– San Diego Union Tribune – For at least the fourth time in its young history, the San Diego-based littoral combat ship Freedom has developed a serious mechanical or structural problem, the latest which caused the vessel to experience minor flooding while it was operating off Southern California.
Royal Navy – Nuclear subs will stay in Scotland, Royal Navy chiefs decide
– Daily Telegraph – Britain’s nuclear deterrent would have to remain in Scotland even if the country voted for independence, Royal Navy chiefs have concluded.
Royal Navy – Argentina doesn't have military power to seize the Falklands says defence minister
– Daily Telegraph – Argentina does not have the military capability to invade the Falkland Islands, Gerald Howarth, a Defence Minister, has claimed.
US Navy – Potent Sting Is Prepared in the Belly of a Warship
– New York Times – CJ Chivers visits the Red Shirts aboard the USS John C. Stennis.
Royal Navy – The Security Implications of Scottish independence
– Royal United Services Institute – The victory of Scottish nationalists in the recent Scottish Parliamentary elections brings closer the possibility of Scotland’s independence. With Britain’s nuclear arsenal located largely in Scotland, policymakers must now consider what independence would entail for the security of the United Kingdom.
US Navy – Philippines may allow greater U.S. military presence in reaction to China’s rise
– Washington Post – Two decades after evicting U.S. forces from their biggest base in the Pacific, the Philippines is in talks with the Obama administration about expanding the American military presence in the island nation, the latest in a series of strategic moves aimed at China.
Chinese Navy – Year of The Water Dragon: 12 Chinese Maritime Developments to Look for in 2012
– Wall Street Journal – Beginning with the major potential newsmakers, here are 12 key things to watch for and what they mean.
US Navy – The Beach Boys: Surfing U…..MVs (Unmanned Maritime Vehicles)
– DefenseIQ – Liquid Robotics Inc. is a Sunnyvale, California-based company that has developed the Wave Glider, a self-propelled and continuous Unmanned Maritime Vehicle (UMV). The company’s Wave Glider uses wave and solar energy to power itself for long periods of time, with some deployments having lasted years at a time.
(Thanks to Worda for the link!)
Iranian Navy – Is a US-Iran maritime clash inevitable?
– BBC – In 1988, US warships clashed with Iranian forces in the Gulf. As a war of words now escalates, is there a danger that history will repeat itself?
US Navy – Navy wants commando ‘mothership’ in Middle East
– Washington Post – The Pentagon is rushing to send a large floating base for commando teams to the Middle East as tensions rise with Iran, al-Qaeda in Yemen and Somali pirates, among other threats. In response to requests from U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, the Navy is converting the USS Ponce, an aging warship it had planned to decommission into a makeshift staging base for the commandos. Unofficially dubbed a “mothership,” the floating base could accommodate smaller high-speed boats and helicopters commonly used by Navy SEALs, procurement documents show.
Air Warfare – Do Drones Undermine Democracy?
– New York Times – P.W. Singer asks if use of unmanned aerial vehicles by the US undermines our democracy.
US Navy – US to keep 11 aircraft carriers to show sea power
– AP – Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told sailors aboard the country’s oldest aircraft carrier that the U.S. is committed to maintaining a fleet of 11 of the formidable warships despite budget pressures, in part to project sea power against Iran.
US Navy – Somalia raid shows extent of U.S. reach
– Los Angeles Times – The rescue of a U.S. aid worker and a Danish colleague held hostage since October was carried out by Navy SEALs from the unit that killed Osama bin Laden.
US Marines – Japanese forces and Marines train in Iron Fist
– San Diego Union Tribune – Camp Pendleton troops will be storming the beaches with Japanese defense forces over the next month, building on long-standing military ties with an important strategic ally in the Asia Pacific amid rising tensions in the region.
Royal Navy – Navy's 5 billion pound Harrier jet replacement 'unable to land on aircraft carriers'
– Daily Telegraph – The Royal Navy’s multi-billion pound fighter plane programme is under threat amid claims that its new all-purpose jets cannot land on aircraft carriers.
Royal Navy – Royal Navy may have to set pirates free
– Daily Telegraph – The Royal Navy may be forced to release suspected pirates captured in the Indian Ocean because no country is willing to prosecute them.
Royal Navy – Britain could send military reinforcements to Gulf
– Daily Telegraph – Britain could send military reinforcements to the Gulf if the dispute with Iran escalates, according to Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary.
Royal Navy – Hunting pirates on board the RFA Fort Victoria
– 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.
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