– Daily Telegraph – Holly Watt reports from the RFA Fort Victoria in the Indian Ocean as a raid by the Royal Navy on a fishing boat leads to the arrest of 14 suspected pirates.
US Navy – Battle For Control of Asia's Seas Goes Underwater
– AP – It’s getting a bit more crowded under the sea in Asia, where Andrew Peterson commands one of the world’s mightiest weapons: a $2 billion nuclear submarine with unrivaled stealth and missiles that can devastate targets hundreds of miles (kilometers) away.
Iran – Iran gets the message from Washington
– Washington Post – According to David Ignatius, the Iran nuclear crisis is far from over, but Tehran appears to have made a subtle blink — backing away from its threat a few weeks ago to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to escalating U.S. sanctions.
Piracy – World Sea Piracy Drops in 2011
– AP – Sea piracy worldwide dropped slightly in 2011 for the first time in five years but Somali pirates have intensified attacks and remained the greatest threat, a global maritime watchdog said Thursday.
US Coast Guard – Icebreaker prepares to leave iced-in Alaska town
– Associated Press – A Coast Guard cutter is preparing for the departure of a Russian fuel tanker from an iced-in Alaska town.
US Navy – USN undersecretary tightlipped on 313-ship goal
– Jane’s – A senior official at the US Department of the Navy has painted an optimistic picture of the service’s 2022 force posture that will be focused on strategic choke points, humanitarian disaster response and the highest levels of maritime domain awareness.
Russian Navy – Wait and sea
– The Economist – The Syrian port of Tartus is Russia’s only military base outside the old Soviet Union. Moreover, Russia is the Syrian regime’s only big-power friend. So the arrival there of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft-carrier and a few other warships earlier this month brought a warm welcome from Bashar Assad’s defence minister, General Dawood Rajiha, who praised Russia’s “honourable” support for his government.
US Navy – A Changed Way of War in Afghanistan’s Skies
– New York Times – C.J. Chivers on the air war in Afghanistan.
Russian Navy – Bulava ICBM Completes Test Program
– Defense Technology – The testing of Russia’s new submarine-launched R-30 Bulava ICBM (SS-NX-30) intercontinental ballistic missile has come to an end.
Indian Navy – Indian Naval Modernisation: Implications For Pakistan – Analysis
– Eurasian Review – Pakistan’s view of India’s navy.
US Navy – US Navy Strike Group Arrives in Arabian Sea as Tensions Rise With Iran
– Associated Press – The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group has entered the Arabian Sea and another is on its way, a Pentagon official said in a news briefing Wednesday — a shuffling of the U.S. fleet amid rising tensions with Iran.
Iranian Navy – Iran’s warning
– Economist – Despite its sabre-rattling in the Gulf, Iran’s options are limited
Editorial Note – Discuss NOSI Stories on Facebook
– Just a reminder that NOSI stories can be commented on and discussed on NOSI’s Facebook page for those who are interested.
Editorial Note – NOSI Archive For 2011 Now Available
NOSI’s archive for 2011 is now available here.
US Coast Guard – U.S. ship rescues six Iranian sailors in Persian Gulf
– Associated Press – A U.S. Coast Guard cutter rescued six Iranian mariners from a vessel in distress in the Persian Gulf, the second time in less than a week that the American military has come to the aid of Iranians at sea.
Editorial Note – 2011 World Naval Operational News Highlights
The ten most significant naval news stories / themes this year included:
- The withdrawal of US combat forces from Iraq. After nearly a decade and a trillion dollars later, what exactly does the US have to show for it?
- The troop surge, and subseqent beginning of the drawdown in Afghanistan. What exactly will victory look like there?
- The NATO combined arms operations against the Libyan goverment. Is this the new model for regime change – sea and air power with a minimal footprint on the ground? (Wait – wasn’t that how we started off in Afghanistan 10 years ago…)
- The formal reorientation of US strategy and forces from the Middle East to the Pacific to contain China’s rise. Is AirSea Battle the correct way to address the Chinese threat?
- The world economic crisis leading to US economic turmoil causing US budget turmoil which will result in deep defense cuts. What will these cuts do to the Navy and Marines who must recapitalize their forces whose equipment is worn out after a decade of war and who must now shift their focus from the sand to AirSea Battle?
- The Chinese Navy continues to deploy its sensor network on land and in space for targeting for its antiship ballistic missile while the US Navy begins to devise countermeasures to it. When will we see this weapon test fired?
- The first Chinese Navy (actually ex-Soviet Navy) aircraft carrier goes to sea, beating the Indian Navy’s (ex-Soviet Navy) aircraft carrier refurbishment project. When will the Chinese begin to conduct aircraft operations?
- The Chinese Navy’s deployment of a ship to Libya to evacuate Chinese citizens from a war zone. Should we no long be shocked by Chinese blue-water naval operations around the world?
- The tension around the Spratley Islands as the Chinese Navy begins to flex its muscles at sea. Will this area be a good place to base the US Navy Littoral Combat Ships and will this be their role in AirSea Battle?
- The SEAL mission that killed Osama Bin Laden. Who would have bet 10 years ago that it would have been the SEALs who got the kill?
- (…and yes, I’m tired of mentioning piracy again, and again, and again…so I won’t…)
Statistics
In 2011, there were news stories linked to on 323 / 365 days – that is on 88% of the days.
In 2011, NOSI linked to 341 news stories.
In 2011, 118 of these stories (35%) were related to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, or U.S. Military Sealift Command.
In 2011, 90 of these stories (26%) were background stories.
The remaining 133 news stories (39%) covered the operational activities of 24 nation’s navies, coast guards, and marine corps:
Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Pakistan, Phillipines, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, and Vietnam
In 2011, 168,013 pages of information were read on NOSI by 120,000 users. There were 76,299 post views (impressions) and 239 fans (members) on the NOSI Facebook page.
Royal Australian Navy – Australian military 'to recruit British troops laid-off in UK cuts'
– Daily Telegraph – The Australian navy plans to recruit up to 1,000 Royal Navy sailors facing redundancy under the Government’s defence cuts.
Danish Navy – Danish navy captures pirate vessel, frees hostages
– Reuters – A Danish navy ship seized a suspected pirate vessel off the coast of Somalia and freed 14 hostages on board.
Chinese Navy – China accused by Philippines of Spratlys intrusion
– BBC – The Philippines has accused China of intruding into its waters around the disputed Spratly islands after three ships were spotted in December.
Royal Navy – Rocking the boat
– The Economist – Another diplomatic victory for President Fernández of Argentina.
Royal Navy – Royal Navy sends its mightiest ship to take on the Iranian show of force in the Gulf
– Daily Telegraph – The Royal Navy’s most formidable warship is being sent to the Gulf for its first mission as tensions rise in the strategically vital region, it can be disclosed.
US Navy – Work as Usual for U.S. Warship After Warning by Iran
– New York Times – If Iran’s warning on Tuesday to this American aircraft carrier was intended to disrupt the ship’s routine or provoke a high-seas reaction, nothing of the sort was evident on Wednesday.
US Navy – For Iranians Waylaid by Pirates, U.S. to the Rescue
– New York Times – A report from the indomitable CJ Chivers, who is with the USS John Stennis task force that rescued the Iranians from the Somali pirates. He reports from aboard their fishing dhow…
US Navy – U.S. rescues Iranian hostages, with good timing
– Washington Post – In a stroke of good timing, Americans seize pirates days after Iran told U.S. to stay out.
Russian Navy – Russian nuclear submarine fire put out
– BBC – The huge fire that engulfed the Russian Delta-IV class nuclear ballistic missle submarine Yekaterinburg, undergoing repairs in the northern Murmansk region has been put out
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
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