Reuters – U.S. navy says no sign yet of new Iran naval bases
The U.S. navy has no information that Iran has begun construction of planned new naval bases on the eastern approach to the Gulf.
Miscellaneous – Waiting for another Titanic
The Economist – Waiting for another Titanic
Antarctica has become an increasingly popular destination for the more adventurous tourist. In this year’s southern-hemisphere summer season, running from November to March, as many as 39,000 visitors are expected to make the trip from Tierra del Fuego, the nearest jumping-off point to the world’s emptiest continent. That amounts to a fourfold increase in a decade. Officials in both Chile and Argentina are getting increasingly worried about the risk of a fatal accident—“a new Titanic” as one Chilean naval officer puts it.
Russian Navy – Russia defends sinking cargo ship
BBC – Russia defends sinking cargo ship
Russia has expressed its regret over the deaths of eight Chinese and Indonesian sailors whose ship was fired on by Russian forces.
US Navy – The Navy Has a Top-Secret Vessel It Wants to Put on Display
Wall Street Journal – The Navy Has a Top-Secret Vessel It Wants to Put on Display
Anybody want some top-secret seagoing vessels? The Navy has a pair it doesn’t need anymore. It has been trying to give them away since 2006, and they’re headed for the scrap yard if somebody doesn’t speak up soon.
Royal Navy – Somali pirate patrol: Day five
BBC – Somali pirate patrol: Day five
In the fifth instalment of his diary from the ship’s deck, the BBC’s correspondent asks whether such patrols can succeed in the troubled region.
Royal Navy – Somali pirate patrol
BBC – Somali pirate patrol
The BBC’s Jonah Fisher has joined British Royal Navy frigate HMS Northumberland as it patrols the Gulf of Aden in an EU taskforce to deter Somali pirates. This is his fourth entry. The first three are at the bottom of the article…
US Navy – Eisenhower deploys with a new directive: counter-piracy
Virginian Pilot – Eisenhower deploys with a new directive: counter-piracy
When last it was out to sea, the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower steamed into the waters off the Middle East, launching warplanes over Iraq and Afghanistan. On Saturday, more than two years after its last deployment, the carrier departed for a familiar destination, but the mission has an added wrinkle: counter-piracy efforts.
Geopolitics – The Axis of Upheaval
Foreign Policy – The Axis of Upheaval
Niall Ferguson writes that we should forget Iran, Iraq, and North Korea—Bush’s “Axis of Evil.” As economic calamity meets political and social turmoil, the world’s worst problems may come from countries like Somalia, Russia, and Mexico. And they’re just the beginning.
US Marines – Osprey heads out on Bataan for deployment
Virginian Pilot – Osprey heads out on Bataan for deployment
Almost 20 years after its first test flight, and a decade since two fatal crashes grounded it, the Osprey is poised for its first full deployment with a Navy amphibious group.
Chinese Navy – US, China consider naval pact
AFP – US, China consider naval pact
The US commander in the Pacific said China and the United States have started work on an agreement designed to avoid an accidental confrontation at sea.
Taiwanese Navy – $6.5B Navy arms deal to Taiwan near complete
Kyodo News Service – $6.5B Navy arms deal to Taiwan near complete
The U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin Corp. reached agreement this week on a $1.3 billion deal to refurbish a dozen P-3C antisubmarine aircraft for sale to Taiwan, the “last step” forward in a major arms deal stalled since 2007.
Piracy – Sailors tell how they captured suspected pirates
Virginian Pilot – Sailors tell how they captured suspected pirates
After months of patrolling the busy shipping lanes that crisscross the region, and weeks of hunting for pirates aiming to hijack merchant ships for ransom, the crew of the USS Mahan knew this was no exercise…
Swedish Navy – Sweden Builds World's First Stealth Ships
Wired – Sweden Builds World’s First Stealth Ships
The country that gave us Volvos, Saabs and ABBA has developed what it claims is the world’s first fully operational stealth ship that is essentially invisible to radar.
US Navy – Precision, support are key for pilots aboard the Roosevelt
Virginian Pilot – Precision, support are key for pilots aboard the Roosevelt
For pilots aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, the heightening conflict in Afghanistan has meant a busy, intense deployment since the ship left Norfolk in September for the Arabian Sea.
US Navy – Navy's plan to deploy dolphins roils waters
Los Angeles Times – Navy’s plan to deploy dolphins roils waters
The Navy wants to use dolphins and sea lions to protect a Puget Sound submarine fleet, as the mammals do in Georgia. But opponents say the waters off Washington state are too cold for the animals.
Royal Navy – Nuclear subs collide in Atlantic
BBC – Nuclear subs collide in Atlantic
The ballistic missile submarines HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant were badly damaged in a crash in the mid-Atlantic in heavy seas earlier this month.
New York Times – French and British Submarines Collide
The Times – French sub unaware it rammed Royal Navy vessel in mid-Atlantic nuclear crash
Afghanistan – 'Pashtunistan' holds key to Obama mission
The Guardian – ‘Pashtunistan’ holds key to Obama mission
The mountainous borderlands where Afghanistan meets Pakistan have been described as a Grand Central Station for Islamic terrorists, a place where militants come and go and the Taliban trains its fighters. Now Barack Obama has made solving the ‘Af-Pak’ question a top priority. But could the battle to tame the Pashtun heartland become his Vietnam?
Afghanistan – War in Afghanistan 'could be lost by summer'
Daily Telegraph – War in Afghanistan ‘could be lost by summer’
The war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan will be lost by the end of the summer without dramatic changes in counter-insurgency strategy, according to John Nagl.
Terrorism – The Coming Swarm
New York Times – The Coming Swarm
John Arquilla on how we should be combatting terrorism today – fighting swarms with swarms.
US Navy – Nuclear warships in Japan continue to touch a sensitive nerve
Associated Press – Nuclear warships in Japan continue to touch a sensitive nerve
As Masahiko Goto sees it, the USS George Washington is not a ship. It’s a floating nuclear disaster waiting to happen near one of the world’s biggest cities. The recent deployment of the huge aircraft carrier to a port just south of Tokyo has been welcomed by brass bands, an open-house crowd of 30,000 and promises of greater security for Japan and northeast Asia. But to determined opponents like Goto, it all boils down to two nuclear reactors and one big question. Are they safe?
Iraq – The war in Iraq isn't over. The main events may not even have happened yet.
Washington Post – The war in Iraq isn’t over. The main events may not even have happened yet.
Tom Ricks provides the postscript to his new book entitled “Gamble.”
Terrorism – The Saharan Conundrum
New York Times Magazine – The Saharan Conundrum
Terrorism experts feared that North Africa would be the next Afghanistan: a haven, and a launching pad, for Al Qaeda. Why hasn’t it turned out that way?
Belgian Navy – Leopold I Leaves for Lebanon
Defense Technology International – Leopold I Leaves for Lebanon
The Belgian frigate Leopold I will be the flagship of the UN Interim Force In Lebanon Maritime Task Force (UNIFIL MTF) between 1 March and 31 May. The Leopold I will leave the Belgian port of Zeebrugge on 16 February to relieve the French frigate De Grasse, the current flagship of the UNIFIL MTF.
Singaporean Navy – SAF joins anti-piracy patrol
Straits Times – SAF joins anti-piracy patrol
The Republic of Singapore Navy will join international efforts to tackle piracy and protect ships that sail through the Gulf of Aden.
Russian Navy – Russia sending more ships, scientists to Arctic
Associated Press – Russia sending more ships, scientists to Arctic
Russia will modernize its icebreaker fleet and station more researchers in the Arctic as part of its push to stake its claim to the vast resources of the disputed polar region, a presidential envoy said Thursday.
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