US Navy – What life is like for an F-14 pilot who is English, and female, and has fought in Afghanistan and Iraq.

• Daily Telegraph: ‘Mumbles’, the Surrey girl who became a US Navy bomber pilot in Iraq, returns to base

US Navy – The problems facing strategists and military professionals in the early twenty-first century have changed dramatically and decisively. Military power and capability have expanded into a network of transnational interconnections. As a result, preparing for armed conflict is no longer only a matter of simply assembling battlefield strength to destroy defined adversaries.

• US Naval War College Review: From Kadesh to Kandahar

Taiwanese Navy – Taiwan would like to replace its Knox-class frigates.

• Taipei Times: Navy looking for a replacement for its Knox-class frigates

US Navy – The US seizes another boat suspected of running drugs for Al-Qaeda

• BBC: US seizes ‘al-Qaeda drug boat’

Background – History – Yet another battle over the Falkland Islands, this time in 1953???

• The Independent: Churchill sent frigate to foil ‘invasion’ of Falkland Islands by two Argentinians

Background – History – The family of Husband Kimmel continues its fight to clear the names of the U.S. Navy and Army commanders at Pearl Harbor.

• Naval History: Kimmel Case Dubbed ‘Totally Political’

Spanish Navy – Spain continues to patrol around its possessions in North Africa.

• Xinhuanet: Spain reinforces patrol in disputed Gibraltar waters

US Coast Guard – More fears about sea-based terror strikes on the US.

• Associated Press: Officials Worry About Sea-Based Terror

US Navy – Boeing’s work on the first segment of the Pentagon’s multibillion dollar Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) is now well under way as rivals seek to share development and production of the interoperable software-programmable tactical radios.

• Sea Power: Navy Moves Nearer to Deployment of Tactical Radio System

Israeli Navy – Israel would like to buy more submarines – but will the Germans sell them more?

• Reuters: Israel seeks more submarines for strategic depth

Singaporean Navy – Patroling in the Persian Gulf with the Singapore’s navy aboard RSS Endurance.

• The Straits Times: S’pore naval force in Gulf issues 7 challenges daily

US Marines – While combining Combat Engineer Battalions during Operation Iraqi Freedom provided a capable combat engineer resource, questions remain concerning the best way to employ combat engineers in the future.

• Marine Corps Gazette: Combining 1st and 2d Combat Engineer Battalions: Should We Do It Again?

Canadian Navy – Operation Apollo and the war on terror will slow down the introduction of the renovated Upholder-class submarines into Canada’s navy.

• Daily News: Mideast deployments delay sub program

US Navy – A large-scale experiment proposed for July 2004 and ongoing technological exploration with robotics could yield new undersea capabilities for the Navy.

• Sea Power: Huge Undersea Test in Pacific May Follow Giant Shadow

Background – NeoCons – The neocons outline their vision for the future of US foreign policy.

• Daily Telegraph: Hawks tell Bush how to win war on terror

For Sale – One used aircraft carrier, currently going for only $6 million!

• eBay: NAeL Minas Gerais, former HMS/HMAS Vengeance for sale

US Navy – The US has seized boats in the Gulf that were felt to be trafficking drugs for al Qaeda.

• Reuters:
  U.S. Questions Drug-Boat Suspects in Afghanistan

German Navy – Germany will return to patroling the Strait of Gibraltar.

• Agence France Presse: German naval fleet to return to Strait of Gibraltar

US Coast Guard – Building on the success of a course designed for prospective cutter commanders and executive officers, the Coast Guard is developing a leadership class for future commanders and executive officers of shore stations.

• Sea Power: Guard Plans Course for Commanders Ashore

US Marines – Helpful job search advice for transitioning and retiring military personnel.

• Marine Corps Gazette: Transition Assistance

Background – 4th Generation War – More from William Lind on 4GW.

• Defense and the National Interest: Understanding Fourth Generation War
  

Bangladeshi Navy – The Prime Minister of Bangladesh vows to strengthen its navy.

• The Daily Star: Navy to be made 3-dimensional force: Khaleda

Al-Qaida – Another look at Al-Qaida’s merchant fleet and the terror threat it poses.

• WorldNetDaily: Al-Qaida targeting cruise ships, aircraft carriers
  – Queen Mary 2 threatened, Osama’s terror armada said carrying mines

US Navy – Naval news from around the US fleet.

• Sea Power: The Sea Services

Background – US Bases – Another look at how the US will shift its bases towards southern and eastern Europe.

• Air Force: European Command Looks South and East

US Marines – The V-22 Osprey training simulator will bring new capabilities and lower costs to the Marine Corps aviation training program, due largely to the use of commercial technologies.

• Sea Power: V-22 Simulator Relies on Commercial Technologies

Russian Navy – The U.S. Department of Energy administers more than a dozen nonproliferation programs in Russia designed to reduce the risk of nuclear material or expertise falling into dangerous hands. Of these, the joint physical security upgrades at Russian naval facilities have been highly successfulólargely because of the flexible and stepwise working approach chosen and the cooperative working spirit and trust developed. Its lessons could contribute to other U.S-Russian nonproliferation activities.

• US Naval War College Review: U.S.-Russian Naval Security Upgrades – Lessons Learned and the Way Ahead

US Navy – The advent of new ways of warfare, and the emergence of new missions for the military has heightened the urgency to find better ways to improve human performance and show the necessity for new approaches to training.

• Sea Power: DOD, Services in “Urgent” Embrace of Virtual Training

Background – History – Throughout 1941, long before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy is at a high state of readiness in the Atlantic, secretly searching for German and Italian warships.

• Naval History: FDR’s Undeclared War

Background – Piracy – An overview of piracy in Asia.

• Virtual Information Center: Piracy in Asia – Primer

Background – Pakistan – Ahmed Rashid gives insightful background to the 2 recent assassination attempts against President Musharraf of Pakistan.

• The Daily Telegraph: Appeasement is Musharraf’s worst enemy

Background – Intelligence – An interesting Cold War intelligence coup, carried out by the British military intelligence unit BRIXMIS. For more on BRIXMIS, look here.

• The Daily Telegraph: Britain’s secret jet crash Cold War coup

US Navy – Most of the Atlantic Fleet will spend Christmas in port.

• Virginian Pilot: Holidays find most Navy ships docked

US Navy – An early draft of a study by the U.S. Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute plays down the significance of speed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and says the effort did not necessarily illustrate that “jointness” is a precondition for a low-casualty win.

• Sea Power: Speed, “Jointness” Not Seen as Key Elements of U.S. Win

US Navy – The latest naval news from Sweden, Mexico, Vietnam, and the Netherlands.

• Sea Power: Sea Power International

Background – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – Air Force planners say the Hellfire-equipped Predator UAV is only the beginning.

• Air Force: New Horizons for Combat UAVs

Background – Iraq – Thomas Ricks interviews Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul D. Wolfowitz, one of the architects of the neocon’s foreign policy.

• Washington Post: Holding Their Ground

Background – Iraq – ???and then Thomas Ricks goes on to interview General Anthony Zinni, former CENTCOM CINC and one of the harshest critics of the neocon’s foreign policy.

• Washington Post: For Vietnam Vet Anthony Zinni, Another War on Shaky Territory

Military Sealift Command – A look at strategic planning within the Military Sealift Command.

• Sea Power: In My Own Words

US Marines – How to maintain martial arts training while not impacting further on the Operating Forcesí operational tempo.

• Marine Corps Gazette: Making Time for Marine Corps Martial Arts

Background – Person of the Year – Time Magazine has named the US soldier the “Person of the Year.” John Keegan reflects on what the American soldier means to him, in a historical sense.

• Time: The Making of the American G.I.

US Navy – You should not be able to detect the difference between regular and reserve forces. Use reserves wisely, or lose them.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: Integrate Your Reserves: A How-to Primer

Background – Iraq – Another look at what went wrong with the post-war planning for Iraq, along with an excellent look at life inside Iraq today, from multiple points of view – the military, the Coalition Provisional Authority, and the Iraqis. A very long piece, but worthwhile.

• The New Yorker: Letter from Baghdad – War After the War

US Navy – The feral city – savage, toxic, ungovernable – may be a phenomenon that never takes place, yet indications are that its emergence may be imminent in various parts of the world that are already latent threats to the United States. The phrase itself suggests the nature of what may become one of the more difficult security challenges of the new century.

• US Naval War College Review: Feral Cities

US Marines – The Marine Corps is confronting the dual realities of tight budgets and rapidly advancing flight technology by making fundamental changes in its training structure and processes.

• Sea Power: Marine Corps Strives to Consolidate Aviation Training

Background – Wargames – James F. Dunnigan on why the good old days of wargames have passed.

• StrategyPage: Where Have All The Wargames Gone?

Background – History – Dating back to the Uniform Regulations of 1826, Marine Corps officers have worn the Mameluke sword in commemoration of 1stLt Presley O’Bannon’s assault on Derna, Tripoli.

• Marine Corps Gazette: The History of the Mameluke Sword of the United States Marine Corps

US Marines – What it is like to be a Marine Security Guard in Jerusalem.

• Leatherneck: “Devil Dogs” of the Holy Land: MSG, Jerusalem

Background – History – A volatile element in the Persian Gulf today is the presence of Iranian troops on three small but strategically located islands near the Straits of Hormuz. How they got there – an unintended result of the rapid withdrawal of the United Kingdom from “east of Suez” in 1968-71 – despite the concerted efforts of the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, and the Foreign Office has recently been illuminated by declassified British sources.

• US Naval War College Review: Deterring Iran, 1968-71 – The Royal Navy, Iran, and the Disputed Persian Gulf Islands

Background – Manpower – James F. Dunnigan on why the US military does not want to increase in size.

• StrategyPage: Congress Plays with the Troops

US Navy – The Navy intends to make Battle Stations 21, a series of simulated exercises designed to present new recruits with the ultimate12-hour final exam, even more realistic.

• Sea Power: Navy’s New Battle Stations 21: The Ultimate Final Exam

Background – Lessons Learned – James F. Dunnigan explains the difference between identifying lessons and learning from them.

• StrategyPage: Lessons Identified Versus Lessons Learned

US Marines – A look at how the 9th Engineer Support Battalion provided support to Operation Enduring Freedom on Basilan Island, Republic of the Philippines.

• Marine Corps Gazette: The Value of Expeditionary Engineering in Theater Engagement and Combat Support

Background – War Gaming – An overview of how the US Department of Defense develops wargames for troop training.

• National Defense: Successful War Games Combine Both Civilian and Military Traits

Canadian Navy – The Canadian military has signed a $4.1-million deal to create a deep-sea “tripwire” system to catch smugglers, terrorists or others trying to approach Canada’s coasts illegally.

• Canadian Press: Deep-sea tripwire to nab terrorists

US Navy – The future of nanotechnology in the Navy.

• Sea Power: Nanotechnology, the All-Electric Ship and Future Warriors

Background – Transformation – James F. Dunnigan describes, in his own words, what is transformation.

• StrategyPage: The Truth About Transformation

Indian Navy – An analysis of the Indian Navy in 2003.

• Virtual Information Center: Indian Navy – 2003 – A Special Press Summary

Background – Iraq – John Keegan comments on Saddam’s capture.

• Daily Telegraph: The next challenge is how to bring about a much deserved execution
• Daily Telegraph: Sometimes the West has to choose the lesser of two evils

Background – Third Infantry Division After Action Report – Here is an HTML version of the 3rd ID AAR. I had posted a PDF version earlier.

• StrategyPage: Third Infantry Division (Mechanized) After Action Report – Operation Iraqi Freedom

Background – Operation Telic Lessons Learned – The UK’s lessons learned, from the recent war in Iraq.

• Ministry of Defence: Operation in Iraq – Lessons for the Future

US Marines – More on what 1 MEF will attempt to accomplish in Iraq.

• San Diego Union Tribune: Commander says Marines ready for nonmilitary mission

US Navy – The Navy leadership is rebuilding its fleets following the experience of Operation Iraqi Freedom, but don’t expect Adm. Vern Clark, chief of naval operations, or Navy Secretary Gordon R. England to call for more ships or more money before they decide on the shape the reconstituted force ought to take. The Navy has stopped arguing for “presence” and “numbers” in favor of “presence with a purpose,” and a fleet that is measured in terms of its capability rather than hulls.

• Sea Power: Navy Strives for Eight Carrier Battle Groups Ready to Roll

Background – Fourth Generation War – More from William Lind on how to fight it.

• Defense in the National Interest: How To Fight 4GW, continued

Algerian Navy – Algeria and Italy are exercising together.

• Middle Eastern Newsline: Algeria, Italy Hold Naval Exercises

US Navy – Another UHF Follow-on communications satellite is to be launched, to be used by the Navy for tactical communications.

• Spaceflight Now: Atlas rocket to boost U.S. Navy satellite into orbit
• Spaceflight Now: UHF Follow-On Program

Background – Iraq – Seymour Hersh reports the US is setting up a new counter insurgency unit to fight the Iraqi guerrillas. The unit is being influenced by US experiences in Vietnam and Israeli experiences battling the Intifada.

• The New Yorker: Moving Targets

Background – Global Operations – Examining trends in the global security environment and the ways in which the U.S. military has organized to deal with past challenges provides the foundation for understanding the implications for America’s armed forces today, as we transform our military into one that is ready to provide effective missile defense, information operations, space operations, and other capabilities that do not respect our traditional regional boundaries.

• US Naval War College Review: Shift to a Global Perspective

US Marines – A look at the peacekeeping strategies and tactics to be used by the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force when they return to Iraq in the spring, and how they differ from what the US Army is doing currently.

• New York Times: Marines Plan to Use Velvet Glove More Than Iron Fist in Iraq

Royal Navy – You’ve read the analyses over the last 2 days, now read the primary source material yourself.

• MOD: Defence White Paper 2003 – Delivering Security in a Changing World

Background – Russia – Russia’s experiment with parliamentary democracy, never full-hearted, is more or less dead. The country’s wellbeing now depends more than ever on one man.

• Economist: Putin’s way

Background – History – A review of the Marine’s role in The Boxer Rebellion in China.

• Marine Corps Gazette: The Boxer Rebellion: Coalition Expeditionary Operations in China

Indian Navy – Israel volunteers to help India build a nuclear powered submarine.

• Jerusalem Post: Israel offers to help India with nuclear sub project

Royal Navy – An indepth look at the Defence White paper published today.

• Daily Telegraph: Forces face ‘hidden’ cuts in shake-up
• Daily Telegraph: Sophisticated forces camouflage
• Daily Telegraph: John Keegan: Blair should be giving the Armed Forces more rations, not less

US Navy – Another look at how the US Navy is using US ranges to replace Vieques.

• Virginian Pilot: Major military exercise takes to Florida woods and beaches

US Navy – The latest sea based anti-ballistic missile test is a success.

• Reuters: U.S. Reports Successful Sea-Based Missile Shield Test

Background – Fourth Generation Warfare – William Lind provides some initial thoughts on how to fight Fourth Generation foes.

• Defense and the National Interest: How To Fight Fourth Generation War

Russian Navy – Russia’s nuclear-armed Northern Fleet is falling to pieces – quite literally – as scavengers plunder its ships of precious metal components.

• BBC: Thieves plunder Russian Navy

Pakistani Navy – Pakistan Navy is commissioning the first indigenously built Agosta 90B submarine PNS/M SAAD on Friday.

• Pakistan Tribune: SAAD submarine to be commissioned tomorrow

Royal Navy – More analysis of the upcoming Defence White Paper.

• BBC: Hoon to unveil UK forces overhaul
• BBC: Where the forces cuts will fall

US Navy – Another test of the sea-based ballistic missile system is about to take place.

• Reuters: U.S. Plans Sea-Based Missile Defense Test

Background – Deep Diving Vehicles – In 3 years, US scientists will be able to explore the deepest parts of the world’s oceans, up to seven miles below the surface, with a novel underwater vehicle capable of performing multiple tasks in extreme conditions.

• Science Daily: New Hybrid Vehicle Will Enable US Scientists To Reach Deepest Parts Of The World Ocean Floor

Background – Pakistan – Pakistan is?????? A) a terrorist spawning ground; B) the next Islamic theocracy; C) a volatile nuclear power; D) a crucial American ally; E) all of the above. A journey through a state of disequilibrium.

• Sunday New York Times Magazine: Pakistan Is???