Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – Japan releases photos of the salvaged wreck of the North Korean spy ship it sank last year.

• BBC: In pictures: Sunken ‘spy’ ship
  

Royal Navy – HMS Ark Royal is participating in an amphibious exercise in the Mediterranean, named Destined Glory 2002.

• The Independent: Ark Royal’ leads exercise as Nato shows its muscle

Royal Navy – A look at the armour and naval assests the UK may contribute to a war against Iraq.

• The Times: Britain prepares tanks for war against Saddam

US Navy – The USS Kearsarge is spending some time exercising in the Gulf of Mexico as the first stand-in mine hunter command ship since the decommissioning of the USS Inchon in June. For the exercise it will be embarking mine sweeping helicopters. Will this capability be taken to the Persian Gulf?

• Scripps Howard: Assault ship heads here

US Navy – Life aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, currently off of Afghanistan – an interview with her air wing.

• National Post: U.S. sailors wait for war just 30 hours from Iraq
• National Post: In a floating city, sailors line up for the dentist
  

US Navy – More on the status of the Pacific Fleet’s aircraft carriers.

• The Sun: Pacific Fleet carriers on alert

US Marines – US Marines will be exercising with Phillipine Marines in the Phillipines.

• INQ7: 600 US Marines in RP-US
  Talon-Vision-02 war exercise
  

History – U.S. Destroyers Contributed Mightily to the Korean War Effort.

• Sea Power: Siege, Gambit, and Scramble

US Navy – Could the US have seven carrier battlegroups in the Gulf by January 1?

• Washington Post: U.S. Bolstering Forces in Gulf

Phillipine Navy – The Phillipines will use paramilitary forces to help it claim sovereignty over part of the Spratly Islands.

• Inquirer News Service: Militiamen to secure
  RP-claimed Spratly isles
  

US Navy – Lockheed Martin Delivers the 75th Aegis Weapons System.

• Sea Power: The Importance of Being Prepared

Background – Iraq – A nice summary of the various points of view regarding an invasion of Iraq.

• The Atlantic: Iraq Considered

US Navy – 6 carrier battlegroups could be off Iraq by January 1, 2003.

• Reuters: U.S. Carrier Deployments Could Hold Iraq Key
  

Royal Navy – The aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious enters the shipyard for an extended 2 year refit.

• The Herald: Illustrious docks for £100m Rosyth refit
  

US Marines – More lessons learned from Afghanistan.

• Virginian Pilot: Commanders hail successes in Afghanistan

US Navy – The SECNAV says we are still at the beginning of the war on terror.

• Virginian Pilot: Navy secretary says terrorism war will be protracted
  

Indian Navy – The Indian – US exercises have concluded.

• NewIndPress: Indo-US joint naval exercises concludes

US Navy – The Navy Dive Team saves, seals, scrapes, and salvages ships.

• Sea Power: Making the Impossible Look Easy

Royal New Zealand Navy – New Zealand is taking delivery of its Kaman SH-2G Sea Sprite helicopters.

• Stuff: Navy helicopter may not be as badly damaged as first thought

US Marines – Some lessons learned on the ground in Afghanistan.

• Knox News: Among GIs’ problems in Afghanistan: Their own stuff

History – An interview with former naval officer Peter Huchthausen who is the author of several recent books about the Soviet submarine fleet and its service disasters.

• Associated Press: Filmmakers Crave Soviet Navy History
  

Background – Leadership – Transcript of an interview with Eliot Cohen, author of the book “Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in Wartime.” The interview covers what are the key traits of successful wartime leaders.

• C-SPAN: Booknotes

Canadian Navy – Are the Upholder-class submarines lemons?

• Daily News: British ‘sold us lemons’ – military analyst – Military experts disagree on subs’ value
  

US Navy – The US will forward-base 3 nuclear attack submarines on Guam.

• Reuters: U.S. attack submarines moving to Guam

US Navy – The USS Ohio begins her conversion to a cruise missile equipped submarine.

• Ohio.com: Nation’s oldest Trident sub trades in nuclear arsenal

Spanish Navy – Necropsies suggest that the whales beached recently in the Canary Islands during a NATO exercise died from ear and brain trauma, possibly from sonar.

• Los Angeles Times: Sonar Tests a Likely Link to Whale Deaths

US Navy – Miscellaneous US Navy aviation news including updates on Osprey testing.

• Sea Power: Osprey Test Program Continues

Background – Iraq – James F. Dunnigan on what the true state of the Iraqi army is.

• StrategyPage: Iraq’s Army Aging Badly

Background – Iraq – William Arkin on how the media is overplaying Iraq’s strengths.

• Washington Post Dot Mil: Return of the Chapstick Syndrome

Royal Navy – The UK announces the purchase of 150 Joint Strike Fighters. These will be the STOVL version and will operate from the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers which will not be equipped initially with catapults or arresting wires, although they may be retrofitted for these if needed.

• BBC: UK to buy 150 fighter planes
  

• United Press International: Analysis: Britain to build new carriers
• Daily Telegraph: MoD orders £13bn carriers and jets

US Navy – Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, in the Gulf.

• San Diego Union Tribune: U.S. carrier in Gulf poised for any Iraq attack
  

Chinese Navy – Putting the Chinese Navy’s around the world cruise in perspective, several analysts give their insights into what China is up to, navally.

• Retuers: Chinese navy cruises toward modernisation

Royal Australian Navy – Fishing pirates raid Australia’s fishing zones, Australia is helpless to stop them.

• ABC: Poaching problem in Australia’s southern ocean
• Reuters: Reuters

Omani Navy – Oman and Pakistan are exercising together.

• MENL: Oman, Pakistan Launch Naval Exercise

Singaporean Navy – Singapore and Malaysia are exercising together.

• The Straits Times: Joint naval exercise

US Navy – The American military presence in Djibouti grows.

• Associated Press: U.S. Military Grows in Djibouti
  

Canadian Navy – Canada is considering leasing its future support and transport ships.

• Halifax Herald: Navy Looks at Leasing Ships

US Coast Guard – New Integrated Coast Guard Systems venture team wins largest Coast Guard procurement program ever.

• Sea Power: Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman Ready to Go on Deepwater Contract

Background – Iraq – An excellent overview, by Robert Kaplan, of what would await the US in a post-Saddam Iraq. Call this the optimist’s view???

• The Atlantic: A Post-Saddam Scenario