed predicting the events of September 11.

• New Yorker: What went wrong

Royal Australian Navy – The Australian Navy has intercepted more refugees seeking asylum in Australia.

• BBC: Australia intercepts asylum boat
  

US Marines – The US Marines will form an antiterrorist unit.

• San Diego Union Tribune: Marine Corps assembles anti-terrorism unit

Canadian Navy – The state of the Canadian Navy today.

• Sixth ship may head to Middle East

US Navy – Aboard the USS John F. Kennedy, which is not in the Persian Gulf.

• Florida Times-Union: Far from action, Kennedy awaits call

US Navy – US special forces, staging from the USS Kitty Hawk, have raided Taliban targets on the ground.

• BBC: US troops clash with Taleban
• CNN: U.S. Special Operations troops in commando raid
  

• Washington Post: Rangers Attack Taliban Target

US Navy – Aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the latest aircraft carrier to arrive in theater.

• Associated Press: Carrier Jets Ready to Support Troops

Royal Marine – The Royal Marines will be offered to the US for use in ground operations.

• The Times: Marines poised to join ground offensive

Background – Taliban troops – The caliber of the troops US forces will face on the ground, by analyst James F. Dunnigan.

• Strategy Page: The “No Surrender” Brigades
  

US Navy – Aboard the USS Enterprise’s air group.

• Stars and Stripes: Fighter pilots’ mission: ‘We go
  up and execute democracy’

US Navy – Prototype systems that help shorten sensor to shooter time lags may be deployed to help US forces.

• Jane’s: Prototype technologies could be useful for strikes

Ground War – It was confirmed today that US special forces are on the ground in southern as well as northern Afghanistan.

• Washington Post: Special Forces Open Ground Campaign

Background – Saudia Arabia – This essay paints a disturbing picture of our “allies” the Saudis – a corrupt regime that has bankrolled the fundamentalists who are trying to overthrow it.

• The New Yorker: King’s Ransom

US Air Force – The USAF has for the first time armed its RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles with Hellfire antitank missiles. This is truely a revolution in military affairs, and is actually covered in more detail at the end of the above New Yorker article.

• Washington Post: U.S. Arms Unmanned Aircraft

US Navy – The USS Theodore Roosevelt is now participating in the air war. Also, the USS Kitty Hawk has loaded special forces troops and helicopters and is now in theater.

• CNN: U.S. targets Taliban troops, barracks
• Virginian Pilot: Carrier Enterprise may return by late November

Canadian Navy – The Canadian Navy task force has departed for the Persian Gulf.

• Halifax Herald: Ribbons, speeches, flags, tears

Royal Australian Navy – Australia’s contribution will be larger than expected and will include a SAS Squadron, 2 P-3 Orions, 2 frigates and an amphibious command ship.

• BBC: Australia joins war on terror
  

US Coast Guard – The US Coast Guard is nearing the breaking point in terms of platforms and personnel as it provides increased levels of homeland defense; the US Navy may help it out.

• Associated Press: More Security Work for Coast Guard
  

• South Florida Sun Sentinel: Coast Guard returns to military roots as it secures S. Florida’s ports
• Virginian Pilot: Navy may help bail out mission-swamped Coast Guard
  

Royal Navy – Aboard HMS Illustrious with the media.

• BBC: All aboard with Kate Adie

US Navy – The life of the air boss aboard USS Carl Vinson.

• Washington Post: Crisis Tests Skill and Nerve of Aircraft Carrier Crew

US Marines – More on exercise Bright Star in Egypt.

• New York Times: U.S. Military Exercise in Egypt Could Serve as Staging Ground
  

Phillipine Navy – The Phillipine Navy continues to battle Islamic terrorists.

• Associated Press: Fifteen Killed as Philippine Government Battles Islamist Rebels
  

Royal Marines – 3 Commando Brigade, currently exercising in Oman, may be deployed to Afghanistan. They are the mountain and winter warfare experts of the British military.

• BBC: UK’s mountain warfare elite
• BBC: UK troops set for Afghan role
• Daily Telegraph: British troops face winter war

US Marines – Meanwhile the US Marines maintain a Mountain Warfare Training Center in California to distribute mountain and winter warfare expertise throughout the Corps.

• CNN: Marines prepare for mountain combat

US Navy – The former residents of Diego Garcia who were evicted from the island 30 years ago fear this conflict will delay their court-ordered permanent return to their home islands.

• The Guardian: US base deals blow to displaced islanders
  

US Navy – Aboard the USS Carl Vinson in the Gulf.

• ABC: The Tip of the Sword
  

Background – Airpower Analysis To Date – A critical look at the ineffective nature of the air campaign to date.

• Washington Post: A Week of Air War

US Navy – Aboard USS Enterprise.

• BBC: Warriors on land and sea
  

• Virginian Pilot: Enterprise captain warns crew to check mail
  

• Associated Press: Initial targets destroyed, U.S. warplanes now in ‘cleanup mode’

US Navy – The USS Kitty Hawk’s role may be to serve as a base for US Army Apache attack helicopters.

• News International: US commandos on way to Pakistan
  

• CBS: US Military in Pakistan
• Daily Telegraph: Apache hunters ready to seek and destroy
• Washington Post: U.S. to Target Elite Taliban Assault Force In Next Phase

Background – Endgame Afghanistan – Robert Kaplan on how the post Taliban era should happen in Afghanistan.

• Los Angeles Times: Winning This War Is Easy; Then What?
  

US Navy – Two articles that demonstrate the only bases the US can count on in time of war are bases in the US, in the UK (Diego Garcia) and carrier battlegroups.

• Washington Post: A Restrained and Patient Attack From the Skies
• Virginian Pilot: As Air Force’s B-2s go to war, some ask: Overkill?
  

US Navy – US Navy battlegroup deployments will now stretch beyond 6 months, due to the nation being at war.

• Virginian Pilot: Deployments longer than 6 months likely, Natter says
  

Background – Strategy Update – Update along with a current Allied Order of Battle.

• Daily Telegraph:
  Troops will go in ‘sooner, not later’

• The Times: The forces available

Background – Russian Lessons Learned

• The Times: Russians offer US lessons in Afghan conflict
• The Times: The way to win

US Navy – Aboard the USS Enterprise.

• BBC: Plain sailing for US air force
  

• Associated Press: Battle routine settles in; sailors can start sending greetings home
• Virginian Pilot: Enterprise aviator says safety is top concern
• The Times: Muslim chaplain feels the tension on US warship

US Navy – Aboard the USS Carl Vinson.

• Washington Post: Navy Pilots Under Orders to Visually Verify Targets
  

Background – Further insight from historian Sir John Keegan.

• Daily Telegraph: The fight will be long, but time must be used well

Background – History of Afghanistan – An excellent multi-part history of Afghanistan. Follow the links down the left-hand side of the page.

• The Times: The bloodstained history of Afghanistan

Canadian Navy – Aboard the Canadian Navy’s frigates.

• Globe and Mail: Quarters close aboard frigates
• Canada.com: Vancouver off to hunt terrorists
  

US Navy – The Essex amphibious ready group is exercising off Japan.

• Associated Press: US Military Does Exercises in Japan

Royal Australian Navy – The last of the refugees have left HMAS Manoora and landed on Nauru???

• Associated Press: Last of refugees taken off Australian navy troop carrier
  

Royal Australian Navy???meanwhile refugees continue to attempt to land in Australia and are being intercepted at sea.

• ABC: Boatpeople throw children overboard
  

Russian Navy – The Kursk has been towed back to port.

• BBC: Kursk reaches harbour
  

Royal Navy – Background on the Royal Navy’s Trafalgar-class and Swiftsure-class nuclear attack submarines which took part in the initial wave of cruise missile attacks on Sunday.

• BBC: UK subs’ role in the strikes
  

US Navy – The USS Theodore Roosevelt may leave the Bright Star exercise early in order to relieve the USS Enterprise in the Gulf. Meanwhile the USS Kearsarge is on her way home.

• Virginian Pilot: TR’s relief may bring Enterprise home
  

US Navy – The USS Essex amphibious ready group has set sail from its homeport for a destination that was not named.

• Reuters: Five U.S. Navy Ships Leave Japan Port -Kyodo
  

US Navy – Aboard the USS Carl Vinson battlegroup.

• Washington Post: Smooth Operations Over Afghanistan

US Navy – Aboard the USS Enterprise battlegroup.

• The Times: Airmen relive action with cockpit war videos

Canadian Navy – Canada has pledged a naval task force to coalition forces in the Persian Gulf, including a destroyer, three frigates, a supply ship and maritime patrol aircraft. This is the largest Canadian naval deployment in 50 years and the ships will be integrated completely into the US battlegroups.

• Canada.com: Our warships to be treated as ‘American’
  

• Globe and Mail: Canadians head off to war
  

• The Star: Cold War destroyer can take the heat

Background – History – Sir John Keegan gives the historical background to this week’s air strikes.

• Daily Telegraph: In this war of civilisations, the West will prevail

US Navy – A second round of strikes has been launched, similar in composition to the first.

• BBC: US launches fresh air strikes
  

US Navy – Life aboard the USS Enterprise.

• BBC: Eyewitness: USS Enterprise in action
  

• Virginian Pilot: Excitement, caution aboard Enterprise

Royal Navy – Life aboard HMS Illustrious.

• Daily Telegraph: Tense time for the families of flagship’s crew

Russian Navy – The Kursk has been sucessfully raised and is headed towards shore.

• BBC: Kursk raised from sea bed
  

Background – Surface to air missiles (SAMs) – The bane of the pilot – short range SAMs.

• Jane’s: The JDW Briefing: very short range air defence
  

The battle has been joined – US Navy carrier-based aircraft from the USS Carl Vinson and USS Enterprise have participated in attacks on Afghanistan, joined by cruise missiles launched by US and Royal Navy submarines and US surface ships as well as by USAF long range bombers.

• CNN: U.S. says more airstrikes to come
• BBC: Key role for UK armed forces
  

• Washington Post: Initial Aim Is Hitting Taliban’s Defenses
• BBC: Video from onboard USS Enterprise (Real Video format)

Background – Afghanistan – Could this be the US strategy on the ground?

• The Sunday Times: America searches for the perfect weapon of attack

Russian Navy – The raising of the Kursk has begun.

• CNN: Kursk submarine lifted from seabed
• BBC: Raising of the Kursk begins
  

Royal Navy – The Captain of HMS Illustrious is stressing that his ship has not yet received orders to participate in attacks against Afghanistan.

• BBC: Captain’s message to crew families
  

NATO – NATO has agreed to move its Standing Naval Force Mediterranean to the Eastern Med to show resolve.

• Daily Telegraph: Naval move shows alliance’s resolve

Royal Australian Navy – The RAN may send an amphibious command ship to accompany the squadron of SAS it is committing to the action in Afghanistan.

• Sydney Morning Herald: Australia’s war: planes, crack troops
  

Sri Lankan Navy – The Sri Lankan Navy has engaged in yet another sea battle with the Tamil Tigers.

• Washington Post: Sri Lanka Navy Kills 25 Rebels