– The Atlantic – Looking back on the troubled wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, many observers are content to lay blame on the Bush administration. But inept leadership by American generals was also responsible for the failure of those wars. A culture of mediocrity has taken hold within the Army’s leadership rank—if it is not uprooted, the country’s next war is unlikely to unfold any better than the last two. An excerpt from Tom Ricks’ latest book…

– Aviation Week – Unmanned systems at sea offer advantages and face challenges that are often different from those associated with airborne and ground-based systems. For example, in a patrol mission that calls for long endurance at low speed, the size of a manned ship is largely driven by the need to provide tolerable accommodation and stability for the crew—a limit that does not apply to an unmanned surface vessel (USV).

– US Naval War College Review – Six years after Admiral Michael Mullen, then Chief of Naval Operations, pro- posed his “thousand-ship navy” concept at the Seventeenth International Seapower Symposium at the U.S. Naval War College in 2005, his notion of a Global Maritime Partnership is gaining increasing currency within, between, and among navies.

– The Atlantic – Mark Bowden writes that in April 1980, President Jimmy Carter sent the Army’s Delta Force to bring back fifty-three American citizens held hostage in Iran. Everything went wrong. The fireball in the Iranian desert took the Carter presidency with it.

– New Yorker – For foreign workers on U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, war can be hell.

– RAND – A nice review of the current state of maritime irregular warfare.

– BBC – Scientists have shown off a “cloaking device” that makes objects invisible – to sound waves.

– Defense Technology International – While Central and South American law enforcement officials have been snatching drug-running submarines in and around the Caribbean for years, according to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, the sub problem might be bigger than many of us had thought.

– The Economist – A look at the changing nature of naval shipbuilding.

– New York Times – CJ Chivers on how the NATO navies are keeping the sea lifeline to the city of Misurata open.

– BBC – Nato air strikes have hit eight warships belonging to Col Muammar Gaddafi’s forces in co-ordinated raids on Tripoli, Al Khums and Sirte.

– Defense Technology International – Pro-Kaddafi forces have placed their first sea-based improvised explosive devices.

– AFP – NATO warships stopped Muammar Gaddafi forces on Friday from laying anti-ship mines in Misrata’s harbour, the alliance said, accusing the regime of trying to disrupt the flow of aid to the besieged city. “The sea-mines were being laid two to three kilometres offshore and in the approaches to Misrata by deliberately sinking the inflatable boats on which they were being carried,” NATO said in a statement. Three mines were found early on Friday and were being disarmed, the 28-nation alliance said.

– The Atlantic – Andrew J. Bacevich on how in 1961, Dwight Eisenhower famously identified the military-industrial complex, warning that the growing fusion between corporations and the armed forces posed a threat to democracy. Judged 50 years later, Ike’s frightening prophecy actually understates the scope of our modern system—and the dangers of the perpetual march to war it has put us on.

The Economist – Peril on the sea

As anti-ship missile and torpedo technologies improve, a new seaborne arms race could be on the horizon.

US Naval Institute Proceedings – Too Busy to Learn

When the current wars begin to wind down, which they inevitably will, we need to take a closer look at reforming-possibly even by congressional mandate-professional military education (PME).

US Naval Institute Proceedings – Mahan’s Lingering Ghost

Alfred Thayer Mahan remains as relevant today in his logic and operational grammar as he was in the 19th century with his doctrines of capital ship and major fleet action.

Sea Power – 2010 Almanac Highlights – Status of US Maritime Administration

The status of the US Maritime Administration as of January 2010.

New Yorker – How David Beats Goliath

An interesting article by Malcolm Gladwell on how underdogs can triumph militarily.

Defense Technology International – NORAD goes maritime

NORAD has a maritime mission? It most certainly does.

Discovery News – ‘Cloak of silence’ tech could hide submarines

A new invisibility cloak for sound could help doctors find tiny tumors or hide submarines from enemy sonar.

(Thanks to Justin for the pointer…)

US Naval Institute Proceedings – Commanders Respond

Piracy. The international monetary crisis. Terrorism. Global Warming. These and more affect us all, so our question to naval commanders-in-chief around the world is: What is the most significant maritime security threat facing your nation and how do your sea services address this challenge?

Washington Post – Why We Should Get Rid of West Point

Tom Ricks says it is time to close the service academies and spend the funds instead on ROTC programs at colleges.

The Economist – Waiting for another Titanic

Antarctica has become an increasingly popular destination for the more adventurous tourist. In this year’s southern-hemisphere summer season, running from November to March, as many as 39,000 visitors are expected to make the trip from Tierra del Fuego, the nearest jumping-off point to the world’s emptiest continent. That amounts to a fourfold increase in a decade. Officials in both Chile and Argentina are getting increasingly worried about the risk of a fatal accident—“a new Titanic” as one Chilean naval officer puts it.

New York Times – Google Earth Fills Its Watery Gaps

Google Earth adds the world’s oceans to its database.