Indian Navy – India sets an ambitious exercise schedule for the next few months.

• Agence France-Presse:
  Indian navy to hold exercises with Oman, US, Russia: report

US Navy – More about the status of US aircraft carriers in the Gulf.

• Virginian Pilot: Some carriers may head home soon
• Washington Post: Some Ships, Planes Likely to Start Homeward

US Marines – The Marines are battling for Tikrit???

• BBC: US forces enter Tikrit
• BBC: U.S. Marines Move to Occupy Tikrit

US Marines – ???as others try to keep the peace.

• Washington Post: Marines Get Hands-On Civics Lesson

US Coast Guard – Some analysts have suggested that the increasingly
overburdened Coast Guard needs to hand off certain nonsecurity functions,
but the service’s chief officer said Tuesday that would be a mistake.

• Virginian Pilot: Coast Guard will
  rise to challenge, chief says

US Coast Guard – In some ways, what the crew members of the U.S.
Coast Guard cutter Wrangell have been doing in the Persian Gulf is similar
to the work they do at home in Maine.

• Portland Press Herald: Iraq tour tests endurance of crew on Maine cutter

Background – Strategy – Thomas Ricks and Rick Atkinson review the war to date.

• Washington Post: Confused Start, Decisive End

Background – Strategy – Colonel John Boyd’s influence on the US war plan.

• Post Gazette: How the bold run to Baghdad paid off

Background – Strategy – How the victory over Iraq empowers the transformation lobby.

• Daily Telegraph: ‘Fight light, fight fast’ theory advances

Background – Civilian Casualties – William Arkin on how the US should handle the issue of civilian casualties.

• Los Angeles Times: U.S. Should Heed the Pain of Grieving Iraqi Families

Royal Navy – The English are sending most of their naval task force in the Gulf home or to the Far East; HMS Ocean will remain on station in the Gulf.

• The Times: RAF crews are the first home, their job done

US Marines – Some Marines head toward Tikrit???

• Associated Press: U.S. Marines Move North Toward Tikrit

US Marines – ???while other Marines transition to peacekeeping.

• Washington Post: Marines Get New Mission: Restoring Law and Order

US Navy – The US prepares to rotate aircraft carriers back home.

• Associated Press: Some U.S. Carriers Set to Leave War Zone

Canadian Navy – Some of the anti-terrorism task force in the Gulf may be redeployed to the Horn of Africa.

• Canadian Press: Ships searching for terrorists in gulf could go to horn of Africa: commodore

US Navy – The Chinese continue to harass EP-3 flights off of China.

• Washington Times: Inside the Ring

Background – Strategy – John Keegan asks – why did the analysts so misanalyze this war?

• Daily Telegraph: The allies got it so right: how did the pundits get it so wrong?

Background – Strategy – Max Hasting analyses the (lack of) Iraqi strategy.

• Daily Telegraph: It was military Micawberism: Saddam simply hoped that something would turn up

Background – Axis of Evil – Who will be next on the American’s list?

• Daily Telegraph: ‘We want them to be nervous’ (That means you Ali, Bashar and Kim)

Royal Navy – While RFA Sir Galahad and RFA Sir Percivale have delivered humanitarian supplies to Umn Qasr, the port is still considered too dangerous for civilian ships.

• BBC: Port still blocked to aid ships

US Navy – The life and responsibilities of a plane captain on an aircraft carrier.

• Virginian Pilot: On carrier, some of Navy’s top-flight captains aren’t officers

Royal Marines – With the Royal Marines in Basra.

• BBC: In the palace with the marines

US Marines – With the Marines in Baghdad.

• Washington Post: Marines Battle Their Way Toward Central Baghdad
• New York Times: River Is Crossed After a Day of Fierce Fighting

US Marines – With the Marines of Task Force Tarawa far south of Baghdad.

• New York Times: Two Marine Battalions Turn to Confront the Remnants of a Lurking Iraqi Division
• New York Times: Marines Ponder Reports of Iraqis’ Premature Surrender

Background – Strategy – A nice look at the different ways to seize a city – the U.S. way and the U.K. way.

• New York Times: Five Ways to Take a City

???NOSI is taking a short break, and will next be updated on Sunday. See you then!

US Marines – With Task Force Tarawa south of Baghdad.

• Virginian Pilot: Heat, boredom are enemies of Charlie Company

US Marines – With the Marines outside Baghdad.

• Washington Post: Troops Pause After Battle in ‘Hell on Earth’

Background – Strategy – John Keegan criticises Saddam’s strategy, and describes what it should have been.

• Daily Telegraph: Saddam’s utter collapse shows this has not been a real war

US Navy – A more detailed look at how the Navy is using dolphins to clear mines at Umn Qasr.

• Washington Post: The Navy’s Dolphin-Safe Program

US Navy – Because so many amphibious ready groups and carrier battlegroups are currently forward deployed, those that deploy to relieve them will be at sea a long time to get deployment schedules back on track. Also the Navy is thinking of retaining the USS Constellation once the USS Ronal Reagan is commissioned, giving the US 13 aircraft carriers.

• Virginian Pilot: Next sailors, Marines to deploy may face longer missions

Background – Air War – William Arkin criticises the air war to date.

• Lost Angeles Times: The Price of Precision Bombing

Background – Air War – Another analysis of how successful the air war has been to date.

• Washington Post: Air War: Striking In Ways We Haven’t Seen

Background – Air War – How the air war is being conducted over Baghdad.

• Washington Post: Intense, Coordinated Air War Backs Baghdad Campaign

Background – Strategy – Thomas Ricks on how the type of war being waged is changing.

• Washington Post: Old-Style Battles Are Giving Way to ‘Checkpoint War’

US Marines – With the 7th Marine Regiment outside Baghdad.

• Washington Post: Marines Warily Hunt Unseen Enemy

US Marines – With Task Force Tarawa, covering the lines of supply.

• New York Times: Protecting the Rear in 100∞ Heat

US Marines – The Marines engage in a tense firefight on the edge of Baghdad.

• New York Times: Urban War Begins: ‘It Was Real Scary’

US Navy – How the Navy attempts to prevent fraternization at sea.

• Los Angeles Times: Sailors’ Warning: It’s the Navy, Not the ‘Love Boat’

Background – War Plan – Ralph Peters critiques the Secretary of Defense’s original war plan.

• New York Post: The Rashomon War

Background – Iraq – James F. Dunnigan lays down a scenario for how civil war may develop in Iraq in the coming days and weeks.

• StrategyPage: The Coming Iraqi Civil War

Background – Iraq – Ralph Peters nicely documents Saddam’s record of atrocities against his own people.

• New York Post: Baghdad Butcher

Background – Iraq – When did Bush decide that he had to fight Saddam?

• The New Yorker: How it came to war

US Marines – The Commander of the 1st Marine Regiment has been relieved of his command.

• Washington Post: Key Marine Commander Is Relieved

US Marines – The Marines are establishing an innovative medivac system.

• Aviation Week: In Iraq, Medics Pluck Newly Wounded By Air; Deliver Immediate Surgical Care

US Marines – With the Marines outside Baghdad.

• New York Times: Little Resistance Encountered as Troops Reach Baghdad

Royal Marines – Royal Marines are patroling the waterways of southern Iraq.

• Daily Telegraph: Britain rules the waves with goodwill

US Navy – Aboard the hospital ship USNS Comfort.

• Detroit Free Press: Medics treat allies — and enemy forces

US Navy – Aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

• Virginian Pilot: Everyone’s a night owl on Roosevelt

Background – Strategy – John Keegan again asks, what is Iraq’s strategy?

• Daily Telegraph: Where are all Iraq’s soldiers hiding?

Background – Strategy – A summary of John Keegan’s thoughts on the war to date.

• Weekly Standard: A Real War Expert

Background – Strategy – Ralph Peters comments on the successful US strategy so far.

• New York Post: On to Baghdad!

Background – Strategy – Thomas Ricks and Michael Gordon analyse the options for seizing Baghdad.

• Washington Post: Capital’s Mood, Defenses Guide Closing Moves
• New York Times: Goal of U.S.: Avoid a Siege

Background – Kurds – The mood among the Kurds is one of anticipationóand fear.

• The New Yorker: Letter from Northern Iraq – Waiting at the Front

Russian Navy – Russia will send a task force to the Indian Ocean.

• Interfax: Russia to hold naval exercises in Indian Ocean in May

Royal Australian Navy – Australia sends new mine sweeping technology urgently to Umn Qasr.

• Herald Sun: Aussie mine-clearer rushed to Iraq

US Marines – With the Marines outside Baghdad.

• BBC: US marines close on Baghdad
• Washington Post: For Marines, A Fight With A Foe That Never Arrived
• New York Times: U.S. Force Crosses Tigris, Wondering Where the Republican Guard Went

Background – Strategy – Thomas Ricks analyses the options available to the US now that it is outside Baghdad.

• Washington Post: Advance’s Dilemma: Press On, Or Wait

Background – Strategy – John Keegan asks some fascinating questions about the seeming lack of any Iraqi strategy.

• Daily Telegraph: Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Hussein?

Background – Special Forces – Ralph Peters analyses the US special forces.

• New York Post: Behind Enemy Lines

Background – Iraq – Tomahawks, bunker busters, and dust storms afflict the Iraqi capital.

• The New Yorker: Ill Winds

US Navy – With the pilots aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

• Washington Post: One Pilot Finds Targets, Another One Hits Them
• Washington Post: Causing Death and Destruction, but Never Seeing It

US Navy – The Navy has used up two thirds of its cruise missile inventory.

• Virginian Pilot: Two-thirds of Tomahawk missiles have been used in war

US Navy – There are continued problems with the Advanced Seal Delivery System.

• Virginian Pilot: Costly mini-sub program is behind schedule

US Marines – With the First Marine Division.

• Washington Post: Marines Cross Tigris in Big Push
• New York Times: Orders in Place, Word Goes Out That ‘This Is It’
• New York Times: Onward Toward the Tigris, With Iraq’s Capital in Mind

US Marines – A review of Meals Ready to Eat, from the Marine’s perspective.

• Virginian Pilot: For hungry Marines, dining is luck of the draw

US Coast Guard – The Coast Guard’s traditional tasks are suffering since 9/11.

• Washington Post: Traditional Coast Guard Duties Suffer, Study Says

US Navy – Implementation of Sea Strike requires a longer reach for Navy ships and aircraft.

• SeaPower: Visionary Concepts & Operational Realities

Background – Information War – Iraq’s communication infrastructure is being dismantled.

• Washington Post: In Shift, Air War Targets Communications Facilities

Background – The Arab Street – Ralph Peters surveys the Arab world and finds it sadly lacking in many ways.

• New York Post: Tragedy of the Arabs

Background – The Air War – The view from the banks of the Tigris.

• The New Yorker: The Bombing of Baghdad

Canadian Navy – HMCS Iroquois arrives in the Gulf.

• Canadian Press: Canadian destroyer arrives in Gulf to take over at command-and-control base

US Navy – The US is moving more escorts from the Med to the Red Sea so their cruise missiles will not overfly Turkey or Saudia Arabia.

• Virginian Pilot: Pentagon won’t confirm ships’ move to gulf for Tomahawk

US Navy – Sorties off of carriers in the Med continue to increase.

• Virginian Pilot: Bombing runs from carrier jets in Med have doubled

US Navy – Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

• New York Times: Carrier in the Gulf Gets More Striking Power, and Maybe the Hint of a Return Home

US Marines – The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit hits the beach in Kuwait.

• New York Times: Troops Heading Home Redirected to Gulf

US Marines – The Marines push forward towards Baghdad.

• New York Times: Orders in Place, Word Goes Out That ‘This Is It’

US Navy – More on the Sea Power 21 vision.

• SeaPower: To Dissuade, Deter, and Defeat

Background – Strategy – John Keegan gives an insightful analysis of the war’s progress to date.

• Daily Telegraph: This is not Vietnam – the allies are well on the way to victory

Background – Secretary of Defense – Seymour Hersch on the battle between Donald Rumsfeld and the Pentagon.

• The New Yorker: Offense and Defense

Sri Lankan Navy – Rebels attack a Sri Lankan Navy boat.

• Associated Press: Sri Lankan Rebels Attack Navy Ship

Royal Australian Navy – Australia is scaling down its prescence in the Gulf.

• Australian Associated Press: Suicide boats ‘major threat’ to Australian ships
• Associated Press: Australia to Scale Down Presence in Gulf

US Navy – In the field with the Navy’s new forward resuscitative surgical systems.

• Associated Press: Navy Surgeons Fight For ‘Golden Hour’

Royal Marines – With the Royal Marines participating in Operation James, outside Basra.

• The Mirror: A Day in My Life With 40 Commando
• Daily Telegraph: Royal Marines storm Basra suburb
• BBC: UK marines push on Basra

US Marines – With the Marines gathering outside Baghdad.

• New York Times: Marines Move Into ‘Bad Guy’ Land

US Marines – Marine Corps gears up for 21st-century special operations missions.

• SeaPower: The USMC-SOCOM Connection

Background – Strategy – William Arkin critiques the war to date.

• Los Angeles Times: Too Little Shock, Not Enough Awe

Background – Strategy – James Dunnigan on what lessons from history are influencing Saddam’s strategy.

• StrategyPage: What Saddam Learned from Serbia, Stalin and the SS
• StrategyPage: Saddam Succeeds with the Secret of Stalingrad
• StrategyPage: Saddam’s Plan For Victory

Background – Wargames – Austin Bay estimates the war will last 5-6 weeks, based on wargame simulations.

• StrategyPage: How long will the war last? Who knows, but here’s a guess

US Marines – The Marines get to put into practice the theory of the “Three Block War.”

• BBC: Analysis: The ‘three-block’ war

Royal Marines – In the HQ of 3 Commando Brigade during Operation James in the city of Basra.

• Daily Telegraph: Marines plan the siege of Basra
• Daily Telegraph: Battle for streets of Basr

NAVINT – Antony Preston’s naval news from the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, France, Italy, and Romania.

• SeaPower: BAE Systems Prime Contractor For U.K. CVF Carrier Program

Background – Strategy – James Webb gives a reality check. War *is* hell.

• New York Times: The War in Iraq Turns Ugly. That’s What Wars Do

Background – Shock and Awe – More on the theory of shock and awe.

• Washington Post: Shock and Awe The Idea Behind the Buzzwords

Background – Strategy – Thomas Ricks reviews the war’s progress to date.

• Washington Post: War’s Military, Political Goals Begin to Diverge

US Navy – The US suspends some cruise missile firing, in search of a cause of weapon malfunctions.

• Virginian Pilot: U.S. suspends Tomahawk firings in Red Sea, Med
  

US Navy – Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

• New York Times: A Diverse Crew Reflects the Nation’s Social Changes
• Washington Post: Serving the War Effort In Theater’s Mundane Jobs

US Navy – Aboard the USS Constellation.

• US News: Target hunting – The changing missions for the Constellation’s aircraft

Royal Marines – In the field with 42 Commando.

• BBC: Marines improvise creature comforts

US Marines – With the Marines outside Nasiriya.

• New York Times: In Nasiriya, Vigilance Is the Order of the Day
• Washington Post: U.S. Mounts House-to-House Sweeps

US Marines – Inside the Marines’ war room in Iraq.

• Washington Post: The Stakes Are High, the Air Tense, in Marines’ War Room

History – When the US Navy first went wireless – 100 years ago.

• SeaPower: The Navy Goes Wireless

Background – Covert Operations – A summary of US covert operations currently underway against Iraq.

• Washington Post: U.S. Teams Seek to Kill Iraqi Elite

Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – Japan expands its refueling of coalition ships in the Gulf.

• Associated Press: Japan to Refuel Canadian, Greek Warships

US Navy – The USS Nassau and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit are redeploying from the Horn of Africa to Iraq.

• Sun Journal: Battle details are slowly disclosed

Royal Navy – RFA Sir Galahad finally docks at Umn Qasr.

• BBC: UK aid ship docks at Iraqi port

US Navy – Aboard the high speed catamaran HSV-X1 Joint Venture in the Gulf which has become a seaborne forward operating base for Navy special operations forces.

• New York Times: Odd Vessel Serving Allies as Truck Stop That Floats

US Navy – With pilots aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

• New York Times: Grueling Work and Risk, and a Test of Flexibility

US Marines – The Marines morale is not all it could be???

• BBC: Conflict sapping forces’ morale

US Marines – ???and here is why???

• Washington Post: Marines in South Struggle to Identify Roving Militiamen

US Marines – A look at the friendly fire incident between two Marine units.

• Virginian Pilot: 31 Marines wounded in An Nasiriyah friendly fire

US Marines – A look at what the Marines’ snipers are doing.

• New York Times: Either Take a Shot or Take a Chance

US Navy – Congress tries to pass a bill to establish a 375 ship fleet.

• SeaPower: Congress, President Face a Year of Decision In National Security and Homeland Defense

Background – Iraq – James Dunnigan gives the top 10 myths about the war.

• StrategyPage: Top Ten Myths About the War in Iraq

Background – Strategy – John Keegan analyses what the next steps may be.

• Daily Telegraph: Pentagon looks north to bring on the back-up divisions

Background – Strategy – Ahmed Rashid compares and contrasts the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

• Daily Telegraph: It’s time for America to apply its Afghan lessons to Iraq

Background – Strategy – Thomas Friedman on what the US must do to declare victory in Iraq.

• New York Times: How to know if the U.S. is winning

US Marines – With the Marines in a firefight where close air support saves the day.

• The Times: We were struck when the Iraqi tanks came. Stranded, 90 miles from Baghdad ???

US Marines – The problems facing convoys trying to resupply Marines on the front line.

• New York Times: Endless Supply Convoy Is Frustrated Endlessly
• Washington Post: One Shot, and War Becomes Real
• Washington Post: A ‘Turkey Shoot,’ but With Marines as the Targets

Royal Navy – RFA Sir Galahad’s humanitarian aid is being held up by mines in Umn Qasr.

• Associated Press: Mines Delay Food Aid for Southern Iraq

US Navy – How the US Navy is trying to open up shipping lanes off of Iraq.

• New York Times: Cat and Mouse on Iraq’s Crucial Waterways

US Navy – The effect of the sandstorms on ships in the Gulf.

• Virginian Pilot: Norfolk ships, crews cope with sandstorms

US Navy – The effect of the sandstorms on air operations in the Gulf.

• New York Times: In an F-18, Five Seconds From a Deck Veiled by a Sandstorm

US Navy – Aboard the guided missile cruiser Cape St. George, the problems of deploying ahead of schedule.

• Virginian Pilot: Fast deployment adds to strain at sea

US Navy – Aboard the hospital ship USNS Comfort.

• Associated Press: Doctors on U.S. ship avoid taking of sides

US Navy – The USS Carl Vinson shows the flag off of Korea.

• The Christian Science Monitor: Carrier sails in a sea of conflict

US Navy – Further demonstrations of the maritime capabilities of the Global Hawk UAV are planned.

• SeaPower: Second Global Hawk LRIP for Northrop Grumman; Maritime Demonstration for Navy to Proceed

Background – Strategy – Thomas Ricks on the war plan to date.

• Washington Post: War Could Last Months, Officers Say

Background – Strategy – John Keegan on the effects that strict rules of engagement are having on coalition forces.

• Daily Telegraph: Will trying to avoid civilian casualties cause more deaths?

Background – Strategy – Ralph Peters on why the US military culture is superior to the Iraqi military culture.

• New York Post: Cultures in Combat

Background – Strategy – Ralph Peters on why there will not be a bloodbath in Baghdad.

• New York Post: No Baghdad Bloodbath

Background – Strategy – ???but Mark Bowden disagrees.

• New York Times: Will Baghdad Fight to the End?

Background – Special Forces – James F. Dunnigan on one potential use for special forces.

• StrategyPage: Saving Commandos for the Final Act

Royal Navy – Life aboard HMS Ark Royal in the Gulf.

• BBC: Groundhog days on Ark Royal

US Navy – The effect the weather has had on carrier operations.

• Virginian Pilot: Clouds and storms shut down combat missions from Truman

US Marines – With the Marines in An Nasiriyah.

• Virginian Pilot: Marine company gets call-up to help secure An Nasiriyah

Chinese Navy – The importance of submarines to China’s maritime strategy.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: China’s Subs Lead the Way

Background – Strategy – An excellent analysis by Ralph Peters on the US war plan to date.

• Washington Post: Shock, Awe and Overconfidence

Background – Strategy – Ralph Peters on the importance of infantry in war.

• New York Post: Boots on the Ground

US Navy – The US is using dolphins for mine sweeping around Umm Qasr.

• Daily Telegraph: Dolphins called in to search for harbour mines

US Navy – The Navy is using its new Super Hornets as air refueling tankers.

• Washington Post: Modified Fighter Jets Lend More Fuel to the Fight

US Navy – With the pilots aboard the USS Harry S. Truman.

• Virginian Pilot: Jets from Norfolk carrier fly into dense fog

US Marines – With the Marines of Task Force Tarawa outside Nasiriyah.

• Virginian Pilot: Marines of Charlie Company carry out morbid business

US Navy – The Combat Direction Systems Activity in Dam Neck, Va., is a key enabler for operational superiority and warfighter readiness.

• SeaPower: From Turbulence To Testing To Combat Success

Background – Strategy – John Keegan analyses coalition progress to date.

• Daily Telegraph: Tough decisions at Baghdad gates

Background – Strategy – Thomas Ricks analyses coalition progress to date.

• Washington Post: Unfolding Battle Will Determine Length of War

Background – Airpower – James Dunnigan on how the JDAM GPS-guided bomb may fare poorly as a weapon in support of street fighting.

• StrategyPage: Is JDAM Smart Enough for Street Fighting?

Background – Fedayeen paramilitaries – A clear explanation of the situation on the ground in Southern Iraq that I have yet to see on TV – a look at how Saddam’s Fedayeen paramilitaries are the main threat to coalition ground forces.

• Daily Telegraph: ‘Time to stop being Mr Nice Guy’
• Daily Telegraph: Attacks prevent peaceful occupation

Royal Marines – Life with the Royal Marines in the field.

• BBC: Marines’ harsh desert existence

US Navy – Aboard the USS Harry S. Truman.

• Virginian Pilot: Truman launches its largest strike effort yet

US Marines – With the Marines in Task Force Tarawa.

• Virginian Pilot: At Iraqi river crossing, danger increases for Marines

US Coast Guard – Patrolling US ports from the sky with Coast Guard aviators.

• Virginian Pilot: Eyes in the sky keep waters safe

Background – War on Terror– An analysis of using terrorism as a way to wage war against the US.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: The New Arab Way of War

Analysis – A few thoughts of my own.

The non-story so far is that Israel has not been attacked by SCUDs fired from Iraq, thus keeping Israel out of the war. This means the special forces are being very successful in western Iraq.

The worst story so far is Turkey not letting the 4th Infantry Division in to open the Northern Front. US troops need to be inserted as a buffer between the Turks and the Kurds and the northern oil fields near Kirkuk need to be taken.

The biggest question so far is where are the 101st Airborne and the 82nd Airborne divisions? My guess is that some of these units are being sent to the north of Iraq to open the Northern Front. Quite possibly some of them may be inserted behind the Republican Guard troops outside Baghdad to surround them completely. We should learn the position of these units soon.

Now back to the news???

Background – Strategy – Thomas Ricks critiques the war plan so far.

• Washington Post: U.S. Casualties Expose Risks, Raise Doubts About Strategy

Background – Strategy – William Arkin comments on the war plan.

• Los Angeles Times: A War of Subtle Strategy

US Navy – How the Navy is trying to capture oral histories of participants in the war.

• Washington Post: In the Service of History

US Marines – Inside the Marine Combat Operations Center.

• Washington Post: War Planning Is Work in Progress

US Marines – The logistic challenges facing the Marines.

• Washington Post: Fuel is Limiting Factor in Rush Toward Baghdad

US Navy – A combat mission over Iraq with pilots from the USS Abraham Lincoln.

• Washington Post: Target Practice Of a Different Sort

US Marines – With the Marines of Task Force Tarawa.

• Virginian Pilot: Lejeune Marines greeted by waving kids, surrendering Iraqis

Indonesian Navy – Indonesia is building a new naval base in western Paupua.

• Agence France Presse: Indonesian navy to build second base in west of Papua province

US Coast Guard – Modernization of the Coast Guardís C4ISR systems is a critical element of the Deepwater acquisition strategy.

• SeaPower: Gaps, Deficiencies, and the C4ISR Solution

Background – Strategy – Edward Luttwak reviews the war plan so far.

• Daily Telegraph: Dawn of a new kind of war

Background – Information Warfare – James Dunnigan on how the US is conducting information warfare against Iraq.

• StrategyPage: PsyWar Versus Shock and Awe

Background – History – A review of the earlier British invasion of Iraq.

• The New Yorker: Letter from Baghdad – Invasions

US Navy – How the Navy has prevented the Iraqi’s from mining Umn Qasr.

• Virginian Pilot: Navy seizes boats carrying mines in Iraqi port

US Navy – With the pilots aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

• Washington Post: ‘We Had to Drive Right Into It’

US Navy – Aboard the USS Harry S. Truman.

• Virginian Pilot: Norfolk-based Truman joins allied forces in invasion

US Marines – The importance of amphibious ready groups in the post-Vietnam era, and what it bodes for the future.

• Marine Corps Gazette: Amphibious Forces: The ë9-1-1í Number Has Never Been Busier! So Now What?

BBC – What interests me most, coverage-wise, are the front-line reports from correspondents. Here are the combined Weblogs of the BBC’s front-line correspondents. I am checking this several times a day???

• BBC: Reporters’ Log: War in Iraq

Background – Shock and Awe – Where the term comes from???

• Daily Telegraph: Shock and awe ‘kills will to fight’

Background – Strategy – Thomas Ricks reviews the battle plan.

• Washington Post: A Daring Race to Baghdad

Background – Strategy – John Keegan reviews the battle plan.

• Daily Telegraph: Battle plan on the road to Baghdad

Background – Strategy – Ralph Peters on the challenges facing Iraq’s generals; and how the decapitation strike against Saddam portends a revolution in how wars are to be conducted.

• New York Post: Revolutionary War

Background – Diplomacy – Ralph Peters on how this war will help change diplomacy in the future.

• New York Post: The War That Will Change the World

Background – Information War – How the US is waging its information war.

• MSNBC: Psyops employed to sap Iraqi spirit

Background – Information War – James Dunnigan on how Saddam is waging his information war.

• StrategyPage: Saddam’s Information Weapons

Royal Australian Navy – Australia discovers mines before they are laid by Iraq in the Gulf.

• ABC: Australian Navy discovers mines

US Navy – Aboard the USS Harry S. Truman.

• Virginian Pilot: Carrier Truman readies for war roles

US Navy – The Navy is playing a key role in the airwar through its Tomahawk cruise missiles.

• Associated Press: Navy Launches 320 Cruise Missiles at Iraq

Royal Marines and US Marines – The battle for the port of Umm Qasr.

• BBC: Tough battle for Umm Qasr

Royal Marines and US Marines – The battle for the oil fields in Southern Iraq.

• Daily Telegraph: Key victory as oilfields secured by allied troops
• Daily Telegraph: Marines defy hail of fire to lead assault
• Washington Post: Marines Seize Major Iraqi Oil Facility

US Marines – Marine Corps Enterprise Network provides secure and reliable computer communications for Corps units at home and overseas.

• SeaPower: Flexibility, Response Time, And Warfighting Capabilities

And it’s go, go, go, go, go!

I plan to continue to update, once a day, slightly after midnight Greenwich Mean Time.

I’ve just seen incredible live video on CNN of the US Army 7th Cavalry racing towards Baghdad.

US Navy – Although it is unclear whether he is dead, it appears that the decapitation attack against Saddam has been effective in that he does not appear to be in control of his military.

• Washington Post: Hussein’s Fate Still Uncertain

Background – Strategy – Thomas Ricks on how we are seeing “Shock and Pause” rather than “Shock and Awe.”

• Washington Post: Calibrated War Makes Comeback

Royal Marines – The Royal Marines have staged an amphibious assault outside Basra.

• The Times: Lightning assault by Marines leads push for Basra

US Marines – Along with the US Army, US Marine units have crossed the border into Iraq in a dash towards Basra.

• Washington Post: Ground War Starts, Airstrikes Continue As U.S. Keeps Focus on Iraq’s Leaders
• Washington Post: In the Heat of War, the Best-Laid Plans Can be Ditched Fast

US Navy – Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

• Washington Post: Beginning of War Surprises Crew

US Navy – Aboard the USS Harry S. Truman.

• Virginian Pilot: ”Nuggets” train for air strikes as untested pilots

US Marines – With the Force Recon Marines.

• Washington Post: No-Frills Force Paves Way in a High-Tech War

US Marines – ???meanwhile Marines are exercising in Korea.

• Associated Press: Marines storm beach in US-South Korean war games

NAVINT – Antony Preston’s naval news from the Greek, Indian, Latvian and South African navies

• SeaPower: Hellenic Navy Moves Ahead With Upgrades to Combat Fleet

???And away we go???

US Navy – The US commences hostilities against Iraq with a decapitation attack against Saddam Hussein in the early morning hours in Iraq. No sign yet of the “shock and awe” though???

• CNN: Bush gives order to attack Iraq

Kuwaiti Navy – Have the first shots at sea been fired?

• The Times: First shots fired at sea as allied battle plan unfolds

Iraqi Navy – Is Iraq seeding the upper Gulf with mines?

• Wall Street Journal: US Naval Forces See No Disruption To Gulf Shipping Lanes

Canadian Navy – Canada will maintain its naval forces in the Gulf, but will not take part in the war on Iraq.

• The Globe and Mail: Naval role vital now, McCallum declares

US Navy – Aboard the submarine USS Providence in the Gulf.

• The Day: Submarine Crew On Station For War

US Marines – Training with the Marines in the desert.

• Washington Post: Training ‘Strategic Corporals’
• Virginian Pilot: Marines at the ready, hope deadline is for real

US Navy – Aboard the USS Harry S. Truman.

• Virginian Pilot: Aboard Truman, battle planning won’t occur in ship’s “War Room”

US Navy – Aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

• Virginian Pilot: Roosevelt crew sleeps to shift to night operations

US Navy – Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

• Washington Post: Commander Prepares Troops for Battle

US Marines – The importance of the digital battlefield to the Marines

• Marine Corps Gazette: Digital Combat Operations Centers

Background – Europe – Al Nofi on what the new Europe may look like.

• StrategyPage: European Resistance to the Return of the Carolingian Empire

Background – Poor Bloody Infantry – John Keegan on how soldiers mentally get through war.

• Daily Telegraph: Soldiers don’t like war, but when it comes, they want to be there

Royal Navy – A look at the Royal Navy’s assets in the Gulf.

• BBC: UK Forces Breakdown

Royal Navy – Aboard RFA Argus, which is serving as a hospital ship for the British.

• The Times: Ship of mercy in Gulf is ready to receive wounded

US Navy – This will be the F-14’s last war.

• Virginian Pilot: F-14 Tomcat may see final mission in Iraq

US Marines – NCOs are the heart of the Marines.

• Virginian Pilot: Plain-spoken gunnery sergeant keeps his Marines sharp

Background – Iraq – Thomas Ricks on why this needs to be a short war.

• Washington Post: Duration of War Key to U.S. Victory

Background – Iraq – John Keegan on why Saddam has no where to run.

• Daily Telegraph: Saddam won’t go into exile: there’s nowhere for him to run

Background – Air Defenses – William Arkin analyses Iraq’s air defense system.

• MSNBC: Iraq’s air defense will be first hit

Background – North Korea – James Dunnigan gives an excellent review of North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile program.

• StrategyPage: Super SCUDs in North Korea

US Navy – Naval news from around the fleet.

• SeaPower: ARGs, Prepositioned Ships Offload Marines in Kuwait

US Marines – An unusual combination – corpsman and sniper.

• Washington Post: If Marine ‘Doc’ Must Pick Up a Gun, It Will Be a Sniper Rifle

US Navy – How simulators allow aircraft missions to be precisely practiced beforehand.

• Washington Post: Military Brings 3-D Advantage to War Preparation

US Navy – With the Tomahawk shooters aboard the USS San Jacinto.

• Virginian Pilot: Tomahawk missiles ready for first wave of attack

US Marines – A look at the Marine’s light armored vehicles (LAVs).

• CNN: Light armored vehicles ready for action

US Marines – Why the Marines take public relations seriously.

• Marine Corps Gazette: Back to the Future in Public Affairs

Background – Phillipines – James F. Dunnigan gives an overview of the terrorism problems in the Phillipines.

• StrategyPage: Tropical Vikings