Washington Post – After 18 Years, Remains of Pilot Shot Down in Iraq Found
A nearly two-decade-long odyssey to find Navy Capt. Michael Scott Speicher, whose fighter jet was shot down during the opening days of the Persian Gulf War, ended last Sunday when the U.S. military announced that an Iraqi living in the remote desert expanse of Anbar province had helped direct Marines to the downed pilot’s burial site.
Washington Post – There’s Still a War In Iraq. It Isn’t Ours.
Greg Jaffe writes that the Iraq war is over — for us.
NOSI is taking a short break and will next update on Monday August 10.
During this time, please consider visiting our related site and downloading the War Studies Primer for an introductory course on the study of war.
Look at slides 2 and 3 in the War Studies Primer for its Table of Contents, and then choose a lecture to read and enjoy.
CNN – U.S. eyes Russian submarines off East Coast
Two Russian Akula-class attack submarines have been cruising in the Atlantic off the East Coast of the United States, a senior defense official said Wednesday.
US Naval Institute Proceedings – Adapting the Force to the Fight: Naval Special Warfare
Naval Special Warfare’s traditional operations now include even more-and faster-irregular warfare. This is not going to change anytime soon.
Armed Forces Journal – Flashpoint: The Great Wall goes to sea
China’s naval renewal raises critical questions for the world.
National Interest – Heirs of Sargon
Robert D. Kaplan reviews the history of Iraq.
Defense Technology International – New Attack Sub Laid Down In Russia
It looks like the Russian Navy’s procurement efforts are in full swing this summer. On July 24, the new multirole Yasen-class nuclear submarine Kazan was laid down at Sevmash’s facilities in Severodvinsk.
World Politics Review – The New Rules: ‘Hard Lessons’ from Iraq, for Afghanistan and Beyond
Thomas P.M. Barnett writes that the recurring theme of “Hard Lessons,” the recent report by the office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, is that of somebody finally “taking charge.” The description is patently disproven, however, by the sheer volume of its use to describe the procession of all those who tried to do so. In fact, moving “from crisis to crisis,” and creating “ad hoc offices and systems” along the way, U.S. officials reinvented the Iraq wheel darn near annually.
Virginian Pilot – Military kills mini-sub effort, repair cost too high
The U.S. Special Operations Command has canceled its mini-submarine program, a project designed to deliver Navy commando s close to their target and protect them on the way. Northrop Grumman’s Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS) hit numerous hurdles since it was conceived in the late 1990s.
Reuters – Pakistan says Indian submarine harms regional peace
India’s launch of its first nuclear-powered submarine capable of carrying ballistic missiles is “detrimental to regional peace and stability,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said, vowing to safeguard its own security.
DefenseTech – A New ‘Submarine’ Threat
Norman Polmar writes that the increased use of semi-submersibles to bring drugs into the United States has raised the specter of similar craft being employed to transport terrorists, explosives, and elicit funds into the country. But the likelihood of terrorists going that route is extremely unlikely.
The Times – Patrolling the challenging landscape of Afghanistan with US Marines
Two weeks into Operation Khanjar, their largest offensive of the Afghan war, American troops have grabbed a swath of territory in the southernmost districts of Helmand. But, as their commanders acknowledge, that is the easy part…
Esquire – The Long Walk: Afghanistan (and Its Future) as You’ve Never Seen It
C.J. Chivers writes that eight years into the war we were compelled to wage, the ground mission in Afghanistan remains just as brutal as war there has been for centuries. And now, after years of inattention from Washington, this war begins again. On the hunt with the men of Viper company.
Los Angeles Times – Israeli warships’ passage through Suez Canal causes a stir
The mission prompts speculation that Israel sought to send a message about its military might to Iran and give the impression of close cooperation with Egypt against regional security threats.
Associated Press – French navy detects Comoros crash black boxes
A French navy vessel has detected the black boxes of a Yemenia Airways plane that crashed into the Indian Ocean near the Comoros Islands.
Daily Press – Cracks found in USS Toledo
Two cracks have been discovered on the hull of the USS Toledo, a potentially fatal flaw that could have led to water leaks and, ultimately, hull failure if the submarine submerged.
Virginian Pilot – Navy’s synthetic training allows it to stay ready
As you read this, more than a dozen Navy ships and thousands of uniformed service members, military civilians and contractors are embarked on a major training exercise in the Persian Gulf. But thanks to synthetic training, no one has to leave their homeport.
Washington Post – Marines Face Stiff Taliban Resistance
Marines pushing deep into a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province battled insurgents in a day of firefights around a key bazaar Sunday, as an operation designed as a U.S. show of force confronted resistance from Taliban fighters as well as constraints on supplies and manpower.
US Naval Institute Proeedings – The Contested Commons
Two officials from the Office of the Secretary of Defense look at a changing and challenging world and what it means for the future of American power.
New York Times – A Fearless Activist in a Land of Thugs
C.J Chivers remembers a fearless human rights investigator in Chechnya, Natalie Estemirova.
Weekly Standard – The Fleet That Has To Die: The Russian Navy’s “Irreversible Collapse”
The reality now is that not only is the idea of Russia building and operating aircraft carrier battle groups an impossible dream, but just building enough new ships to replace those that are worn-out after decades of use is also not feasible. A recent analysis by the authoritative Moscow-based weekly, the Independent Military Review (NVO), entitled “BMF RF (Naval Military Fleet of the Russian Federation) on Foreign Warships” states that the Russian Navy is currently in a situation of irreversible collapse.
RIA Novosti – New Bulava missile test results in failure – Russian military
A scheduled test of Russia’s new Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) on July 15 was a failure.
RIA Novosti – Russia’s new nuclear sub completes first round of sea trials
Russia’s newest Borey class strategic nuclear submarine, the Yury Dolgoruky, has completed the first round of sea trials and is returning to a shipyard in northern Russia.
Armed Forces Journal – Carrier culture shock
As the Obama administration formulates its approach to national security policy, it would do well to start with reading “A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower,” the Navy’s new maritime strategy. The document is at once a bold argument for a new direction in foreign and national security policy, an inadequate plan for a U.S. maritime grand strategy, and a symptom (and perhaps call for help) of the Navy’s current operational crisis.
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