US Marines – Will the USS Iwo Jima amphibious ready group be sent for peacekeeping in Liberia?

• CNN: Pentagon ponders Marines in Liberia

US Navy – The USS Ronald Reagan prepares to be commissioned.

• Virginian Pilot: From stem to stern, the carrier Ronald Reagan is ready

US Navy – An interview with Admiral Arthur K. Cebrowski, who is known in Washington as the Pentagon’s transformation czar.

• SeaPower: Champion of “A New American Way of War”

Background – Middle East – A look at the new commander of the US Central Command.

• BBC: Profile: John Abizaid

Background – 4th Generation Warfare – William Lind on how the US is not prepared to wage 4th Generation Warfare.

• San Francisco Chronicle: The military game has changed, and the U.S. isn’t ready

Russian Navy – Russia resumes its nuclear submarine deterrent patrols.

• Washington Post: Russia Resumes Strategic Sub Patrols After Year Off

Background – Air War – Long before they went into combat, US forces had gotten the goods on their Iraqi foe.

• Air Force: The Iraqi File

Background – Command and Control – William Arkin on how the US is going about upgrading its nuclear command and control capabilities.

• Los Angeles Times: A New Nuclear Age – Planners design technology to withstand the apocalypse

ASEAN Navies – ASEAN naval chiefs are meeting to discuss issues of common interest.

• New Strait Times: Strengthening Asean naval ties

US Navy – The Trimersible, the design of which envisions a monohull platform fitted with two semisubmersible pontoons, could be tailored for a variety of missions.

• SeaPower: The Trimersible Enters the Fray As Navy Refines Its Sea Basing Concept

Background – Homeland Security – Flying combat air patrols over US cities with US Air Force pilots in their F-16’s.

• CNN: The serious business of combat air patrol

Background – Terrorism – A concise history of terrorism.

• Center for Defense Information: A Brief History of Terrorism

NOSI will next be updated on Monday. See you then!

US Marines – Definitions of 4th Generation Warfare, Nontrinitarian War, Nonlinear Warfare, Asymmetric Warfare, and Third-Wave War.

• Marine Corps Gazette: Definitions for the ‘New Reality’

US Navy – Some of the SEALs missions in Iraq.

• San Diego Union Tribune: SEALs give glimpse of missions in Iraq

Background – Oceanography – The deepest diving submersible in the world has been lost at sea.

• Associated Press: Deep diving sub lost in Pacific

Background – History – America’s first submarine – the Turtle.

• SeaPower: America’s First Submarine

Canadian Navy – Canada’s navy is taking a year off to rest and recuperate.

• Toronto Globe and Mail: Worn-out navy says it’s taking a ‘pause’ for a year

US Coast Guard – If ever a Coast Guard cutter dealt with nearly everything short of toe-to-toe combat, it was the Charleston-based Dallas on its recent deployment to the Mediterranean.

• Charleston Post and Courier: Mediterranean deployment kept Dallas busy

US Marines – An excellent review and bibliography of published works on British and U.S. amphibious operations Bin the last century.

• Marine Corps Gazette: Some Aspects of the Historiography of British and U.S. Doctrines of Amphibious Operations in the 20th Century

Background – Iraq – James F. Dunnigan analyses the American situation in Iraq and what the way forward should be.

• Strategy Page: The Impossible Dream in Iraq

US Navy – More on how US carrier deployments will be changing.

• Washington Post: Navy Plans To Increase Carrier Readiness

Taiwanese Marines – The US and Taiwanese Marines will increase their cooperation.

• Taipei Times: Marine corps improves ties with US counterpart

US Navy – Snakebot is a developmental model of a slithering robot that might one day help remove land mines or worm its way inside collapsed buildings to help rescue victims without disturbing the tottering structures.

• SeaPower: The Slithering Robot Tries to Worm Its Way Into Navy’s Tactical Units

Russian Navy – Russia is exercising in the Baltic Sea.

• The Hindu: Russia displays naval power

Background – Imperialism – The United Statesóthe most carefree, happiest empire in historyónow confronts the question of whether it can escape Romeís fate. The challenge can be localized, for a moment in Afghanistan, then in Iraq, but it is global in character. This nation has no choice but to exercise its imperial power, and how it does so will shape the emerging world order and test its own legitimacy as a democratic society.

• Naval War College Review: The Challenges of American Imperial Power

Royal Navy – HMS Iron Duke continues the war on drugs in the Caribbean.

• Associated Press: British, U.S. Seize 3.7 Tons of Cocaine

Background – Iraq – Thomas Ricks analyses the situation on the ground in Iraq.

• Washington Post: Stabilizing Iraq Will Be Difficult, General Testifies
• Washington Post: Experts Question Depth of Victory

Background – Homeland Defense – HS (Department of Homeland Security) officials and others with major responsibilities in the homeland-defense arena could learn much from the strategies used by the Department of Defense in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

• SeaPower: Homeland Defense Strategists Have Much To Learn from Afghan, Iraq Operations

US Marines – A way to do fire support better in the infantry battalion.

• Marine Corps Gazette: A Revolution in Company Fire Support

Background – Iraq – Peter J. Boyer writes about Tommy Franks, the general who commanded the U.S. troops in the war with Iraq, and about how he joined Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in the fight to transform the military. Here Boyer talks about Franks’s career path and his political skill, the future of the American military, and covering the war from Doha, Qatar.

• New Yorker: The General’s War

Sorry for the late update, but a storm has knocked out our local Internet access???

US Navy – The US is considering changing the homeports of some of its ships, to move them closer to their theaters of operation.

• Virginian Pilot: Realignment of Navy ships likely to affect bases in Pacific region

US Navy – The island, or superstructure, of the Navy’s new CVN 21 aircraft carrier is at the heart of numerous improvements planned for the ship.

• SeaPower: New Carrier Island Is at Heart of Higher Sortie Rates for CVN 21

Background – Exit Strategies – John Keegan on how getting out of a war is more difficult than getting into one???

• Daily Telegraph: Getting out of a war is always harder than getting into one

Background – North Korea – War on the Korean Peninsula would likely mean hundreds of thousands killed and enormous damage, and if at all possible must be avoided. Colin Robinson, CDI Research Analyst, and Rear Adm. (Ret.) Stephen H. Baker, USN, CDI Senior Advisor, hold that a negotiated solution should be sought and pressed upon the Northís government by all means available.

• Center for Defense Information: Stand-Off with North Korea: War Scenarios and Consequences

US Navy – The USS Abraham Lincoln heads into overhaul.

• Daily Herald: Abroad the USS Abraham Lincoln

Background – Iraq – James F. Dunnigan on how cash remains the currency of choice in post-war Iraq.

• StrategyPage: The Cash Kingdom

US Navy – Leaders can make sure the mission gets completed by empowering, protecting, and encouraging their people.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: Taking Care of Your People

Greek Coast Guard – More on the explosives-laden ship seized by Greece yesterday.

• Associated Press: Greeks Probe Terror Link to Cargo Ship
• The Guardian: Nato ‘terror’ tipoff on explosives ship sailing to Sudan

US Navy – The Navy’s newest helicopters–the MH-60R and MH-60S–have scored impressive accomplishments in tests and operations over the past year.

• SeaPower: MH-60 Romeo, Sierra Rack Up Successes

Background – Logistics – A fascinating look at how the US military is outsourcing its logistics to private corporations.

• New York Times Magazine: Nation Builders for Hire

Background – American Empire – Robert D. Kaplan on how the United States projects power around the worldóand why it must.

• The Atlantic: The Hard Edge of American Values

Greek Navy – Greece seizes a ship filled with explosives, bound for Africa.

• BBC: Greece seizes explosives ship

US Navy – The people side of the Sea Power 21 vision – Sea Warrior.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: Sea Warrior: Maximizing Human Capital

Background – Special Forces – William Arkin explains the downside of depending on special forces.

• Los Angeles Times: Secret Soldiers – Will our military be dominated by forces shielded from scrutiny?

US Navy – U.S. defense officials and industry program managers are examining the lessons learned from Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom as they proceed with designing the aircraft and weapons that will transform today’s armed forces to a more mobile, precise, and persistent force.

• SeaPower: Navy Aircraft Managers Refine Requirements in Post-Iraq Era

Background – Transformation – Technological improvement is important but, pursued in isolation, will lead only so far. If we focus exclusively on technology, we will fail. Technological and conceptual change must be integrated in a manner consistent with the enduring nature of warócharacterized by essentially dispersed information, chaos, complexity, nonlinearity, and uncertainty.

• Naval War College Review: Transforming How We Fight

US Marines – Another look at the formation of the Marines’ new special operations force.

• Associated Press: Small unit marks Marine Corps’ first foray into commando world

US Marines – The artillery community needs ëa wakeup callí in order to solve future fire support issues.

• Marine Corps Gazette: What Is the Future of Field Artillery in the Expeditionary Warfare Environment?

Background – Middle East – Gen.(Ret.) Anthony Zinni, USMC, former USCENTCOM Commander, assesses challenges and opportunities facing the United States in the Middle East and the greater Islamic world.

• Center for Defense Information: Gen. Zinni on Peace and Security in the Middle East and the Greater Islamic World

US Navy – The USS Kearsarge has been released from duty off of Liberia, as a ceasefire has been signed there.

• Virginian Pilot: June 30 homecoming date announced for Kearsarge

US Navy – Venerable P-3 aircraft increase situational awareness on the battlefield.

• SeaPower: Orion Scans Terrain From Kosovo to the Hindu Kush

Indian Navy – India takes delivery of INS Talwar, a Krivak-class frigate.

• Moscow Times: India Gets First ‘Stealth’ Warship

Background – Reconnaissance Satellites – USAFís KH-7 spy satellite system constituted a major advance in overhead intelligence collection.

• Air Force: A “Rifle” in Space

US Navy – A major restructuring of NATO’s North American headquarters is taking place.

• Virginian Pilot: SACLANT getting new name and new charge

US Coast Guard – The Coast Guard has chosen their new maritime patrol aircraft.

• SeaPower: EADS CASA CN-235 Chosen for Deepwater MPA

Sri Lankan Navy – Sri Lanka has sunk a Tamil Tiger ship.

• The Australian: Tamil Tiger ship sunk

Taiwanese Navy – The current state of whether the US will be able to supply submarines to Taiwan.

• Agence France Presse: Trouble in the path of subs Bush promised Taiwan

Canadian Navy – Canada’s navy has been worn out by its operations in the Gulf.

• National Post: ‘Exhausted’ sailors to begin journey home
• Halifax Herald: Navy to reduce role in Operation Apollo
• Canadian Press: HMCS Calgary to leave for Arabian Sea

Background – Iraq – Civil Relationships – Historian Antony Beevor comments on the US Army’s successes and failures in Iraq.

• The Times: Land of the brave, home of the free – or a junk culture, hooked on fantasy and with a military alienated from its own people?

Background – Strategy – At their most abstract, U.S. national interests are simple: to ensure the security and prosperity of the American people in the global environment. But distinguishing core strategic interestsóthose for which Americans would be willing to dieófrom significant interests that might require commitment of treasure, blood, time, and energy is almost never easy.

• Naval War College Review: Still Worth Dying For: National Interests and the Nature of Strategy

NOSI will next be updated on Wednesday.

US Navy – The USS Mount Whitney returns home from the Horn of Africa.

• Virginian Pilot: Mt. Whitney returns from terrorist hunt in Africa

US Navy – The USS Kearsarge is now off of Liberia

• Virginian Pilot: Kearsarge diverted to Liberia for possible rescues

Russian Navy – A port of call for the Russian ships that have been exercising in the Indian Ocean.

• The Star: Russian destroyers dock at Port Klang for five-day stay

Information Warfare – As U.S. officials assess how military and commercial space resources contributed to combat successes in Iraq and Afghanistan, it appears that a long-sought goal of integrating “space” with air, ground and maritime operations is being realized.

• Aviation Week: High Ground Over Iraq

US Navy – The USS Kearsarge amphibious ready group may be diverted to Liberia to evacuate America citizens as the country begins to melt down.

• Virginian Pilot: Kearsarge may be rerouted for Liberian rescue mission

Chinese Navy – Fall out from the Chinese submarine disaster.

• Associated Press: China Replaces Top Two Navy Commanders

US Navy – The latest in flight suits for aviators.

• Wired: Pilots Keep Their Cool Under Fire

International Naval News – A roundup of naval news from the German, Spanish, and Greek navies.

• SeaPower: New AIP Technology Heads to Sea

North Korean Navy – More on the plans for a naval blockade of North Korea by Japan, Australia, and the U.S.

• Daily Telegraph: Threat to N Korea’s secret navy

Background – Russia – Russian decline could yet bring new challenges for the United States.

• Air Force: Four Russian Scenarios

US Navy – The Naval Undersea Warfare Center believes it has a winner in the Spartan, an unmanned surface vehicle designed for an array of high-risk missions including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and mine warfare in the littorals.

• Sea Power: Spartan Unmanned Surface Vehicle Envisioned for Array of High-Risk Missions

Background – Marine of the Future – The US Army opened its Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies at MIT last month. They are working on some very interesting projects for the poor bloody infantry. Starship Troopers may be closer than we thought???Please, read what the dream is, and we’ll check back from time to time to see what the reality becomes???

• Reuters: Army, MIT Unveil Futuristic Soldier Center
• Associated Press: Future soldier to have massive network
• Boston Globe: Immense potential lies in amazingly small things
• Wired: Uber-Soldier Needs Much Debugging

US Navy – The the new and unique roles played by amphibious assault ships off of Iraq.

• Virginian Pilot: Navy and Marines form team

US Navy – The USS Constellation will be decomissioned.

• Business Wire: USS Constellation Decommissioning Work Awarded to United Defense’s San Diego Shipyard

Background – India – Will India and the US form an alliance to serve as a counterbalance to China?

• United Press International: Analysis: U.S: India may shift geostrategy

Background – Iraq – James F. Dunnigan tells the history of Iraq as a story of gang warfare, and the implications for peacekeeping and nation building.

• StrategyPage: The Gangs of Iraq