Russian Navy – The Russian Navy will commission the nuclear attack submarine Gepard.

• Associated Press: Putin to launch Russian nuclear submarine, first since sinking of Kursk

US Navy – As the F-14’s days in the fleet are numbered, its testing days at Pax River come to an end.

• Washington Post: Navy’s Plans to Retire F-14 Tomcats Bring an End to an Era at Pax River

US Marines – On the ground, hygiene is everything???

• Associated Press: U.S. Marines note basic lesson for fighting in Afghanistan: hygiene

Background – Strategy – William Arkin on how it might not be all that difficult to topple Saddam Hussein.

• Washington Post dot mil: Should Iraq Be Next?

US Marines – With the US Marines in Afghanistan, liaison troops from the UK, Australia and Germany are also at the base.

• Washington Post: Marines at ‘Camp Justice’ on the Lookout for Taliban
• Washington Post: Marines Strengthen Presence in Afghanistan

US Navy – Thomas Ricks on how the new ability to hit emerging targets from the air holds lessons for the future of USAF and US Navy aviation.

• Washington Post: Bull’s-Eye War: Pinpoint Bombing Shifts Role of GI Joe

Royal Malaysian Navy – The Royal Malaysian Navy is beefing up patrols in Sabah waters in order to increase security on Malaysia’s eastern border with the Philippines.

• The Star: More navy vessels deployed in Sabah waters

US Navy – What the future holds for naval gun fire support for Marines.

• SeaPower: Naval Surface Fire Support: On Target
  

US Navy – The Newport News shipyard has been acquired by Northrup Grumman.

• Virginian Pilot: Northrop Grumman takes over Newport News Shipbuilding
  

US Coast Guard – Aboard the US Coast Guard Cutter Forward in Chesapeake Bay.

• Times of London: US sea watch turns tide on terrorists

Russian Navy – The blame for the Kursk disaster slowly begins to be assigned.

• BBC: Kursk inquiry admirals punished
  

US Navy – Aboard the USS Theordore Roosevelt, some Sailors and Marines are pursing college course work.

• Associated Press: Sailors and Marines at war take classes at night aboard U.S. aircraft carrier

US Marines – On the ground with the US Marines in Afghanistan at Forward Operating Base Rhino.

• Washington Post: More Marines Land in Afghanistan
• Washington Times: Marines establish combat base

Canadian Navy – Canadian ships are now part of the US Navy battlegroups in the Arabian Sea.

• Halifax Herald: Halifax-based ships escorting U.S. carriers

Indonesian Navy – The CINCPACLFT says that Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore need to do more to combat the piracy in their territorial waters.

• Associated Press: US Pacific commander says Indonesia, neighbors should prevent terror attacks on shipping

Background – Strategy – Former US Navy Secretary James Webb on what we can learn from the British and Soviet empires as we devise new doctrines for the new threats we face.

• Wall Street Journal: A New Doctrine for New Wars

German Navy – The German Navy is spending more of its time in the Mediterranean.

• Jane’s: Surface solutions for the German Navy

US Marines – Who has the better assault rifle – the US Marines or the Taliban?

• Jane’s: M16 versus AK: an assessment from Janeís Infantry Weapons

US Navy – CINCLANT says the utility of aircraft carriers should not be doubted anymore.

• Virginian Pilot: Commander says carriers’ success leaves no doubt about value

US Marines – US Marines are patrolling outside Kandahar.

• Washington Post: Troops Face Serious Threat, Rumsfeld Says
  

Please note: – Updating of NOSI may be a bit erratic over the next few days???

US Marines – US Marine forces are already seeing combat in Afghanistan.

• Associated Press: U.S. Marines battle armored column near new base in southern Afghanistan
• CNN: Marines in action in Afghanistan
• BBC: US Marines launch first strike

French Navy – The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will join the US task force in the Arabian Sea in December.

• CNN: France to commit 5,000 troops
• Reuters: France to Send Carrier Group to Indian Ocean
• Associated Press: France to send aircraft carrier to Indian Ocean

US Navy – The US Navy may mothball all its Spruance-class destroyers years ahead of schedule to save money that can be spent on upgrading aviation assets; this will exacerbate the shortage of ships available for operations.

• San Diego Union Tribune: Navy may mothball entire Spruance class of destroyers

US Coast Guard – An essay on why homeland security is an important mission and why the US Coast Guard is the service to do it.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: Homeland Security Is a Coast Guard Mission

US Marines – US Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the USS Peleliu amphibious ready ground, and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the USS Bataan amphibious ready group have landed outside Kandahar in order to join US and UK special forces in the hunt for Taliban and al Qaeda operatives.

• CNN: Up to 1,500 Marines destined for south Afghanistan
• Washington Post: Marines Sent Into Afghanistan

Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – More Japanese ships have deployed to the Arabian Sea.

• Associated Press: Japanese warships deployed to support war on terrorism
• CNN: Japanese war effort sets sail

Canadian Navy – The Canadian Navy considers acquiring its own organic sealift capability.

• Edmonton Sun: We want ships!
  

Royal Marines – Why the Royal Marines’ SBS unit is going nowhere at Bagram airfield near Kabul.

• Daily Telegraph: How 680 Paras drove a wedge between London and Washington

Background – Strategy – The next countries targeted in the war against terrorism will be Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

• Sunday Times of London: The Allies’ next targets: US pledges bombs will give way to stiletto attacks on ‘the evil ones’
• Sunday Times of London: US targets three more countries

US Navy – A sign of China’s support of the war against terrorism: US ships are being allowed port calls in Hong Kong.

• United Press International: China okays U.S. carrier stop in Hong Kong

Canadian Navy – The Canadian supply ship HMCS Preserver in the Arabian Sea is having difficulty making enough fresh water.

• Victoria Times Colonist: Supply ship’s water woes keep Sea Kings from flying

Background – Ground War – How the ground war in the south of Afghanistan may shape up to be a true guerilla war.

• Washington Post: In the South, U.S. Faces a Guerrilla War

Background – Cruise Industry – More on how cruise ships are vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

• San Francisco Chronicle: Could it happen at sea?
  Cruise lines say they learned from 1985 attack

US Navy – Gathering intelligence on cargo vessel movements in the Arabian sea is a new important task for the US Navy.

• Reuters: USS Peleliu Counts on Snoopy Team for Surveillance

Background – Taliban – Historian John Keegan on the what the fate of the Taliban may be.

• Daily Telegraph: Death may be only way out for ‘Arabs’

Background – Disruptive Technologies – An essay on how the US military can take advantage of disruptive technologies.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: Making Room for Risk: Managing Disruptive Technologies
  

US Navy – The US Navy has been ordered to search any vessel in the Arabian Sea suspected of carrying Osama Bin Laden.

• Washington Post: Navy Ordered to Block Any Bid By Bin Laden to Escape by Sea
• Virginian Pilot: U.S. sailors could search ships for fleeing terrorists

Canadian Navy – The Canadian Navy’s contribution to the coalition is now in the Arabian Sea, and another frigate – HMCS Toronto – will be dispatched to join it.

• Halifax Herald: Canadian ships in place in Mideast
• Canoe: Sixth warship to join coalition

Royal Navy – HMS Ark Royal has been placed back in commission.

• BBC: Queen Mother celebrates ship’s return

US Navy – The US Navy is testing a catamaran vessel to see what utility it may have in future operations. The vessel is similar to the Royal Australian Navy’s Jervis Bay which has been successfully used in support of Australian peacekeeping operations in East Timor.

• SeaPower: Services Combine EffortsOn High-Speed Catamaran
  

Ghanan Navy – The US Marines are exercising with their counterparts in Ghana as part of the West African Training Cruise.

• Accra Mail: Soldiers Benefit From US Military Training
  

US Marines – James F. Dunnigan on how the US Marines keep their fighting edge.

• Strategy Page: Keeping it Up Close and Personal

US Marines – How USAF Colonel John Boyd helped the US Marines adopt a strategy of maneuver warfare.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: Warfighting Brought to You by . . .
  

Background – Land War – The way the land war may now evolve???

• Washington Post: In the South, U.S. Faces a Guerrilla War

US Navy – New double-deck piers at Norfolk make ship servicing easier and safer.

• Virginian Pilot: Navy’s newest pier cuts work in half
  

US Marines – The US Marines from the Bataan and Peleliu amphibious ready groups off Afghanistan may soon go ashore and assist in the hunt for al Qaeda operatives.

• Associated Press: Marines Poised to Join Troops

US Marines – An essay on expeditionary maneuver warfare.

• Seapower: The Timeless Realities of Human Conflict
  

US Coast Guard – The threats that cruise ships face from terrorists.

• Associated Press: Experts: Ships Target for Attacks

US Coast Guard – The nightmare of trying to make US ports secure from terrorist attack.

• Virginian Pilot: Some concerned about guarding our gateway to the world

New Feature – Search – You can now Search NOSI. Simply click on the Search link on any page, and you may search the contents of the entire site, dating back to February 18, 2000.

US Navy – Aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, with her young crew. Meanwhile, her pilots say that it is more and more difficult to pick out legitimate targets on the ground after the Taliban’s front lines have collapsed.

• Associated Press: Pilots say identifying targets more difficult as Taliban flee and alliance advances
  

• Associated Press: From turbines to airplanes, young Americans keep war campaign going
  

US Navy – US Navy ships serving in the Arabian Sea are taking port calls in India, for the first time since 1996.

• Reuters: U.S. Warship Docks at Southern Indian Port

US Navy – Have US aircraft carriers guaranteed their existence in future US force structures, on the basis of their contribution to this conflict?

• Los Angeles Times: Mideast Role May Bode Well for Aircraft Carriers

Background – William Arkin on whether or not the US military will learn any lessons from this conflict.

• Washington Post dot mil: Osama Has Left the Building

US Navy – An Iraqi tanker suspected of smuggling oil in the Persian Gulf, that had been boarded by US Navy sailors, has sunk with 2 sailors reported missing.

• CNN: Oil ship sinks, U.S. sailors missing in Persian Gulf

US Navy – Aboard the USS Vella Gulf in the Arabian Sea.

• Associated Press: U.S. missile cruiser monitors flights and guards warships against attack
  

Russian Navy – The final fate of the Kursk has been decided – it will be scrapped.

• CNN: Kursk remains to be scrapped

US Navy – A US Navy JAG officer is accused of being overly concerned about collateral damage from bombing, thus thwarting attacks against the al Qaeda leadership.

• Washington Post: Target Approval Delay Irk Air Force Officers

Background – CIA – Meanwhile the CIA is running its own air war with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

• Washington Post: Secret CIA Units Playing a Central Combat Role

Background – Targeting – A look at the pros and cons of the US targeting strategy in Afghanistan.

• Washington Post: Attacks From Out of the Blue

US Navy – Aboard the USS Carl Vinson, a close look at the Navy’s air war.

• Aviation Week and Space Technology: Navy Adapts Operations
  For Afghan War Hurdles

Royal Marines – A review of what British forces will be committed on the ground for peacekeeping, namely The Parachute Regiment and the Royal Marines, and what they can be expected to do. Meanwhile, there is controversy over the initial deployment of Royal Marines in Kabul – the Northern Alliance wants them removed.

• Daily Telegraph: Paras take lead as British soldiers prepare to fly in
• BBC: UK troops ‘staying in Afghanistan’
  

• BBC: UK troops: Risks on the ground
  

Royal Marines – Who are the Special Boat Service (SBS)?

• BBC: The secretive sister of the SAS

Background – UAVs – How Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are being used in combat roles.

• Sunday Times: Death of Bin Laden’s deputy: How the US killed Al-Qaeda leaders by remote control

US Navy – The US Navy has launched its next generation of signal intelligence satellites that are the follow-on series to the Naval Ocean Surveillance System (NOSS) satellites.

• Space.com: Trio of NRO Spy Satellites to be Launched During Next Two Months
• CNN: Space sleuths speculate on spy satellite

US Navy – The 200th anniversary of the US Navy in the Mediterranean Sea.

• Sea Power: A Testimony to The World
  

Background – Afghanistan – James F. Dunnigan on how difficult peacekeeping in Afghanistan will be.

• Strategy Page: Peacekeeping in Afghanistan
  

Royal Marines – A small detachment of Royal Marines is on the ground in Kabul, to help prepare the ground for humanitarian operations.

• BBC: UK troops land in Afghanistan
  

• Daily Telegraph: Special Boat Service to form British vanguard in Kabul
• The Times: First British troops land outside Kabul

US Navy – Fewer and fewer targets are available to US pilots.

• Associated Press: Planes return to Roosevelt with bombs as targets decline

Royal Navy – The NH-90 helicopter is being modified for maritime use.

• Jane’s: NH 90 comes aboard

US Coast Guard – How secure are our ports?

• New York Times: On the Dock, Holes in the Security Net Are Gaping
  

US Navy – Life aboard the guided missile destroyer USS Ross.

• Virginian Pilot: Exercises keep destroyer Ross ready for battle
  

• Virginian Pilot: Three destroyers depart Norfolk
  

Background – Afghanistan – John Keegan tries to put the last few day’s events in a historical perspective.

• Daily Telegraph: Success for the alliance, but it’s not over yet

Canadian Navy – Elements of the Canadian Navy task force are nearing the Gulf.

• Reuters: Three Canada Warships Pass Suez Canal to Join War
• Reuters: HMCS Vancouver leading US warships across the Pacific Ocean

US Navy – US carrier pilots can take responsiblity for helping to break open the Taliban’s line’s in the north of Afghanistan.

• Virginian Pilot: Airstrikes have Taliban on run, Roosevelt captain says
  

US Navy – Is the US bombing strategy too conservative?

• Washington Post dot mil: Bad News in the Good News

US Navy – Aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, her pilots claim some responsibility for the current successful Northern Alliance ground campaign.

• Daily Telegraph: Air strikes have paid off, say US pilots

US Navy – Aircraft carriers have demonstrated their value in the campaign to date; their future in the US Navy seems assured.

• Virginian Pilot: U.S. war in Afghanistan reaffirms critical role played by Navy’s carriers
  

US Navy – The USS John Stennis deploys; she will relieve the USS Carl Vinson.

• CNN: Carrier group departs for Arabian Sea
• Associated Press: Aircraft carrier heads to sea with battle group for six months of duty in Persian Gulf region

US Navy – Why tiltrotors are important, if only they could be made to work well.

• Jane’s: At full tilt: operational imperative revives tilt-rotor fortunes

US Navy – On board the USS Theodore Roosevelt – going after the caves with her pilots.

• Sunday Times: Aerial Assault: Pilots switch attack to Taliban caves

US Coast Guard – Aboard the USCGC Diligence, providing homeland security.

• The Day: A Coast Guard Cutter Turns Its Eye To Homeland Security

Background – Strategy – A look at the evolving US strategy.

• Washington Post: New Front Illustrates Evolving U.S. Strategy

Background – James F. Dunnigan on how today’s Afghan soldier is little different from his ancestors.

• Strategy Page: 19th Century War in the 21st Century

US Navy – The Royal Air Force’s tankers are winning high praise from US Navy pilots over Afghanistan.

• Daily Telegraph: Britain’s flying tankers hailed as ‘Godsend’

US Marines – US Marines are helping to provide security for the world trade conference in Qatar.

• Daily Telegraph: US calls in marines to protect delegates

Background – UAV’s – A review of the usage of UAVs in Afghanistan to date, stating their pros and cons.

• Economist: Send in the drones
• New York Times: U.S. Is Using More Drones, Despite Concern Over Flaws

US Navy – A review of the current SAM threat over Iraq that faces the pilots enforcing the no-fly zones.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: SAM Threat over Iraq
  

Background – Saudi Arabia – James F. Dunnigan on the balance of power in Saudi Arabia.

• Strategy Page: An Explosion Waiting to Happen

Royal Australian Navy – More problems with refugees trying to gain entry to Australia.

• BBC: Asylum seekers ‘torch ship’
  

US Navy – Aboard the USS Thedore Roosevelt, her pilots are now attacking more and more targets chosen by forward air controllers on the ground.

• Associated Press: Forward Air Controllers Aid Pilots

US Navy – The USS Enterprise’s air wing looks back on their missions over Aghanistan.

• Virginian Pilot: Enterprise air wing ready to come home
  

US Coast Guard – On patrol with the Coast Guard’s latest asset, the US Navy’s Cyclone-class patrol craft.

• New York Times: A New, Experienced Protector for the Navy in Home Waters

Background – Afghanistan – Journalist Robert Kaplan’s insight into the current situation in Afghanistan.

• The Atlantic: The View From Inside

Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – 2 destroyers and a supply ship from the JMSDF have deployed to the Indian Ocean in support of operations against the Taliban. They will have a supportive, rather than combative mission.

• BBC: Japanese warships back US troops
• Associated Press: Japanese Warships Join Terrorism War

US Navy – The USS Bataan Amphibious Ready Group may be moved to the Indian Ocean, to join the USS Peleliu.

• Virginian Pilot: Norfolk amphibious ships may carry Marines to fight
  

US Navy – The USS John Stennis will deploy 3 months earlier than planned to the Indian Ocean.

• US Navy: Pentagon to send 4th carrier to Afghanistan

Overview – A summary of the war at one month.

• New York Times: A Month in a Difficult Battlefield: Assessing U.S. War Strategy

Background – Special Forces – A way to differentiate between “special forces” such as SEALs and “raiders” such as the Royal Marines.

• Jane’s: Special forces and the reality of military operations in Afghanistan