New York Times – Counterinsurgency, One Stuck Truck at a Time
CJ Chivers in Afghanistan with the Marines.
Russian Navy – Critics say proposed sale of French Mistral ship to Russia will harm region
Washington Post – Critics say proposed sale of French Mistral ship to Russia will harm region
When the French navy’s 23,700-ton Mistral-class amphibious assault ship dropped anchor in St. Petersburg’s frigid harbor Nov. 23, it was doing more than paying a friendly visit to the Russians. The boxy 600-foot vessel — an advanced helicopter carrier, command center and hospital built for power projection and landing operations — was also advertising its many high-tech virtues with an eye on selling a copy to the Russian navy for about $750 million.
Royal Navy – Carriers versus tanks: Royal Navy joins battle for resources
The Times – Carriers versus tanks: Royal Navy joins battle for resources
The commitment to spend £20 billion on a replacement for Britain’s Trident nuclear submarines risks damaging the Royal Navy as it faces possible cutbacks in its manpower and fleet.
US Marines – As Marines Move In, Taliban Fight a Shadowy War
New York Times – As Marines Move In, Taliban Fight a Shadowy War
The Marine infantry company, accompanied by a squad of Afghan soldiers, set out long before dawn. It walked silently through the dark fields with plans of arriving at a group of mud-walled compounds in Helmand Province at sunrise.
Royal Australian Navy – Another Collins-class Submarine in Dry Dock
Defense Technology International – Another Collins-class Submarine in Dry Dock
And the troubles in Australia’s submarine fleet continue: there is apparently now just one operational submarine after Navy chief Vice-Admiral Russ Crane confirmed in late January that a generator failure on board HMAS Farncomb meant the submarine had to be put into dry dock for urgent repairs.
US Marines – Marines Invest in Local Afghan Projects
New York Times – Marines Invest in Local Afghan Projects
Following the emphasis on a more assertive counterinsurgency approach mandated last year by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the commander of American forces in Afghanistan, here on some of the country’s most dangerous ground, Marine infantry units are using this winter to try a soft touch.
US Marines – Marine assault vehicles key to Afghan strategy
Los Angeles Times – Marine assault vehicles key to Afghan strategy
As U.S. and Afghan troops prepare for an offensive in Helmand province, the Assault Breacher Vehicle – a cross between a tank and a bulldozer – is intended to conquer the terrain and roadside bombs.
US Navy – U.S. Speeding Up Missile Defenses in Persian Gulf
New York Times – U.S. Speeding Up Missile Defenses in Persian Gulf
General Petraeus said that the acceleration of defensive anti-missile systems in the Persian Guolf — which began when President George W. Bush was in office — included “eight Patriot missile batteries, two in each of four countries.” Patriot missiles are capable of shooting down short-range offensive missiles. He also described a first line of defense: He said the United States was now keeping Aegis cruisers on patrol in the Persian Gulf at all times.
Miscellaneous – 2010 Almanac Highlights – Status of US Maritime Administration
Sea Power – 2010 Almanac Highlights – Status of US Maritime Administration
The status of the US Maritime Administration as of January 2010.
Chinese Navy – China joins multinational naval force to fight Somali piracy
Christian Science Monitor – China joins multinational naval force to fight Somali piracy
With Somali piracy still posing a severe threat, China agreed Thursday to join the US, Europe, and others in a multilateral naval force. Since late 2008, China has dispatched four flotillas to the Gulf of Aden area, expanding its military activity abroad.
Afghanistan – The Soviet Victory That Never Was
Foreign Affairs – The Soviet Victory That Never Was
Could the Soviet Union have won its war in Afghanistan? Today, the victory of the anti-Soviet mujahideen seems preordained as part of the West’s ultimate triumph in the Cold War. To suggest that an alternative outcome was possible — and that the United States has something to learn from the Soviet Union’s experience in Afghanistan — may be controversial. But to avoid being similarly frustrated by the infamous “graveyard of empires,” U.S. military planners would be wise to study how the Soviet Union nearly emerged triumphant from its decade-long war.
US Marines – Shave Every Day. Shower Every Two Months.
New York Times – Shave Every Day. Shower Every Two Months.
CJ Chivers with the Marines in Afghanistan.
US Navy – The Tenth Fleet
Defense Technology International – The Tenth Fleet
The U.S. Navy will stand up its cyber operations unit, the so-called Tenth Fleet, this week.
US Navy – Navy sued to halt training near endangered whales
Virginian Pilot – Navy sued to halt training near endangered whales
Environmental groups sued the Navy on Thursday to halt plans for an offshore training range that they fear would threaten endangered right whales, which migrate to nearby waters off Georgia and Florida each winter.
US Marines – The Hidden Dangers of Helmand Province, Part II
New York Times – The Hidden Dangers of Helmand Province, Part II
More from CJ Chivers with the Marines in Afghanistan.
US Coast Guard – 2010 Almanac Highlights – Status of the US Coast Guard
Sea Power – 2010 Almanac Highlights – Status of the US Coast Guard
The status of the US Coast Guard as of January 2010.
Information Warfare – In Digital Combat, U.S. Finds No Easy Deterrent
New York Times – In Digital Combat, U.S. Finds No Easy Deterrent
On a Monday morning earlier this month, top Pentagon leaders gathered to simulate how they would respond to a sophisticated cyberattack aimed at paralyzing the nation’s power grids, its communications systems or its financial networks. The results were dispiriting. The enemy had all the advantages: stealth, anonymity and unpredictability. No one could pinpoint the country from which the attack came, so there was no effective way to deter further damage by threatening retaliation. What’s more, the military commanders noted that they even lacked the legal authority to respond — especially because it was never clear if the attack was an act of vandalism, an attempt at commercial theft or a state-sponsored effort to cripple the United States, perhaps as a prelude to a conventional war.
US Marines – The Hidden Dangers of Helmand Province, Part I.
New York Times – The Hidden Dangers of Helmand Province, Part I.
More from CJ Chivers with the Marines in Afghanistan.
Operations Other Than War – Crew bonds with Haitians through karaoke, Cheez-Its, church
Virginian Pilot – Crew bonds with Haitians through karaoke, Cheez-Its, church
Aboard the USS Bataan.
US Marines – 2010 Almanac Highlights – Status of the US Marines
Sea Power – 2010 Almanac Highlights – Status of the US Marines
The status of the US Marine Corps as of January 2010.
US Marines – Foot on Bomb, Marine Defies a Taliban Trap
New York Times – Foot on Bomb, Marine Defies a Taliban Trap
On patrol with CJ Chivers and Marines in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan – Welcome to ‘The Mansion’
New York Times – Welcome to ‘The Mansion’
With CJ Chivers and the Marines at Combat Outpost Sullivan, the home in Helmand Province for much of Weapons Company, First Battalion, Third Marines.
US Marines – US Marines end role in Iraq
Associated Press – US Marines end role in Iraq
The U.S. Marine Corps wrapped up nearly seven years in Iraq on Saturday, handing over duties to the Army and signaling the beginning of an accelerated withdrawal of American troops as the U.S. turns its focus away from the waning Iraqi war to a growing one in Afghanistan.
Operations Other Than War – Still a long way to go
Chronicle Herald – Still a long way to go
Canadian sailors and soldiers have established a beachhead of hope in the port city of Jacmel, cleaning up, delivering aid, medical care and even toys, and laying the groundwork for a more ambitious effort in the weeks ahead. Sailors from HMCS Halifax and members of DART, the military’s Disaster Assistance Response Team, have taken over the concrete pier and waterfront lot in the shadow of the ruined town, where lovely French colonial buildings have fallen to rubble.
Operations Other Than War – US Navy keen to show its sensitive side in Haiti
BBC – US Navy keen to show its sensitive side in Haiti
We are in Cassagne, an impoverished rural hamlet which felt the full force of the earthquake. Flying in on a marine helicopter, I witnessed Mother Nature’s grim lottery: some houses untouched by the tremor, alongside homes completely flattened. A community in need at the best of times, and now completely shattered, is adapting to a humanitarian invasion.
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
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