– Defense Technology International – While pirate attacks have increased, we’ve also seen an increased willingness on the part of U.S., French, Russian and South Korean special forces to get kinetic, boarding and forcibly retaking some of these pirated ships–a risky proposition given that they’re facing an armed and unpredictable enemy–which makes attempts at gaining situational awarness a critical part of the operation. In order to do that, some think it’s time to call in the robots.
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
US Navy – In Bin Laden’s Compound, Seals’ All-Star Team
– New York Times – There were 79 people on the assault team that killed Osama bin Laden, but in the end, the success of the mission turned on some two dozen men who landed inside the Qaeda leader’s compound, made their way to his bedroom and shot him at close range – all while knowing that the president of the United States was keeping watch from Washington.
Chinese Navy – China boosts marine surveillance over island tensions
– BBC – China is to expand its ocean monitoring agency to protect its maritime interests, a senior official has said.
Dutch Navy – Dutch Sweep Libyan Mines
– Defense Technology International – The Royal Netherlands Navy minehunter Hr. Ms. Haarlem is hunting mines with its hull-mounted sonar and exploding those found with its Seafox unmanned underwater vehicles.
US Navy – Bin Laden discovered ‘hiding in plain sight’
– Washington Post – More details emerge on the SEAL Team 6 mission to capture / kill Bin Laden.
US Navy – How U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden
– CNN – US Navy SEALs have killed Osama Bin Laden.
Chinese Navy – Chinese Buildup Upsets Strategic Balance
– Aviation Week – Defense analysts and U.S. Navy brass agree—China’s recent successes in developing an anti-ship ballistic missile and a more robust navy have made the powerhouse Asian nation a much greater military force to reckon with.
Misc – NATO stops Gaddafi forces mining harbour
– AFP – NATO warships stopped Muammar Gaddafi forces on Friday from laying anti-ship mines in Misrata’s harbour, the alliance said, accusing the regime of trying to disrupt the flow of aid to the besieged city. “The sea-mines were being laid two to three kilometres offshore and in the approaches to Misrata by deliberately sinking the inflatable boats on which they were being carried,” NATO said in a statement. Three mines were found early on Friday and were being disarmed, the 28-nation alliance said.
US Navy – U.S. Navy Wants Modular Ship Construction
– Aviation Week – Shipbuilders that want to obtain or retain U.S. Navy work should look to the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program for inspiration, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus says.
Chinese Navy – New Chinese, Ship-Based, Heavy Fighter Readied For Flight Tests
– Defense Technology International – Beijing is revealing pictures of its indigenously built J-15 Flying Shark design that is intended to populate the decks of its first aircraft carrier.
US Navy – Rhino's Revenge
– Defense Technology International – Bill Sweetman analyses the prospects for further orders of Boeing’s F-18E/F’s from countries around the world.
Operations Other Than War – The military interventions we don’t plan for — those to protect civilians
– Washington Post – General Anthony Zinni says that “No one argues that planning for wars makes them more likely. Yet this seems to be the underlying reason for the military’s allergy to planning for civilian protection. U.S. armed forces should start treating civilian protection missions as seriously as they take wars. It’s only prudent to study mass-atrocity response operations, plan for them and, perhaps most important, conduct exercises with the civilian leaders who would make decisions about potential interventions.”
Chinese Navy – Two Vectors, One Navy
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – Aside from a strong national defense, world peace is now part of China’s official military mission. Serving both, its fleet could eventually resemble the U.S. Navy.
Chinese Navy – The Year of the Tiger: China’s Spy Satellite Surge in 2010
– AsiaEye – From late 2009 to late 2010, as attention on East Asia was consumed by high tensions on the Korean Peninsula and at the edges of the East China Sea, China’s powerful military space establishment quietly deployed a record number of spy satellites into lower earth orbit.
Chinese Navy – China's Naval Challenge
– US Naval Institute Proceeding – The United States should closely watch China’s supposed peaceful rise, but especially its increasing aggression and capabilities in the western Pacific.
Chinese Navy – China’s Military Gets Expeditionary
– The Diplomat – The PLA’s expeditionary capabilities will grow significantly in coming years. What are the greater implications?
US Navy – How to Save a Trillion Dollars
– Time – How defense cuts will affect the US Navy.
Chinese Navy – The Real Game-Changers of the Pacific Basin
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – Modern amphibious assault vessels grant China an opportunity to project multimission forces into the littoral and beyond, with real potential to destabilize the region.
Chinese Navy – Mao's 'Active Defense' Is Turning Offensive
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – While the powers in Beijing emerge from the “century of humiliation” and focus their gaze on the Indian Ocean, history could inform how China may be weighing its near-term strategic options in South Asia.
French Navy – Carrier officers say Gadhafi's troops hard to spot
– Associated Press – As French navy Rafale and Super Etendard fighter-bombers carrying laser-guided bombs catapulted Wednesday off the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier into a cloudless Mediterranean sky, officers onboard described the difficulties they face: Despite all the modern technology, troops loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi are harder than ever to identify from the air.
Chinese Navy – US says China's navy has been less aggressive in 2011
– BBC – The US navy says the Chinese navy has been less aggressive in contested waters in the Asia-Pacific region.
US Navy – STOVL F-35 Makes Headway Towards Sea Trials
– Defense Technology International – In numbers terms, the F-35B STOVL variant of the Joint Strike Fighter has made rapid flight-test progress since the beginning of the year, racking up 61 vertical landings compared with just 10 in 2010. Improving mechanical reliability and adding aircraft to STOVL-mode flight testing appears to be paying off.
Chinese Navy – Chinese Warship May Be Nearly Ready
– New York Times – The Chinese state news agency has posted photographs of an aircraft carrier under reconstruction that appears to show the warship near completion. Captions with the photos said that the work would end soon and that the carrier was expected to sail later this year.
Geopolitics / Yemen – After the Uprising
– New Yorker – Dexter Filkins asks can protesters find a path between dictatorship and anarchy in Yemen?
Geopolitics / Libya – Libyan Rebels Don’t Really Add Up to an Army
– New York Times – CJ Chivers assesses the state of the Libyan rebels.
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