NOSI’s archive for 2011 is now available here.
Monthly Archives: January 2012
US Coast Guard – U.S. ship rescues six Iranian sailors in Persian Gulf
– Associated Press – A U.S. Coast Guard cutter rescued six Iranian mariners from a vessel in distress in the Persian Gulf, the second time in less than a week that the American military has come to the aid of Iranians at sea.
Editorial Note – 2011 World Naval Operational News Highlights
The ten most significant naval news stories / themes this year included:
- The withdrawal of US combat forces from Iraq. After nearly a decade and a trillion dollars later, what exactly does the US have to show for it?
- The troop surge, and subseqent beginning of the drawdown in Afghanistan. What exactly will victory look like there?
- The NATO combined arms operations against the Libyan goverment. Is this the new model for regime change – sea and air power with a minimal footprint on the ground? (Wait – wasn’t that how we started off in Afghanistan 10 years ago…)
- The formal reorientation of US strategy and forces from the Middle East to the Pacific to contain China’s rise. Is AirSea Battle the correct way to address the Chinese threat?
- The world economic crisis leading to US economic turmoil causing US budget turmoil which will result in deep defense cuts. What will these cuts do to the Navy and Marines who must recapitalize their forces whose equipment is worn out after a decade of war and who must now shift their focus from the sand to AirSea Battle?
- The Chinese Navy continues to deploy its sensor network on land and in space for targeting for its antiship ballistic missile while the US Navy begins to devise countermeasures to it. When will we see this weapon test fired?
- The first Chinese Navy (actually ex-Soviet Navy) aircraft carrier goes to sea, beating the Indian Navy’s (ex-Soviet Navy) aircraft carrier refurbishment project. When will the Chinese begin to conduct aircraft operations?
- The Chinese Navy’s deployment of a ship to Libya to evacuate Chinese citizens from a war zone. Should we no long be shocked by Chinese blue-water naval operations around the world?
- The tension around the Spratley Islands as the Chinese Navy begins to flex its muscles at sea. Will this area be a good place to base the US Navy Littoral Combat Ships and will this be their role in AirSea Battle?
- The SEAL mission that killed Osama Bin Laden. Who would have bet 10 years ago that it would have been the SEALs who got the kill?
- (…and yes, I’m tired of mentioning piracy again, and again, and again…so I won’t…)
Statistics
In 2011, there were news stories linked to on 323 / 365 days – that is on 88% of the days.
In 2011, NOSI linked to 341 news stories.
In 2011, 118 of these stories (35%) were related to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, or U.S. Military Sealift Command.
In 2011, 90 of these stories (26%) were background stories.
The remaining 133 news stories (39%) covered the operational activities of 24 nation’s navies, coast guards, and marine corps:
Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Pakistan, Phillipines, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, and Vietnam
In 2011, 168,013 pages of information were read on NOSI by 120,000 users. There were 76,299 post views (impressions) and 239 fans (members) on the NOSI Facebook page.
Royal Australian Navy – Australian military 'to recruit British troops laid-off in UK cuts'
– Daily Telegraph – The Australian navy plans to recruit up to 1,000 Royal Navy sailors facing redundancy under the Government’s defence cuts.
Danish Navy – Danish navy captures pirate vessel, frees hostages
– Reuters – A Danish navy ship seized a suspected pirate vessel off the coast of Somalia and freed 14 hostages on board.
Chinese Navy – China accused by Philippines of Spratlys intrusion
– BBC – The Philippines has accused China of intruding into its waters around the disputed Spratly islands after three ships were spotted in December.
Royal Navy – Rocking the boat
– The Economist – Another diplomatic victory for President Fernández of Argentina.
Royal Navy – Royal Navy sends its mightiest ship to take on the Iranian show of force in the Gulf
– Daily Telegraph – The Royal Navy’s most formidable warship is being sent to the Gulf for its first mission as tensions rise in the strategically vital region, it can be disclosed.
US Navy – Work as Usual for U.S. Warship After Warning by Iran
– New York Times – If Iran’s warning on Tuesday to this American aircraft carrier was intended to disrupt the ship’s routine or provoke a high-seas reaction, nothing of the sort was evident on Wednesday.
US Navy – For Iranians Waylaid by Pirates, U.S. to the Rescue
– New York Times – A report from the indomitable CJ Chivers, who is with the USS John Stennis task force that rescued the Iranians from the Somali pirates. He reports from aboard their fishing dhow…
US Navy – U.S. rescues Iranian hostages, with good timing
– Washington Post – In a stroke of good timing, Americans seize pirates days after Iran told U.S. to stay out.
Russian Navy – Russian nuclear submarine fire put out
– BBC – The huge fire that engulfed the Russian Delta-IV class nuclear ballistic missle submarine Yekaterinburg, undergoing repairs in the northern Murmansk region has been put out
Chinese Navy – China Takes Aim at U.S. Naval Might
– Wall Street Journal – The USS Gerald R. Ford was supposed to help secure another half century of American naval supremacy. The hulking aircraft carrier taking shape in a dry dock in Newport News, Va., is designed to carry a crew of 4,660 and a formidable arsenal of aircraft and weapons. But an unforeseen problem cropped up between blueprint and expected delivery in 2015: China is building a new class of ballistic missiles designed to arc through the stratosphere and explode onto the deck of a U.S. carrier, killing sailors and crippling its flight deck.
US Navy – Defying Iran, U.S. says warships will remain in Gulf
– Associated Press – The Pentagon says U.S. warships will continue to sail in the Gulf despite a warning by Iran’s army chief on Tuesday to stay away. The warning is Tehran’s latest tough rhetoric over the strategic waterway, part of a feud with the United States over new sanctions that has sparked a jump in oil prices.
US Navy – Happy Birthday 'Big E'
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – It’s 50 candles for the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the first nuclear warship to engage in combat.
US Navy – Declining Capabilities and a Rising Subsurface Threat
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – In the face of a Western Pacific underwater-fleet buildup, the United States must exploit emerging technologies and strengthen its regional partnerships to sustain dominance ‘on a budget.’
US Navy – The False Promise of Metrics
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – U.S. leaders should not be reducing military power at all, much less comparing navies by weights and numbers.
US Navy – Naval Aviation's Second Century
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – What will naval aviation be 50 years hence? Still crucial, yet technologically far superior—as long as the public remains aware and supportive.
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