Apologies for the lack of news the last few days. Unfortunately, I am a bit swamped this week, preparing for a presentation at a meeting in Germany next week, in addition to my normal work. NOSI may be updated this week, but look for the next regular update to be around Tuesday October 24th.

U.S. Navy – The US, Japanese, South Korean and Singapore navies have begun the first combined submarine rescue exercise in the Pacific, Exercise Pacific Reach 2000.

• Los Angeles Times: Multinational sub rescue exercise begins

U.S. Navy – The US Navy is making its case for a larger fleet, from 300 to 360 ships.

• Janes’: US Navy presses its case for more warships

Editorial note – you have undoubtedly noticed by now that from time to time I insert Background articles into NOSI, to help us better understand the reasons why naval forces are deployed to and engaged in various operations. I don’t especially seek such articles out, but when I come across good ones I add them into the daily mix.

Background – US – The importance of the CINCs – a fascinating series of 3 articles showing the importance of the CINCs to US foreign policy today.

• Washington Post: A 4-star foreign policy?
• Washington Post: An engagement in 10 time zones
• Washington Post: Standing up to State and Congress

Sri Lankan Navy – The Tamil Tigers sunk a Sri Lankan Navy patrol boat.

• Times of India: LTTE sinks navy craft in northwestern Sri Lanka

Royal Navy – a Royal Navy task force that is circling the globe will be exercising off Pearl Harbor this week.

• Honolulu Star Bulletin: British, French ships here for maneuvers

Malaysian Navy – Malaysia is sending Army and Navy units to guard its islands that contain tourist resorts against attacks from Phillipine Muslim guerillas.

• Times of India: Malaysia sends troops to guard resort islands

Russian Navy – The Russian aircraft carrier Minsk is now an amusement park in China.

• The Guardian: Russian aircraft carrier now park

Royal Navy – The Royal Navy task force off Yugoslavia, led by HMS Invincible, have assisted in rescuing survivors from the Greek ferry that sunk in the Aegean.

• BBC News: British ships end rescue efforts

US Navy – The commanding officer of the LST LaMoure County was relieved of his command, after running aground off Chile. No decision has been made whether to repair the ship.

• Virginian Pilot: Navy relieves CO of LaMoure County, ship grounded off Chile

US Navy and US Coast Guard – The Navy and Coast Guard have captured for the first time a supply ship that aids speedboats smuggling drugs into the US.

• Los Angeles Times: US captures supply ship for drug boats

US Navy – The oiler LeRoy Grumman collided during refueling with the Spanish frigate Numancia.

• Virginian Pilot: Navy oiler and Spanish frigate have minor collision

Background – Yugoslavia

• Gwynne Dwyer: Yugoslavia – the last act

U.S. Navy – Marines aboard the USS Austin and Croatian soldiers are participating in an amphibious exercise entitled “Phiblex 2000.”

• Associated Press: U.S., Croat naval forces hold exercise in Adriatic Sea

Royal Navy – A Royal Navy task force of 15 ships, led by HMS Invincible, HMS Fearless and HMS Ocean is exercising off Yugoslavia.

• Daily Telegraph: British, US navies exercise near coast
• Reuters: US war game in Adriatic, UK Navy in Mediterranean

Royal Australian Navy – The frigate HMAS Newcastle will stand by off the Solomon Islands to assist in peace talks, if needed.

• Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Australian ship due in Solomon Islands

Sri Lankan Navy – The Sri Lankan Navy destroyed several Sea Tiger gunboats in a running gun battle.

• Times of India: Navy destroys rebel boats in eastern Lanka

Canadian Navy – Aboard HMCS Calgary in the Persian Gulf.

• Calgary Herald: Female sailor puts stereotypes out to sea on HMCS Calgary

There will not be a NOSI column on Sunday, we’ll be back on Monday. Today is “Down Under Day” in tribute to the Olympics in Sydney???

Royal Australian Navy – Aboard HMAS Waller, one of the Collins-class attack submarines. A frank description of the problems with the boat is provided.

• Sydney Morning Herald: Submariners listening to the ships and whales
• Sydney Morning Herald: Underwater duckling may yet emerge as a beauty in battle

Royal New Zealand Navy – How New Zealand has been integrating its new ANZAC frigates into its operations.

• Janes: Commodore Peter McHaffie – Maritime Commander New Zealand

U.S. Navy – In order to help make its case for a larger nuclear attack submarine fleet, the U.S. Navy is starting to be more open about its submarines and their operations and their value.

• Los Angeles Times: Pentagon set to do more talking about its ‘Silent Service’

U.S. Navy – A “safety stand down” has been ordered that requires all ships in the fleet to take a full day to review safety and navigation procedures, to help avoid further accidents.

• CNN: Entire fleet halted as Navy chief orders safety review
• Virginian Pilot: Navy chief orders one day safety stand down after accidents

Russian Navy – A Russian ship, Admiral Pantilev, accidentally fired on a Russian town during a naval exercise.

• Agence French Presse: Russian ship accidentally fires sea-to-shore missile

India Background – Why India is increasingly important to the U.S.

• Los Angeles Times: Courtship of India: a strategic match

U.S. Navy – Sanctions placed by the U.S. government are hampering relations between the Indian and U.S. navies.

• Times of India: US sanctions hampering military ties

Chinese Navy – the Chinese Navy has made recent port visits to Pearl Harbor and Everett.

• WorldNetDaily: Chinese Navy visits U.S. base

Indian Navy – India’s Marine Commandos have many missions.

• The Hindu: Marine commandos set to display their skills

Indian Navy – India will host an “International Fleet Review” in February 2001. 22 navies are expected to participate.

• The Hindu: Major powers to join Navy’s fleet review in Mumbai

Indian Navy – INS Delhi and INS Kora are visiting Shanghai, China. INS Aditya, a tanker, and a missile corvette, INS Kuthar are visiting Pusan, South Korea. All 4 ships will then visit Japan.

• The Hindu: Indian warships on a goodwill mission to China

We are experiencing some technical problems and will be back tomorrow hopefully???

Phillipine Navy – Phillipine armed forces are engaged in a pitched battle with rebels on the island of Jolo, who are holding a number of hostages. The battle apparently is an attempt to rescue the hostages. The Phillipine Navy has set up a blockade of the island.

• BBC News: Battle rages in Jolo jungle

U.S. Navy – The USS Tarawa amphibious ready group delivered food and shelter materials to the population of devastated East Timor.

• Associated Press: U.S. aid delivered to East Timor

U.S. Navy – The Congressional Budget Office issued a report yesterday stating the US military is woefully underfunded and needs an additional $50 billion / year to maintain its current size and committments.

• Washington Post, Thomas Ricks: Report: Pentagon underfunded

Russian Navy – in what is heralded as an important precedent for the Russian legal system, the Russian Supreme Court upheld the acquittal of an ex-navy officer who was jailed on espionage charges after exposing the perilous state of Russia’s decaying nuclear fleet.

• CNN: Victory for Russian Navy submarine whistleblower

U.S. Navy – the commander of naval air forces in the Pacific feels he has too many missions and too few resources to carry them out.

• WorldNetDaily: Admiral feels U.S. not ready

U.S. Navy – the USS La Moure County, an LST, ran aground today off Chile while conducting amphibious exercises. There was minor damage to the ship but no injuries to the crew.

• Virginian Pilot: Norfolk-based Navy ship runs aground off Chile

Russian Navy – Typhoon-class ballistic missile submarines are to be converted to freighters to carry nickel from mines in Russia’s north to Murmansk. The freighters will be manned by naval crews.

• Times of London (registration required): Red October subs put to work as freighters

Russian Navy – the Russian government continues to attempt to persecute (and prosecute) those who document its illegal activities in disposing of nuclear waste from submarine reactors

• Christian Science Monitor: Russia’s nuclear whistle blower lands back in court

Royal Navy – More details have emerged on the British assault in Sierra Leone. In addition to elements of the 1 Bn The Parachute Regiment and the SAS, elements of the Royal Marines Special Boat Squadron took part in the attack.

• Times of London (registration required): SAS emerged from swamp to launch deadly attack

Royal Navy – The British Type 23 frigate HMS Grafton has run aground while trying to negotiate narrow fjords close to the town of Droebak which is 19 miles from Oslo. The ship has sustained damage to the bow, but there were no injuries.

• BBC News: British frigate runs aground

Royal Navy – In a daring dawn raid, members of the 1st Battalion the Parachute Regiment and the SAS freed 6 British Army hostages being held by rebels in Sierra Leone. The Paras suffered casualties of 1 killed and several wounded. The Royal Navy ship Sir Percivale, in Freetown harbor, is being used as a casualty receiving ship.

• BBC News: Bloody end to Sierra Leone hostage drama
• BBC News: Dramatic rescue operation
• Daily Telegraph (registration required): Paras free hostages in jungle
• Daily Telegraph – John Keegan (registration required): Gang’s bold front collapses in the face of real soldiers

Royal Navy – Part of Portsmouth naval base is to be handed over to a civilian shipbuilder, with day-to-day maintenance of warships in the remaining naval area also being privatised. The Royal Navy is making the changes in an attempt to ease its financial plight.

• Times of London (registration required): Navy retreats at Portsmouth

East Asia Background – The Japanese and Chinese have agreed to provide each other with advance notification of future maritime incursions.

• Economist: New tensions twixt Japan and China

Royal Navy – More problems with the propulsion system of Britain’s Swiftsure-class nuclear attack submarines, leading to further readiness woes.

• Daily Telegraph (registration required): Nuclear subs hit by safety fears

U.S. Navy – Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig has been shaking up the U.S. Navy since taking his post two year ago. Insiders say he has an excellent chance of being Secretary of Defense in a Gore administration.

• Washington Post: Churning the waters

Columbian Navy – The Russian mafia appears to have been assisting in the construction of the drug smuggling submarine found under construction in Columbia this week. Apparently this is not the first time that drug running has been tried in submarines???

• Reuters: Columbian drug sub built with Russian mob help

Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – An officer of the MSDF has been accused of passing operational U.S. Navy intelligence to the Russian Navy. This is the first major spy scandal in Japan since 1980.

• Reuters: Japan worries over U.S. military secrets to Russia
• CNN: Japanese naval officer allegedly spied for Russia

Russian Navy – The Russian military will be cut in size by one third by 2003, with the Russian Navy being reduced in size by 50,000 personnel.

• CNN: Russia to cut military by a third

Russian Navy – A German journalist claims in an article in the Berliner Zeitung Daily that a guided missile from a Russian warship sank the Kursk. The Russian’s deny the story.

• BBC News: Kursk own-goal theory ‘totally false’
• ABC News: Russia denies missile hit sub

U.S. Military – A cogent discussion of why morale is low in the U.S. military.

• Christian Science Monitor: Low morale saps US miltiary might

NATO – a report from submarine rescue exercise Sorbet Royal 2000, off Turkey, aboard the Turkish submarine Hizirreis.

• Associated Press: Sub crews learn sound of rescue

Columbian Navy – The Columbian government has uncovered a team of Columbian drug smugglers who were constructing a 100 foot long submarine for drug smuggling.

• Associated Press: Columbian drug smugglers built sub

U.S. Navy – Even more on the readiness debate???

• Christian Science Monitor: The real state of U.S. readiness
• ABC News: Battling over military readiness

U.S. Marines – The U.S. Marines have cleared the MV-22 Osprey and AH-1W Cobra to resume flight operations. The CH-53E Super Stallions remain grounded.

• CNN: Marines clear some aircraft to fly

U.S. Navy – The U.S. Navy has provided Russia with an intelligence assessment of what caused the loss of the Kursk.

• CNN: U.S. shares Kursk intelligence with Russia

U.S. Navy – An recent report by the Navy Inspector General has concluded that funding shortages are impairing the combat performance of naval aviators.

• CBS: Navy pilots miss the mark

U.S. Navy – Due to a lack of funds, the U.S. Navy is spending more time in port this fiscal year than it intended to – it simply does not have the funds available to send ships to sea.

• Stars and Stripes: Shortage of cash for fuel leaves Navy ships parked at pier

U.S. Navy – F-18 Hornets are wearing out faster than expected. They will need to undergo a Service Life Extension Program in order to remain in service, the funding for which will cut into funds available to purchase the aircraft which will be their successors.

• Virginian Pilot: Hornets wear out too fast, Navy says

NATO – NATO is about to begin Operation Sorbet Royal 2000, its largest ever submarine rescue exercise. The exercise is held every 3 years, and was scheduled for this time before last month’s sinking of the Kursk.

• Associated Press: NATO launches submarine exercise

Columbian Navy – The Colombian navy intercepted a speedboat off its Pacific coast on Sunday and seized three tons of cocaine.

• Associated Press: Colombian navy nets 3 tons of cocaine in Pacific

U.S. Navy – The destroyer Nicholson and fast combat support ship Detroit collided during refueling. Damage to both ships is said to be minimal. There were some minor injuries to the Nicholson’s crew.

• Virginian Press: Two Navy ships collide during refueling

U.S. Navy – Most U.S. forces are ready to perform wartime missions, but if we had to fight two simultaneous major conflicts we would run a high risk of increased casualties because of shortfalls in the ability to move, supply and protect troops. The Navy was specifically noted for a lack of carrier aircraft, especially EA-6B Prowlers.

• Associated Press: Pentagon says forces are ready for one war, but maybe not two

Russian Navy – A clearer explanation of the current U.S. Navy hypothesis that an explosion of a torpedo during loading or launching is what caused the sinking of the Kursk. The Kursk’s crew was felt to be well trained and it is unlikely that a seamanship error caused the loss.

• New York Times: 2 U.S. submarines recorded death agony of Kursk
• Washington Post: U.S. theory – on board blast sank sub

Canadian Navy – Men and women aboard Canada’s warships are having sex at sea – which is forbidden by regulations – much more often than is officially acknowledged, according to a study commissioned by the Canadian Navy to help determine whether women should serve on its new Upholder-class attack submarines.

• Toronto Star: Canadian navy crews turn warships into Love Boats

Chinese Navy – A Chinese company has acquired the former Russian aircraft carrier Kiev, for the purpose of scrapping her.

• Washington Post: China acquires Russian carrier