– Vanity Fair – When First Lieutenant Jonathan Brostrom was killed by Taliban fighters in 2008, while attempting a heroic rescue in a perilously isolated outpost, his war was over. His father’s war, to hold the U.S. Army accountable for Brostrom’s death, had just begun. And Lieutenant Colonel William Ostlund’s war—to defend his own record as commander—was yet to come. With three perspectives on the most scrutinized engagement of the Afghanistan conflict, one that shook the military to its foundations, Mark Bowden learns the true tragedy of the Battle of Wanat.
US Navy – General Atomics to help Navy create 'super gun'
– San Diego Union Tribune – The award is part of a long term effort to create a ship-borne gun that uses electricity instead of chemicals to fire high impact projectiles. The railgun being developed through the Office of Naval Research was designed to fire projectiles up to 200 miles. The projectiles would travel up to 5,600 mph, allowing for rapid attack against targets on land and at sea. The “super gun” also could reduce the need to store expensive and dangerous explosives aboard ships.
US Navy – US Navy SEAL team who killed Osama bin Laden interviewed for new book
– Daily Telegraph – Details of the US Navy SEAL team who killed Osama bin Laden have been disclosed in the first account of the raid said to have been based on interviews with them.
Israeli Navy Boards Gaza Boats
– Associated Press – Military says two boats trying to break blockade were boarded peacefully and will be towed to Israeli port of Ashdod
French Navy – French Numbers from Libya
– Defense Technology International – A look at the French Navy’s contribution to operations in Libya.
Iran – UK military steps up plans for Iran attack amid fresh nuclear fears
– The Guardian – British officials consider contingency options to back up a possible US action as fears mount over Tehran’s capability
Geopolitics / Libya – King of Kings
– New Yorker – Jon Lee Anderson on the last days of Muammar Qaddafi.
Royal Navy – No warships left defending Britain after Defence cutbacks
– Daily Telegraph – Defence cuts have left the stretched Royal Navy unable to provide an emergency standby ship to protect British waters for a month.
Terrorism – The Terrorist Threat Beneath the Waves
– Wall Street Journal – Andrew Krepinevich writes that the world’s vast undersea energy infrastructure—oil and gas platforms, wellheads, pipelines and pumps—is now vulnerable to attack by cheap submarines and unmanned vehicles.
Information Warfare – Electromagnetic weapons: Frying tonight
– Economist – Warfare is changing as weapons that destroy electronics, not people, are deployed on the field of battle.
Terrorism – How Ready Are We for Bioterrorism?
– New York Times Magazine – Ten years after anthrax attacks, biodefense is busted.
Information Warfare – Malware myopia
– Los Angeles Times – Mark Bowden writes that as modern society leans more heavily on the Internet, its fragility becomes an ever greater concern.
French Navy – Adroit Deal
– Defense Technology International – The first-of-class Gowind corvette, the Adroit, was today put at the disposal of the French navy. This unusual procedure took place because the navy has not bought the ship—it is borrowing it from the constructor, DCNS, for the next three years.
US Navy – US military helicopters to survey deadly Thai flooding
– BBC – The Thai authorities have asked US military helicopters from the destroyer USS Mustin to survey flooding, which has hit the north and is now threatening the capital Bangkok.
US Marines – Marines secure road to dam in long-awaited Afghan mission
– San Diego Union Tribune – After a five-day operation in one of the most combative areas of Afghanistan, international forces have secured the main road from Sangin to the strategic Kajaki Dam in northern Helmand province, Marine commanders announced.
Royal Navy – Philip Hammond quells doubts over commitment to Trident replacement
– Guardian – New defence secretary confirms that he will pursue renewal of nuclear deterrent that could cost up to £25bn
Chinese Navy – Chinese navy hospital ship visits Cuba, Caribbean
– Reuters – A Chinese navy hospital ship called the Peace Ark sailed on Friday into Havana Bay in Cuba, reflecting good relations between the communist allies and China’s expanding global presence.
Afghanistan – Bad Guys vs. Worse Guys in Afghanistan
– New York Times Magazine – Training Afghans to protect their homes and fight the Taliban seems to be working. The problem is that it’s also allowing them to fight their own personal wars.
Iraq – The great gamble of Iraq 2012
– Best Defense – Tom Ricks analyses the current situation in Iraq, with the US about to pull out…
Iraq – No Regrets Over Pushing the US Into War With Iraq
– Washington Post – David Ignatius interviews Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi, who was the most effective lobbyist in favor of the 2003 U.S. invasion: “So that’s how it ends — not with a bang or a whimper, either, but with a smooth valedictory from the man whom history will record as the secret instigator of the Iraq war, for which he has no apologies and, seemingly, no regrets.”
US Navy – Navy to Push Cargo UAS Capabilities
– Defense Technology International – The U.S. Navy is following the Marine Corps and Army in getting interested in unmanned cargo aircraft.
US Navy – Vertical landings hit the mark in F-35B's tests
– Virginian Pilot – The crew of the Wasp hasn’t gone far since leaving Norfolk in early October. The amphibious assault ship has spent weeks steaming through a small, pie-shaped wedge of water off Virginia’s eastern shore. It doesn’t stray more than 12 miles from land. Despite its geographic confinement, the Wasp is making history. Test pilots have been flying two test versions of the next generation Marine fighter jet – the F-35B – onto and off of the ship’s flight deck for weeks, the first time the models have operated at sea.
Royal Navy – Royal Navy captures pirate vessel
– Guardian – Suspected ‘mother ship’ believed to have been involved in the hijacking of an Italian cargo ship earlier this month.
US Navy – U.S. warship arrives in Georgia for joint drills
– RIA Novosti – A U.S. Aegis missile cruiser arrived on Monday in Georgia to take part in joint naval drills with the Georgian navy
US Navy – A Morning on the USS Wasp … With BF-4
– Defense Technology International – A year ago, the F-35B was in the doghouse owing to lackluster performance in testing. Now, however, that has changed. The jets are up, operating and ticking off test points. And the timing for the turnaround is potentially fortuitous for the project as only miles inland in Washington, officials overseeing the F-35 development program are trying to defend it from bean counters on the prowl for savings in the defense budget.
You must be logged in to post a comment.