Defense Technology International – Naval Ratings
In an example of how the British military is being forced to take capability “holidays” resulting from the operational pressures of Afghanistan, the British Army has just carried out Apache Deck training with HMS Ocean for the first time since 2005.
BBC – China vows to free hijacked ship
China has pledged to make an “all out” effort to rescue a cargo ship with 25 crew on board that has been hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean.
Defense Technology International – Underwater AIM-9X
In the open ocean, a submarine can be stealthy – by using depth and maneuverability – to avoid air attack. But tactical options have become more limited in littoral operations that require operating in shallow water where evasion is difficult. The new AIM-9X is an air-to-air missile, but with a special underwater shroud (in a combination called the Littoral Warfare Weapon), it can be carried in an unmodified configuration and fired from a submarine’s vertical launch tube.
Economist – Nuclear Deterrent: Subtraction
Britain’s nuclear-submarine fleet may shrink.
New York Times Magazine – Stanley McChrystal’s Long War
Is it just too late — politically and militarily — for the general to win in Afghanistan?
Los Angeles Times – A new frontier opens in the Arctic
The melting polar ice cap is opening the forbidding waters at the top of the world to shipping — and intensifying concerns about regulating maritime operations and protecting the fragile environment.
Virginian Pilot – Navy secretary seeks greener fleet
The secretary of the Navy on Wednesday outlined five energy goals for the Navy and Marines in the next decade. Four involve reducing the consumption of fossil fuels, increasing use of alternative energies and factoring energy costs into the price tag of every new ship, engine or building. The fifth might be the most radical: Mabus committed to fielding by 2012 a “green” strike group composed of aircraft powered by biofuels, surface ships that operate on hybrid power supplies, and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines.
Navy Times – Navy says Freedom will deploy 2 years early
Freedom, the Navy’s first littoral combat ship, will go operational early next year “to close urgent warfighting gaps,” with orders to deploy to the U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Pacific Command regions. The ship’s maiden operational deployment originally was scheduled for 2012.
Reuters – Japan leans toward ending Afghan refueling mission
Japan’s defense minister said on Tuesday that Tokyo would end its refueling mission in support of U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan when its mandate expires, but the top government spokesman said a decision had yet to be made.
Defense Technology International – Chinese Carrier Strike
Chinese ambitions may be to give its carrier air wing an air-to-surface role from the outset, at least if what appears to be a mock-up of a naval Flanker is to be taken at face value.
Washington Post – Obama Wanted a Petraeus. Buyer Beware.
Greg Jaffe writes that it is hard not to look at Stanley McChrystal without seeing David Petraeus.
Wired – Inside the Apocalyptic Soviet Doomsday Machine
It’s supposed to be the stuff of science fiction: A device that triggers a nuclear holocaust in the event of a U.S. strike against Russia. But the “Dr. Strangelove”-esque technology isn’t just fantasy. The Cold War-era Soviet “doomsday machine” was — and might still be — very much a reality.
New York Times – Beijing’s Afghan Gamble
Robert D. Kaplan on China’s role in stabilizing Afghanistan.
The Herald – Whidbey Growlers ready for service
The US Navy has taken another step in the transition from Prowler to Growler.
BBC – Pirates hit navy ship ‘in error’
A group of Somali pirates has been captured after attacking a French navy ship by mistake, apparently thinking it was a harmless cargo vessel.
The Times – Cutbacks for both the Royal Navy and the RAF
The Royal Navy and the RAF have been ordered to cut right back on all unnecessary spending in order to ensure that defence spending is focused entirely on Afghanistan.
The Times – Nato commander warns of conflict with Russia in Arctic Circle
Competition for resources in the Arctic Circle could provoke conflict between Russia and Nato, a newly appointed commander at the alliance warned yesterday.
BBC – Probing the Arctic Sea conspiracies
What really happened when the Arctic Sea cargo ship went missing amid allegations of hijacking and weapons smuggling?
Antara News – Navy to equip patrol ships with guided missiles
Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno said on Monday the Navy plans to equip its patrol ships with guided missiles to increase their deterrent capability.
Washington Post – ‘Almost a Lost Cause’
Greg Jaffe writes that one of the deadliest attacks of the Afghan war – the Battle of Wanat – is a symbol of the U.S. military’s missteps.
New York Review of Books – The Afghanistan Impasse
Ahmed Rashid updates the current situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Space Review – The space security implications of missile defense
The Obama Administration recently decided to replace planned ground-based interceptors in Europe with SM-3 missiles. Brian Weeden describes how this decision has implications for space security, since it was a modified SM-3 that intercepted a decaying US satellite last year.
Economist – New missile defences in Europe: Shooting down a plan
America’s change of tack on missile defense is placating some and worrying others. Nice diagrams of how a sea-based missile defense system will work in Europe.
Defense Technology International – Sea Trials For MiG-29K
The new MiG-29K carrier-based fighter started its sea trials on Russia’s only aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, on September 28-29. According to MiG, two aircraft – a MiG-29K single-seater and a two-seat MiG-29KUB – made several take-offs and landings from the carrier in the Barents Sea.
UK Ministry of Defence – Royal Navy Sea Kings ‘bag’ intelligence over Helmand
The Royal Navy’s unique airborne surveillance and control helicopters, known as ‘Baggers’, have recently deployed to Helmand in Afganistan for the first time, where they are detecting, following and intercepting insurgent activity.
(Thanks to Justin for the pointer…)
NOSI - Naval Open Source Intelligence™ 
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