– Los Angeles Times – The U.S. Navy is upgrading its defensive and offensive capabilities in the Persian Gulf to counter threats from Iran to seize the Strait of Hormuz and block the flow of oil, the chief of naval operations said Friday.
Operations Other Than War – Foreign Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster-Relief Operations: Lessons Learned and Best Practices
– US Naval War College Review – Foreign humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief (FHA/DR) operations are some of the most complicated operations conducted by the military. These missions constitute a core Navy mission; their planning and execution differ from those of a kinetic military campaign, but addressing the key principles early will enable the successful execution. The following lessons learned are based on the author’s experiences over the past two years conducting five FHA/DR operations in the western Pacific.
US Navy – The Long Reach of Aegis
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – Combining Aegis with the new Joint Strike Fighter will enhance coverage and lead to a global honeycomb of defensive capabilities.
Singaporean Navy – Seeking Balance: Force Projection, Confidence Building, and the Republic of Singapore Navy
– US Naval War College Review – Despite the widespread proliferation of studies on the major navies in Asia, first and foremost that of China, writings on the small navies of Asia-Southeast Asia in particular-have been few and far between. The slant toward those major navies is warranted by their influence on the regional naval balance of power. However, it scarcely does justice to the small navies of Southeast Asia, a region of huge maritime geostrategic importance with potential security ramifications for wider Asian and global maritime security. Southeast Asia is also the scene of an interesting and serious buildup of sophis- ticated naval capabilities.
This article therefore attempts to redress, at least partially, the dearth of interest in the small navies in Southeast Asia, using the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) as a case study.
US Navy – Navy 2025: Forward Warfighters
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – An August article in Proceedings laid out “Ten Realities for the New CNO.” Here, the new CNO offers his vision of the Navy 15 years hence, which touches on several of those same issues.
South Korean Navy – The Republic of Korea's Counter-asymmetric Strategy: Lessons from ROKS Cheonan and Yeonpyeong Island
– US Naval War College Review – Since its provocations against Yeonpyeong Island on 23 November 2010, North Korea’s asymmetric threats have emerged as one of the most momentous security issues for the Republic of Korea (ROK). After bitter defeats in the First and Second Yeonpyeong Sea Battles, as well as in the Daechung Sea Battle of No- vember 2009, North Korea recognized its disadvantage in symmetric surface-ship provocations. It resorted instead to new and unexpected tactics, utilizing its latest small submarine to torpedo ROKS Cheonan on 26 March 2010.
US Navy – Embrace Life in the (Weapons Engagement) Zone!
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – Sometimes a heavyweight has to shake up his punch-repertoire—the U.S. military should heed that lesson.
Chinese Navy – Beijing's "Starter Carrier" and Future Steps: Alternatives and Implications
– US Naval War College Review – An analysis of the Chinese Navy’s new aircraft carrier.
US Marines – Amphibious, Now More Than Ever
– US Naval Institute Proceedings – Even though the threat symmetry may have changed, the Navy-Marine Corps team still needs the capability to insert ground troops from the sea.
Editorial – War Studies Primer 2012 Now Available
We invite you to try the newly updated War Studies Primer 2012 (http://www.warstudiesprimer.org) – an introductory course on the study of war and military history. Its purpose is to provide an introduction, or primer, to the study of war.
War Studies Primer is presented as a lecture curriculum at the university level. It is a free, non-credit, self-study course that consists of 28 lectures and over 1,500 slides and is updated on a yearly basis.
The War Studies Primer 2012 edition has over 100 new slides. This new version has also been extensively revised, based on my experience teaching the course as a First Year Seminar to an excellent class of University of Iowa freshman in the Fall Semester of 2011.
You may get started by looking at slides 2 and 3 in the War Studies Primer for its Table of Contents, and then choose a lecture to read and enjoy.
Discussion regarding War Studies Primer may be found on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/warstudiesprimer – become a Fan and join in!
Royal Navy – Opposing worlds
– Economist – A climate of nationalist agitation.
Chinese Navy – Mahan’s Naval Strategy: China Learned It. Will America Forget It?
– World Affairs – A nice look at how the Chinese are now Mahan’s foremost students…
Miscellaneous – Characterizing and exploring the implications of Maritime Irregular Warfare
– RAND – A nice review of the current state of maritime irregular warfare.
US Navy – Navy thinning is forcing out thousands of sailors
– Virginian Pilot – 3,000 sailors will lose their jobs in the coming months as part of an unprecedented and drastic effort to thin the Navy’s ranks in overcrowded job fields. It marks the first time the service will lay off thousands of sailors who are in the middle of enlistment contracts. In the months since the move was announced, it has become widely unpopular and controversial.
Royal Navy – Navy aircraft carrier plans hit by further delays
– Daily Telegraph – Britain could be left without an aircraft carrier equipped with fighter jets for the next decade after soaring costs threw Ministry of Defence plans into doubt.
Information Warfare – In Attack on Vatican Web Site, a Glimpse of Hackers’ Tactics
– New York Times – The elusive hacker movement known as Anonymous has carried out Internet attacks on well-known organizations like Sony and PBS. In August, the group went after its most prominent target yet: the Vatican. A nice look at how they do it…
US Navy – Electric Shot — Navy Fires Prototype Railgun
– Defense Technology International – The U.S. Navy has begun firing the first of two prototype electromagnetic railgun launchers as it moves a step closer to deploying the long-range, high-speed weapon on its warships.
Iran – How Israel might strike at Iran
– BBC – For all the myriad challenges facing Israel over the past decade it is the potential threat from a nuclear-armed Iran that has preoccupied the country’s military planners.
Danish Navy – Danish ship fires on Somali pirates
– Los Angeles Times – A Danish warship opened fire on a Somali pirate ship, killing two hostages and arresting 17 suspects.
US Navy – U.S. Bulks Up Iran Defenses
– Wall Street Journal – The Pentagon is beefing up U.S. sea- and land-based defenses in the Persian Gulf to counter any attempt by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran – Bombing Iran
– The Economist – Nobody should welcome the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran. But bombing the place is not the answer.
Iran – Attacking Iran: Up in the air
– Economist – The probability of an attack on Iran’s nuclear programme has been increasing. But the chances of it ending the country’s nuclear ambitions are low
Royal Australian Navy – US floats nuclear subs option
– Financial Review – The United States has indicated for the first time it would be willing to lease or sell a nuclear submarine to Australia in a move that will inflame tensions with China and force the Coalition to declare its policy on bolstering regional defence.
US Navy – Air-Sea Battle: Promoting Stability in an Era of Uncertainty
– American Interest – A more detailed look at how Air Sea battle is supposed to work in practice.
Terrorism – War on terror — Round 3
– Los Angeles Times – Andrew J. Bacevich writes that even as our troops march hither and yon, America seems to be losing the thread in an ‘era of persistent conflict.’
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