Air Warfare – The Last Ace

Posted on by

The Atlantic – The Last Ace

Mark Bowden writes that American air superiority has been so complete for so long that we take it for granted. For more than half a century, we’ve made only rare use of the aerial-combat skills of a man like Cesar Rodriguez, who retired two years ago with more air-to-air kills than any other active-duty fighter pilot. But our technological edge is eroding—Russia, China, India, North Korea, and Pakistan all now fly fighter jets with capabilities equal or superior to those of the F-15, the backbone of American air power since the Carter era. Now we have a choice. We can stock the Air Force with the expensive, cutting-edge F‑22—maintaining our technological superiority at great expense to our Treasury. Or we can go back to a time when the cost of air supremacy was paid in the blood of men like Rodriguez.

Piracy – Navies Combat Somali Pirates With Choppers, Internet Chat Room

Posted on by

Bloomberg – Navies Combat Somali Pirates With Choppers, Internet Chat Room

When nine Somali pirates attacked a German-operated cargo freighter in the Gulf of Aden last week, they were in for a high-tech surprise. An international force of three vessels and two helicopters responded, using sophisticated communications methods that included GPS navigation and even an Internet chat room. Less than three hours later, the buccaneers were in the brig. The successful operation by U.S. and European Union anti- pirate forces showed how progress is being made in freeing the Indian Ocean of pirates.

Piracy – Europe steps up piracy controls

Posted on by

Armed Forces Journal – Europe steps up piracy controls

The European Union launched its first naval operation to combat piracy off the Somali coast, dubbed “Operation Atalanta,” on Dec 8, 2008. Its one-year mission is to “take the necessary measures, including the use of force, to deter, prevent and intervene” to end acts of piracy and armed robbery in an area up to 1,000 kilometers off the coasts of Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania, and in the Gulf of Aden.

Chinese Navy – China navy to stage sail-past celebration next month amid aircraft carrier speculation

Posted on by

Associated Press – China navy to stage sail-past celebration next month amid aircraft carrier speculation

China’s navy is planning major celebrations for its 60th anniversary next month, official media reported Friday, amid rising speculation over a possible announcement of plans to build an aircraft carrier.

Afghanistan – U.S. Strategy in Afghan War Hinges on Farflung Outposts

Posted on by

Wall Street Journal – U.S. Strategy in Afghan War Hinges on Farflung Outposts

President Barack Obama is hoping to boost the flagging war effort in Afghanistan by sending 17,000 reinforcements. Most of them will be deployed to small, remote bases such as Seray, a walled compound of trenches and fortified buildings near the Pakistan border. Many of these new outposts will be in eastern and southern Afghanistan, the most violent parts of the country.

But will the troops in these tiny redoubts be able to carry out the often conflicting missions of fighting insurgents and building relationships with local villagers, or will these soldiers and Marines merely be easy targets?

US Navy – Revealing radar

Posted on by

C4ISR Journal – Revealing radar

A U.S. Navy radar developed in secrecy for tracking targets at sea has been playing an important role on land because of its ability to track objects smaller than trucks or cars. One knowledgeable official says the radar is one of the “groundbreaking” insurgent-hunting technologies referred to, though not by name, in Bob Woodward’s latest book, “The War Within.”
The Littoral Surveillance Radar System, or LSRS, was “born black” and developed as a “deeply, deeply classified system,” according to a knowledgeable official who was not authorized to speak for the program. LSRS operates from P-3C Orions and can be used to track targets on land or sea, and to provide images of those targets to intelligence analysts and commanders.