Canadian Navy – A new Canadian task force is deploying to relieve the one already in the Arabian Sea.

• Daily News: Porn-surfing commodore to head navy in Arabian Sea
  

• CBC: Sailors leave Victoria as HMCS Ottawa departs for Gulf
• Halifax Herald: Charlottetown will return March 4
• Victoria Times Colonist: HMCS Ottawa heads out on sea of tears

US Navy – The USS John F. Kennedy battlegroup sets sail for the Arabian Sea.

• Virginian Pilot: Carrier Kennedy moves out to relieve Roosevelt
  

Russian Navy -The Russian Navy has officially stated that the evidence continues to point towards a torpedo explosion as the cause of the Kursk’s sinking, a collision with another submarine has now been officially eliminated as a cause.

• Washington Post: Admiral: Kursk Had Unstable Torpedoes

Royal New Zealand Navy – Without any fast jets left in its own air force to train against, the Royal New Zealand Navy is training against warbirds.

• Daily Telegraph:
  Navy under attack by planes from past

Royal Marines – The Royal Marines accidentally invaded Spain instead of Gibraltar in a training exercise.

• Daily Telegraph: Marines storm ashore – in the wrong country

NOSI has been difficult to reach for the last few days due to problems at our Web hosting provider. These problems appear to have resolved, and we will be publishing again on Wednesday.

US Marines – The life of a Marine recruit at Parris Island.

• Washington Post: Sent by Crisis, Called by Duty

US Marines – None of the Marine KC-130’s in Afghanistan are outfitted with night vision gear – while the KC-130’s stateside do have night vision gear. Why?

• Washington Post: Marine KC-130 That Hit Mountain Had No Night Vision

Royal New Zealand Navy – New Zealand’s navy has been assisting in the salvage of a grounded vessel leaking oil off its shore.

• Reuters: NZ Workers Race Clock to Salvage Stricken Vessel
  

US Navy – An essay on the challenges of wargaming network centric warfare.

• US Navy War College Review: Wargaming network-centric warfare

US Navy – The USS John F. Kennedy continues to work up with her air wing.

• Virginian Pilot: Kennedy, air wing shake off

Canadian Navy – The Canadian Navy intercepted and sunk a vessel in the Arabian Sea that was smuggling drugs.

• Canadian Press: Canadian warship blasts, sinks drug-laden vessel in Arabian Sea
  

US Coast Guard – A 10 part series on the difficulties in attempting to enforce homeland security.

• Washington Times: Homeland security: Parts 1 through 5
• Washington Times: Homeland security: Parts 6 through 10

US Navy – An essay on what is wrong with wargaming in the US Navy today – an over reliance on technology, rather than human analysis, in the games.

• Naval War College Review: Wargaming in the Information Age – Theory and Purpose

US Navy – The Streetfighter concept – for a Littoral Combat Ship – is moving ahead.

• Virginian Pilot: Navy moves to develop a novel type of warship
  

Russian Navy – The Russian Navy is moving ahead with the design of 4th generation nuclear attack submarines.

• Sea Power: Russian Navy Moves Forward With “Fourth-Generation” SSNs
  

US Coast Guard – Flying search and rescue missions with the US Coast Guard in Alaska.

• Outside: Chopper Queen
  

US Navy – William Arkin on the latest numbers on who did what in the air war in Afghanistan.

• Los Angeles Times: Old-Timers Prove Invaluable in Afghanistan Air Campaign
  

US Marines – The role played by the US Marines Chemical and Biological Incident Response Team in the Anthrax attack on the US Capitol.

• Sea Power: “We Were Ready”

Background – Terrorism – Why tracking down terrorists in Europe is so difficult???using Germany as an example.

• New Yorker:Private Lives

Royal Navy – HMS Vanguard, part of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, begins her first major refit.

• BBC: Seven held over Trident sub protest
  

US Marines – The status of the US Marine Corps reserve.

• Sea Power: A Tremendous Pool of Talent
  MFR Is “Ready, Willing, and Able”

Background – Smart Weapons – James F. Dunnigan on why the US continues to have such a shortage of smart weapons.

• Strategy Page: Where Have All the Smart Bombs Gone?
  

Background – Open Source Intelligence – The history of open source intelligence in the US military.

• The Atlantic: Councils of War

US Navy – The USS Theodore Roosevelt may set a record for consecutive days at sea.

• Virginian Pilot: Roosevelt could be home for Easter
  

Canadian Navy – HMCS Halifax has returned from the Arabian Sea.

• Canadian Press: HMCS Halifax returns
  

Background – Budget – William Arkin on how the new defense budget discourages transformation.

• Washington Post: An Indefensible Budget

US Coast Guard – Aboard the USCGC Albacore, being pushed beyond its limits.

• Virginian Pilot: Coast Guard is pushed to the limit
  

US Navy – P-3C and EP-3 Orion aircraft continue their surveillance of Somalia and Yemen.

• The Times: US turns to Yemen and Somalia in war on terrorism
  

Canadian Navy – HMCS Victoria, Canada’s first Upholder-class submarine, remains in drydock undergoing refitting, which is running significantly longer than expected. It has been over a year since it arrived in Canada.

• Daily News: New sub stuck in Halifax port

US Navy – The MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter is slowly entering service.

• Associated Press: Navy Debuts New Transport Helicopter
  

US Navy – The Chief of Naval Operations on why funding readiness is more important than funding new ships.

• San Diego Union Tribune: Chief of naval operations offers pep talk to sailors headed to war
  

Background – Transformation – Transformation *is* occuring, just more slowly than hoped for???

• Washington Post: 1’s and 0’s Replacing Bullets in U.S. Arsenal

Background – Saudi Arabia and Egypt – How to help choke off terrorism – tell the governments of Egypt and Saudi Arabia to stop their anti-American diatribe. Thomas Friedman agrees and says these countries need to see the truth for their own good.

• The Atlantic: The Real Roots of Terror
• New York Times: Blunt Question, Blunt Answer

US Navy – A description of the sorts of special operations that US Navy SEALs have been performing in Afghanistan.

• USA Today: Commandos’ fight abroad also a hit at home
  

US Navy – Lessons learned for the submarine community, one year after the accidental sinking of the Ehime Maru.

• Reuters: One year later, sub crash on minds of Navy

Canadian Navy – HMCS Vancouver has seized a tanker suspected of smuggling oil out of Iraq, in violation of UN sanctions.

• Canadian Press: Canadian frigate seizes ship in Arabian Sea
  

US Navy – An EA-6B Prowler squadron’s members return from Afghanistan.

• The Herald: ‘I’d do it again in a heartbeat’

Russian Navy – The presence of ice on the Kursk is hindering its scrapping.

• Agence France-Presse: Ice in sunken Kursk slows retrieval of bodies

Royal Navy – An interview with First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Nigel Essenhigh.

• SeaPower: Ready to Fight and Win

US Navy – The USS Mount Whitney will participate in Exercise Strong Resolve 2002, an operation other than war exercise, in the Baltic.

• Virginian Pilot: Local ships, 2,500 personnel will head to Europe
  

US Navy – The top Pakistani general visited the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

• Associated Press: Pakistani Official Visits U.S. Ship

US Navy – An overview of the capabilities of the upcoming LPD-17 class.

• SeaPower: A Renewed Commitment to Core Capabilities
  LPD 17: A Ship Built for Warfighters
  

Background – Military Internet Use – James F. Dunnigan on why the Internet gives officers tasked with guarding operational security ulcers.

• Strategy Page: The Dark Side of Military Web Use
  

Background – Terrorism – A former CIA agent argues the only way to fight terrorism is with overwhelming force.

• The Atlantic: The Necessity of Fear

German Navy – The German Navy’s largest deployment since World War II is taking place off the Horn of Africa in support of the war against terrorism.

• News24: German navy ships patrol Horn
  

US Navy – The US Navy has elected to purchase other things than new ships in its next budget.

• Virginian Pilot: Navy, not president, cut shipbuilding
  

• San Diego Union Tribune: Defense plan sends Navy into some rough budgetary seas
  

Background – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) – William Arkin on the threats faced by UAV’s from both friends and foes.

• Los Angeles Times: Unmanned Planes Face Threats From Near, Far

Background – Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) – Just exactly who does have WMD?

• Economist: Know thine enemy
  

Indian Navy – India hopes to sign a lease with Russia for two nuclear submarines.

• The Tribune: India, Russia to sign submarine deal
  

US Navy – The USS John F. Kennedy nearly collied with the oiler USS Leroy Grumman during underway replenishment operations.

• Virginian Pilot: Eight aboard carrier JFK injured in refueling accident
  

• Virginian Pilot: Kennedy helmsman may have been at fault
  

US Marines – US Marines are helping to guard the Newport News ship yard.

• Associated Press: Marines Patrol Norfolk Shipyard
  

Chinese Navy – The Chinese are about to test again their new sea-launched ballistic missile, the JL-2.

• Washington Times: Inside the Ring

US Navy – The airfield on Midway Island, currently run by a private company, may close.

• Associated Press: Pacific Refueling Base Threatened
  

US Marines – The US Marines helicopter fleet is rapidly reaching block obsolescence.

• San Diego Union Tribune: Crashes highlight potential danger in Marines’ aging airfleet
  

US Navy – The USS John F Kennedy will begin sea trials this week.

• Virginian Pilot: USS Kennedy to begin sea trials next week
  

Background – Targeting – The ultimate goal – decrease the time from sensor to shooter to minutes, if not seconds???

• Air Force Magazine: From Sensor to Shooter
  

Background – Turkey – How important is Turkey as an ally? Very important.

• Air Force Magazine: Turkey Stands Forward

US Marines – US Marines are participating in Exercise Edged Mallet in Kenya.

• News24: US, Kenyan troops in joint training
  

• The Nation: US Troops Arrive
  

Royal Air Force – RAF Rescue helicopters rescued crewman from a number of sinking vessels during some fierce storms off of England.

• BBC: Crews rescued as storms batter UK
  

• Associated Press: British Fliers Rescue Fishing Crew

Background – Enduring Freedom – A summary of Operation Enduring Freedom to date, from the US Air Force’s perspective. To read this article, you’d never know the US Navy was even involved. Always interesting to read the other service’s point of view!

• Air Force: Enduring Freedom

Background – NATO – Thomas Friedman on how our NATO allies are becoming irrelevant to the US due to their antiquated military technology.

• New York Times: The End of NATO?

Here is some leisurely Sunday reading material???

Background – Special Operations / Black Hawk Down – I have recently seen the movie “Black Hawk Down,” and I commend it to anyone who is interested in special operations. I suspect that this highly realistic movie is as close as one can come to experiencing a special operation short of actually being on one.

The situation in Somalia in 1993 is somewhat similar to the situation in Afghanistan today. The original mission in Somalia was humanitarian relief, that was changed to nation building which was opposed by hostile warlords. In Afghanistan the original mission was war, and it is now evolving into nation building, which is also being opposed by hostile warlords.

What lessons were learned in Somalia that can be applied to Afghanistan? Here are some articles on Somalia that supply the necessary background.

• PBS Frontline documentary: Ambush in Mogadishu – The interviews with the key players in this documentary are fascinating reading for deriving lessons learned.

• Philadelphia Inquirer: Black Hawk Down – This is the original newspaper series.

• US Army: History of the Rangers

US Navy – How US Navy ships can be defended against unconventional threats.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: Kamikazes, Q-Ships & Carrier Defense
  

US Navy – A ship-based anti-ballistic missile system successfully completed a test firing.

• Associated Press: Interceptor Hits Target In Navy Anti-Missile Test
• CNN: U.S. military tests ship-based missile

Background – Afghanistan – James F Dunnigan on how the drug trade is more important that hunting al Qaeda members to many Pushtuns.

• Strategy Page: The Drug Gangs of Afghanistan
  

US Coast Guard – The US Coast Guard needs faster patrol boats to keep up with its foes.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: The Need for Big Speed
  

US Navy – The operations of the US Navy attack submarine force will again move into the black world.

• Virginian Pilot: Submarines will run even more silent on operations

Royal Air Force – Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft conversion work continues forward at a glacial pace.

• Jane’s: RAF Nimrod MRA.4 ‘powers-up’ for ground tests

Royal New Zealand Navy – The Royal New Zealand Navy hopes to construct 3 new vessels: a multirole vessel capable of carrying troops and equipment, and two offshore patrol vessels. These 3 vessels will be built instead of a third new frigate.

• ONENews: Local benefit to new navy contracts
  

Canadian Navy – Sabotage against Canadian Navy helicopters appears to be confined to only 1 aircraft.

• Halifax Daily News: Military: Sea Kings test clean
  

US Navy – The John F. Kennedy’s air wing is perfoming its final predeployment workup, without its carrier.

• Virginian Pilot: Commander ready for most important deployment

Background – Afghanistan – Who exactly was lifted out of Afghanistan and into Pakistan when the Taliban collapsed in southern Afghanistan in December? An analysis of the politico-military situation inside Pakistan today.

• New Yorker: The Getaway

Royal Navy – A little gunboat diplomacy between the Royal Navy and the Spanish Coast Guard off Gibraltar.

• Daily Telegraph: Navy in Gibraltar gunboat stand-off

Indian Navy – How the Indian Navy may obtain a nuclear strike capability.

• Pakistan News Service: ndian Navy’s club missiles being N-tipped

US Navy – More details on the USS Greeneville’s collision with the USS Ogden.

• Washington Post: ‘Jinxed’ Sub Hits Navy Ship

US Navy – The US Navy’s senior leaders have been told to ask for more new shipbuilding funds.

• Virginian Pilot:
  Warner to Navy brass: Fight for more ships
  

Background – Terrorism – Thomas Friedman on how the West must begin to understand what is happening in its own backyard, in the chemical reaction between Western societies and their own mosques and Muslim diasporas.

• New York Times: The 2 Domes of Belgium

US Navy – The USS Greeneville has collided with the USS Ogden in the Arabian Sea.

• Reuters: US warship, submarine, collide off Oman

US Navy – The crew of the USS John F. Kennedy are working hard to get ready to deploy.

• Virginian Pilot: Fixing the Kennedy
  

Canadian Coast Guard – Canadians must do more to defend their shores against terrorism.

• Halifax Daily News: Canada must step up coastal defence

Background – Afghanistan – The current situation on the ground faced by special forces in Afghanistan, with commentary by the editor of Jane’s World Armies.

• Christian Science Monitor: After Tora Bora, US hunts alone
  

Background – Secretary Rumsfield – William Arkin argues the US Secretary of Defense has been more talk than action in terms of transforming the military over the last year.

• Washington Post: Rumsfeld’s Year in Review

US Navy – Over the Arabian Sea, on patrol with US Navy P-3C Orions, looking for Al-Qaida members trying to flee Afghanistan by ship.

• Associated Press: U.S. Planes Scour Sea for Al-Qaida

US Marines – What the Taliban’s caves looked like to the US Marines searching them.

• Associated Press: Marines Reveal Items From Al-Qaida

US Navy – The USS Peleliu amphibious ready group will take a shore leave in Australia.

• The Australian: Hicks’s ship to dock in WA
  

Background – Saudi Arabia – Has the time come for the US to leave Saudi Arabia?

• The Economist: Time to move on

Background – Cryptography – Why and how the balance of power has shifted between the codemakers and the codebreakers – and the national security implications of this.

• The Atlantic: Losing the Code War

US Coast Guard – There are felt to be numerous terrorist targetson the Great Lakes, including locks, ports, and nuclear power plants.

• Toronto Globe and Mail: Terrorist targets exist on Great Lakes, says U.S. official
  

Russian Navy – The disassembly of the Kursk continues.

• Associated Press: Another seaman pulled from wrecked Russian submarine

US Navy – The USS John F Kennedy battlegroup will not go to sea until it is ready.

• Virginian Pilot: Ship won’t go until it’s ready, says Adm. Natter
  

Canadian Navy – HMCS Halifax is on its way home from the Arabian Sea.

• Halifax Herald: HMCS Halifax passes through Suez Canal, expected home Feb. 11

Chinese Air Force – The Chinese are outfitting their Su-30 attack aircraft with antiship cruise missiles, thus giving their air force a more potent antiship strike capability.

• Washington Times: Inside the Ring

US Merchant Marine – The Bush administration has admitted there is a huge shortage of US Merchant Marine sailors to man the Ready Reserve Force of merchant ships in time of war.

• Baltimore Sun: Shipping crew deficit called wartime risk

US Marines – The current plans to resume MV-22 Osprey flight testing.

• Virginian Pilot: Pentagon to resume Osprey flight tests