Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)

US Navy – CBO says submarine program will be more expensive than Navy's estimates

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Washington Post – CBO says submarine program will be more expensive than Navy’s estimates

The Navy’s new nuclear-missile submarine could cost, on average, about $1 billion more than the service projects, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Each submarine could cost about $8.2 billion, or almost 14 percent more than the Navy’s estimate of $7.2 billion, the CBO said. The first ship of the class — typically the most expensive — could run as high as $13 billion, or $4 billion over the Navy estimate, the nonpartisan agency said in a report released Tuesday.

Swedish Navy – Saunas, massages help Swedish sailors hunt pirates

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Associated Press – Saunas, massages help Swedish sailors hunt pirates

Pirate-hunting has come a long way since the Knights of Malta battled the Barbary Corsairs four centuries ago. Floggings, weevils and scurvy are out. Saunas, fresh bread and massages are in — at least aboard the Swedish warship Carlskrona, the flagship of the European Union’s force to hunt down Somali pirates, who have hijacked 23 ships this year.

US Marines – Japanese prime minister accepts Marine Corps air base in Okinawa

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Washington Post – Japanese prime minister accepts Marine Corps air base in Okinawa

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio announced Sunday that his country would abide by a 14-year-old agreement with the United States to move a Marine Corps air base in Okinawa in a significant breakthrough on an issue that has bedeviled the two allies and worried many other Asian countries since he took office eight months ago.

Afghanistan – In Afghan Fields, a Challenge to Opium’s Luster

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New York Times – In Afghan Fields, a Challenge to Opium’s Luster

The annual Afghan opium harvest finished this month with production sharply down from last year, Afghan farmers and American military officers say. Now, growers and smugglers who had long been unchallenged here face tough choices created by the poor crop and new government and military pressure. They describe an industry approaching a crossroads.

US Navy – Air-Sea Battle: The Other Future

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Defense Technology International – Air-Sea Battle: The Other Future

Tuesday morning, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments presented its report on the “air-sea battle” on Capitol Hill, introduced by Sens. Joe Lieberman and John Thune. The report and associated presentation are worth a detailed read. Let’s just say that the ideas are far reaching and suggest a future for the US military that’s very different from its “boot centric” present.

North Korean Navy – 'North Korean torpedo' sank South's navy ship – report

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BBC – ‘North Korean torpedo’ sank South’s navy ship – report

A North Korean submarine’s torpedo sank a South Korean navy ship on 26 March causing the deaths of 46 sailors, an international report has found.

Economist – Their number is up

Evidence that North Korea torpedoed the Cheonan puts it—and China—on the spot.

Chinese Navy – Chinese navy's new strategy in action

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International Institute for Strategic Studies – Chinese navy’s new strategy in action

The news from Tokyo on 10 April 2010 that the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force had monitored ten Chinese warships passing 140km south of Okinawa through the Miyako Strait marked a new stage in China’s naval development. The deployment was of unprecedented size and scope for the Chinese navy, and was the second such operation mounted by China in rapid succession: in March, a smaller flotilla had been deployed on exercises. The two sets of exercises, along with Chinese counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, demonstrate the flexibility of China’s naval forces and their greater prominence in Beijing’s strategic calculations.

US Navy – Quiet Resistance to Women on Subs

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New York Times – Quiet Resistance to Women on Subs

While the decision to allow women to serve on submarines opens a prestigious career path to women and increases the Navy’s recruiting pool for submarine postings, it has been met with quiet resistance within what has long been proudly called “the Silent Service,” according to active-duty and retired submariners.