Marine Corps Gazette – War has a way of teaching us hard lessons, some of which we learned in previous conflicts but, for various reasons, forgot and are having to relearn now in Iraq.
more…
Author Archives: Naval Open Source Intelligence (NOSI)
Geopolitics / Iran – A Selective Partnership: Getting U.S.-Iranian Relations Right
Foreign Affairs – After dispelling myths about Tehran — that the regime is unitary, evil, and about to collapse — Ray Takeyh’s skillful book on U.S.-Iranian relations offers pragmatic prescriptions to Washington: against regime change and for more engagement.
more…
Ground Warfare – We must remember them all
Daily Telegraph – Are battlefield conditions worse for the modern soldier, or are today’s veterans not as tough as their predecessors? To mark Remembrance Day, The Daily Telegraph has assembled a unique panel of veterans with experience of all the major conflicts over the past 65 years.
Daily Telegraph – The veterans.
more…
History – The American Sound Surveillance System: Using the Ocean to Hunt Soviet Submarines, 1950-1961
International Journal of Naval History – The most ambitious and effective defense project undertaken during the Cold War next to the hydrogen bomb succeeded completely, made not a sound, and remained invisible for a half-century. Dreading an increase in the capability and geographical reach of a Soviet deep-water submarine force, the U.S. Navy decided in 1950 to turn the ocean itself against the Soviet Navy. Over the next three decades there emerged a sophisticated surveillance network with global reach that used the oceanís own characteristics to identify submarine activity. SOSUS, as the sound surveillance system became known, gradually made it impossible for the Soviets to sortie a submarine anywhere in the world without detection. The present historical analysis of this system highlights the importance of the environment in naval warfare, further illuminates the relationship between naval and civilian ocean science, and reveals significant challenges to naval culture and habits directly related to the nature of SOSUS.
more…
Miscellaneous – In Afghan fields, the poppies blow
Daily Telegraph – W.F. Deedes on the meaning of Remembrance Day.
more…
Iraq – Rumsfeld, a Force for Change, Did Not Change With the Times Amid Iraq Tumult
New York Times – Michael Gordon on the demise of Donald Rumsfeld.
more…
Iraq – A Meek Departure From the War Cabinet
Washington Post – Thomas Ricks on the demise of Donald Rumsfeld.
more…
Iraq – The Defense Secretary We Had – Tough and Unaccountable
Washington Post – David Ignatius on the demise of Donald Rumsfeld.
more…
Iraq – Fighting spirit of the Donald I knew
Daily Telegraph – John Keegan on the demise of Donald Rumsfeld.
more…
Iraq – The Lost Year in Iraq
PBS Frontline – They came to rebuild and bring democracy, but soon were hardened by the postwar realities. When it came time to leave, they left behind lawlessness, insurgency, and economic collapse.
Read the Transcript and look at the excellent Interviews.
more…
Canadian Navy – Dispute Over NW Passage Revived
Washington Post – A long-standing legal wrangle between the United States and Canada could complicate future shipping through the Arctic as global warming melts the ice in the Northwest Passage.
more…
Iraq – Third and Final Act
Defense and the National Interest – William Lind points out how an attack on Iran will endanger US troops in Iraq.
more…
Iraq – Post Saddam Iraq: The War Game
National Security Archive – The Desert Crossing wargame for how to manage a post-Saddam Iraq, performed by CENTCOM in 1999 when General Zinni was its chief, has been declassified. Fascinating in how presecient it was. A pity General Franks, General Zinni’s successor, was not interested in it???
Associated Press – 1999 War Games Foresaw Problems in Iraq
more…
Miscellaneous – Pentagon targets Kim's nuclear sites
The Times – Is the US planning a raid on North Korean nuclear facilities?
more…
Geopolitics / Middle East – The New Middle East
Daily Telegraph – John Keegan on why Israel will attack Hezbollah again, soon.
more…
Geopolitics / Civil-Military Relations – Rumsfeld, the Generals, and the State of U.S. Civil-Military Relations
Naval War College Review – Uniformed officers have an obligation to stand up to civilian leaders if they think a policy is flawed. But once a policy decision is made, soldiers are obligated to carry it out. The idea that a general or admiral should publicly attack government policy and its civilian authors in time of war is dangerous.
more…
Iraq – Last Gasps in Iraq
USA Today – Yet another tipping point? Ralph Peters checks out on Iraq.
See also: FrontPageMag – A Military Solution for Iraq.
more…
History – The Early Career of a Marine Legend: General Eddie Craig
Leatherneck – “A hard-boiled crowd” of old Corps warriors in Santo Domingo broke in the new lieutenant.
more…
Iraq – Military Charts Movement of Conflict in Iraq Toward Chaos
New York Times – Michael Gordon reports that a classified briefing prepared two weeks ago by the United States Central Command portrays Iraq as edging toward chaos, in a chart that the military is using as a barometer of civil conflict.
more…
Taiwanese Navy – Taiwan takes delivery of last two of four US destroyers
BBC – Taiwan has formally commissioned into service two US-built naval destroyers aimed at boosting the island’s defences against any attack from rival China.
more…
Royal Australian Navy – Australian warships bound for Fiji
Radio New Zealand – Australian warships are sailing towards Fiji amid speculation of another coup. The amphibious support ship HMAS Kanimbla left Townsville last night and HMAS Newcastle, a frigate, began its journey to the area on Wednesday night.
more…
US Marines – Tending a Fallen Marine, With Skill, Prayer and Fury
New York Times – A look at the corpsman’s job in Iraq.
more…
US Navy – Atlantic Fleet gets new name, more work
Virginian Pilot – The Atlantic Fleet has been disestablished for want of another name: the U.S. Fleet Forces Command. The command has new responsibilities for more than just the Atlantic Fleet. It is responsible for the training, maintenance and operation of ships, planes and people on the East Coast and West Coast, where the Pacific Fleet will retain its name.
more…
Geopolitics – In Troubled Times
Defense and the National Interest – Martin van Creveld addresses how European countries should accommodate or otherwise deal with their Muslim minorities. Five hundred years ago, Spain faced exactly the same issue.
more…
Nuclear Warfare – Islam, Terror and the Second Nuclear Age
New York Times Magazine – If Iran gets the bomb, what will it do with it? Does Islamic law justify the use of weapons of mass destruction? Is there a Shiite urge for apocalypse? Is atomic warfare suicide bombing writ large?
more…
You must be logged in to post a comment.