US Navy – Reports inconclusive about effects of sonar on whales

Virginian Pilot – It’s been over a year since more than 30 whales beached themselves on the Outer Banks, and local residents and scientists alike wonder whether Navy sonar contributed to the deaths???
Two preliminary reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Associationís Fisheries division offer some insight but donít draw firm conclusions.
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US Navy – Command will give sailors a larger role on the ground

Virginian Pilot – In a move to bring sailors closer to combat and to assume duties from the fatigued Army and Marines, the Navy formally established the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command at a ceremony Friday at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base.
The new command pulls together Seabees, cargo handlers, ordnance disposal experts and maritime security forces under one structure. It will also create a new riverine force for patrolling inland waterways in countries plagued by terrorists, drug runners and pirates.
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US Navy – Navy to get back loaned patrol ships

Virginian Pilot – Just like their names ñ Whirlwind, Squall, Hurricane and Thunderbolt ñ the Navyís fleet of patrol coastal ships has had a storm-tossed history. After operating the 13 sleek, compact craft for the first six years of their lives, the Navy decided in 1998 the gas guzzlers were too expensive to maintain and began getting rid of them. The service volunteered to give five to the Coast Guard and sell others to allied navies???Now the Navy is taking them all back.
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US Navy – Navy's new command distances it more from Cold War

Copley News Service – In another move away from its Cold War concentration on deep-ocean operations, the Navy is forming a command that will focus on missions on land and in the shallow waters of ports and rivers, which could be more relevant in fighting terrorism???The new Navy Expeditionary Combat Command will have a certain back-to-the-future look, with units designed to operate in the rivers and coastal waters much like the “brown water” Navy missions in Vietnam and in the Civil War. It will consist of about 40,000 sailors trained for a physical, up-close style of conflict more from the 18th century than today’s stand-off, high-tech naval combat.
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