US Navy – The Navy announces what training areas it will use to substitute for Vieques.

• CNN: Navy picks mainland alternatives to Vieques

US Navy – The USS Saipan amphibious ready group sails for the Gulf.

• CNN: Navy picking up Marines bound for Persian Gulf

Background – US Military – James Fallows in a fascinating exchange with the authors of two recent books on the role of character in US military affairs today.

• The Atlantic: The American Way of War

US Navy – The Navy that evolves from Sea Power 21 may become the new U.S. global military model.

• Sea Power: A New Naval/Military Model for the 21st Century