– London Review of Books – Barack Obama did not tell the whole story this autumn when he tried to make the case that Bashar al-Assad was responsible for the chemical weapons attack near Damascus on 21 August. In some instances, he omitted important intelligence, and in others he presented assumptions as facts. Most significant, he failed to acknowledge something known to the US intelligence community: that the Syrian army is not the only party in the country’s civil war with access to sarin, the nerve agent that a UN study concluded – without assessing responsibility – had been used in the rocket attack. In the months before the attack, the American intelligence agencies produced a series of highly classified reports, culminating in a formal Operations Order – a planning document that precedes a ground invasion – citing evidence that the al-Nusra Front, a jihadi group affiliated with al-Qaida, had mastered the mechanics of creating sarin and was capable of manufacturing it in quantity. When the attack occurred al-Nusra should have been a suspect, but the administration cherry-picked intelligence to justify a strike against Assad.
Royal Navy – First glimpse of new nuclear submarines
– Daily Telegraph – Defence bosses have revealed the first glimpse at the future of Britain’s nuclear deterrent today, publishing the first artist’s impression of the submarines due to replace the Vanguard-class boats which carry Trident missiles.
US Navy – Twilight of the Aircraft Carrier?
– The Diplomat – Past fears that carriers were vulnerable to new technologies weren’t proven right… nor were they proven wrong.
Chinese Navy – China’s Trying to Shove the U.S. Navy Right Out of the South China Sea
– War is Boring – Will America shove back?
Indian Navy – INS Vikramaditya and the Aircraft Carrier Debate
– The Diplomat – A new carrier like India’s does more than just denote blue-water capability.
US Navy – A Champion for the 21st Century Navy
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – Now is the time for supporters of American sea power to promote the U.S. Navy’s unique strategic role in national security. Will the next Theodore Roosevelt please step forward?
US Navy – Navy expands sonar testing despite troubling signs
– AP – The U.S. Navy plans to increase sonar testing over the next five years, even as research it funded reveals worrying signs that the loud underwater noise could disturb whales and dolphins.
Chinese Navy – China confirms US warship near-collision
– BBC – China says one of its warships “encountered” a US vessel, confirming US reports of a near-collision in the South China Sea earlier this month.
Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – Japan boosts military forces to counter China
– Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – Japan boosts military forces to counter China – Japan’s cabinet has approved a new national security strategy and increased defence spending in a move widely seen as aimed at China.
US Navy – Navy says training could kill dozens of sea mammals
– Virginian Pilot – Navy testing and training could kill dozens of dolphins, whales and other sea mammals and injure thousands more over the next five years, according to the service’s own analysis. But while environmental groups say those estimates only scratch the surface of the impact that sonar and explosives can have on sea life, the Navy believes that most of those injuries would be temporary, that the numbers will likely be lower and that the long-term effects on the species will be negligible.
Chinese Navy – China paper says US ship harassed China fleet
– AP – An official Chinese newspaper on Monday accused the U.S. Navy of harassing a Chinese squadron earlier this month, shortly before a near collision that marked the two nations’ most serious sea confrontation in years.
Chinese Navy – China’s Carrier Killer: Threat and Theatrics
– Air Force – The DF-21D missile is a legitimate threat to carrier-based airpower, but at times the concern has bordered on hysteria.
Danish Navy – Nordic warships ready mission to help collect Syria chemical arms
– AFP – A Danish and a Norwegian frigate are anchored in the Cypriot port of Limassol awaiting orders to sail for Syria and help collect part of the regime’s deadly chemical arsenal.
Geopolitics / Climate Change – The Next Security Frontier
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time, but it’s not just an environmental concern. It poses a real threat to our homeland security.
US Navy – The Growth at Guam
– Air Force – DOD is beefing up operations at Andersen Air Force Base and throughout the Marianas.
US Navy – The Future of Deterrence? Ballistic-Missile Defense
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – The Ohio -class replacement program should be canceled; it is a costly anachronism in a changed global nuclear landscape.
US Navy – U.S. Navy Expanding Simulator Use To Cut Costs
– Aviation Week – The US Navy’s aviation simulation master plan for 2020 calls for progressively boosting the fidelity of individual simulators among Navy aircraft as well as the connectivity between simulators located anywhere. Rather than eliminate live aircraft training, the simulator plan is designed to cautiously and progressively increase the amount of cost-saving virtual training while maintaining enough in-aircraft practice to ensure safety.
Chinese Navy – Chinese warship nearly collided with USS Cowpens
– Stars and Stripes – On Dec. 5, a Chinese warship nearly collided with a U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser, according to U.S. Pacific Fleet. “While lawfully operating in international waters in the South China Sea, USS Cowpens (CG 63) and a PLA Navy vessel had an encounter that required maneuvering to avoid a collision. This incident underscores the need to ensure the highest standards of professional seamanship, including communications between vessels, to mitigate the risk of an unintended incident or mishap,” PACFLT said in a statement.
Russian Navy – U.S. Navy Feared Crappy Russian Aircraft Carrier Might Sink
– War is Boring – Now nearly two years after Mediterranean cruise, the decrepit flattop ‘Admiral Kuznetsov’ limps back into action.
US Navy – Air-Sea Battle and its Discontents
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – Detractors consider the Air-Sea Battle concept to be an overarching strategy that excludes land forces. That is simply not the case, and here’s why.
Chinese Navy – How China Plans to Use the Su-35
– The Diplomat – Acquisition of the advanced Su-35 fighter would give China some significant new capabilities.
Geopolitics / North Korea – Why North Korea Needs Nukes
– Forbes – Robert D. Kaplan says that North Korea would have to be crazy to give up its nuclear capability. Why? Because of one word: Libya. American behavior toward Libya over the past decade may have convinced North Korea’s ruling elite never to negotiate away its nukes.
Chinese Navy – China Uses ADIZ As Part Of Buffer-Building Strategy
– Aviation Week – East Asia and the U.S. had better get used to this sort of thing. China’s heavy-handed declaration of an unusually demanding air defense identification zone (ADIZ) is only one in a series of moves in which the country will gradually try to exert control over its maritime approaches. Worryingly, it may also be an early example of China’s Communist Party contriving to raise international tension as a means of rallying popular support at home.
US Marines – An Amphibious Force for Emerging Demands
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – National security and economic vitality are intertwined, and both depend on naval expeditionary capabilities that are as flexible and evolving as the challenges ahead.
Geopolitics / Syria – Augustine’ World
– Geopolitics / Syria – Augustine’ World – Robert D. Kaplan on what What Late Antiquity says about the 21st century and the Syrian crisis.
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