Associated Press – Japan’s Defense Ministry has denied a media report that it is planning to withdraw its naval mission to support U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan on Nov. 1, saying the government expects parliament to approve an extension before then.
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US Navy – Navy ship returns after two-year deployment with two crews
Virginian Pilot – After two years, three trips around the globe and more than 100,000 miles at sea, the Swift returned Friday to Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base.
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Geopolitics / China – When Congress Stops Wars
Foreign Affairs – Since the Democrats regained control of Congress, the Hill has been alive with the sound of hearings. Congress’ earlier slumber and recent awakening should come as no surprise: for the last six decades, the partisan composition of Congress has defined the politics of war. Now facing a Democratic majority, President George W. Bush will find it far more difficult to stay in Iraq.
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Iraq – Modern Heroes
Wall Street Journal – Robert Kaplan writes that “Our soldiers like what they do. They want our respect, not pity. “
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Information Warfare – Why Syria's Air Defenses Failed to Detect Israelis
Aviation Week – The big mystery of the recent Israeli strike on Syria is how did the non-stealthy F-15s and F-16s get through the Syrian air defense radars without being detected? Some U.S. officials say they have the answer.
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Iran – Shifting Targets
New Yorker – Seymour Hersch on the Bush Administrationís plan for Iran.
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Italian Navy – Air-Independent Propulsion Submarines Patrol in the Med
Aviation Week – Air-independent propulsion (AIP) submarines have started to prowl the Mediterranean, with Italian Type U 212 boats having reached operational capability and German boats of the same type deploying to the region in support of NATO’s Operation Active Endeavor.
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Iraq – Part 4: 'If you don't go after the network, you're never going to stop these guys. Never.'
Washington Post – Final part of Rick Atkinson’s excellent series. The US military is making progress by disrupting supply chains, but bombers are adapting.
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Royal Navy – Say When – new Oceanic Patrol Vessels for U.K.
Aviation Week – A look at the Royal Navy’s Future Surface Combatant program.
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Iraq – Part 3: 'You can't armor your way out of this problem'
Washington Post – Part 3 of Rick Atkinson’s series. Between the spring of 2005 and summer of 2006, the number of IED attacks doubles; promising technologies to combat attacks fizzle.
See also: Washington Post – When ‘Physics Gets in the Way’.
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US Navy – US quits Sardinia nuclear submarine base leaving skeleton staff
AFP – The US Navy has all but ended its presence at a nuclear submarine base in Sardinia with the departure of support vessel USS Emory Land.
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Iraq – Part 2: 'There was a two-year learning curve . . . and a lot of people died in those two years'
Washington Post – Part 2 of Rick Atkinson’s superb series on IED’s. Frustration mounts in 2004 and 2005 as various efforts fail to stop roadside bombs. And a new menace appears on the battlefield: the EFP, or explosively formed penetrator.
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US Navy – OMG! Navy Calls MySpace Kids "Alien Life Force" (And They Hate the War, Too)
Wired – The US Navy identifies an ‘Alien Life Force,’ and it is you???
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Indonesian Navy – Indonesia plans massive fleet expansion
Aviation Week – Indonesia is planning to expand its current fleet of 120 patrol-capable ships to a ìminimum fleet size of 274 units by 2024.
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Iraq – Introduction: 'The single most effective weapon against our deployed forces'
Washington Post – A series by Rick Atkinson explores how the roadside bomb, or IED, is a proximate cause and metaphor for the miscalculation, improvisation that have characterized the war in Iraq.
See also: Washington Post – Part 1: ‘The IED problem is getting out of control. We’ve got to stop the bleeding.’
Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – P-X Airborne
Aviation Week – The first flight of an all-new military aircraft is an unusual spectacle these days. Japan’s Kawasaki P-X patrol aircraft, the intended replacement for the country’s P-3s, took to the air on Friday.
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Royal Navy – Labour's secret plans to slash the Navy
Daily Telegraph – The Ministry of Defense is to cut another five warships, leaving the Royal Navy only capable of “one small-scale operation”.
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Geopolitics – Smart Samaritans
Foreign Affairs – Paul Collier offers strong recommendations for helping “the bottom billion” — those living in poor countries caught in growth traps. But he cannot overcome a basic problem: how to create growth where no functioning economy exists.
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Fourth Generation Warfare – A Seam to Exploit?
Defense and the National Interest – William Lind puts the happenings in Anbar province in a wider context and shows how they may represent a path ahead in the battle against Fourth Generation opponents.
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Geopolitics / Russia – The Tsar's Opponent
New Yorker – Garry Kasparov takes aim at the power of Vladimir Putin.
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French Navy – Mistral's Last Sea-Trials
Aviation Week and Space Technology – Another look at France’s new ship the Mistral, a landing helicopter dock ship.
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Nuclear Warfare – Missteps in the Bunker
Washington Post – Security failures at multiple levels last month led to six missiles being flown across America for 36 hours without notice, U.S. Air Force sources show.
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US Navy – Jack-of-all-trades
Armed Forces Journal – The Littoral Combat Ship serves too many masters with too many roles
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Editorial Note – NOSI will be on break until Monday September 24
NOSI will next update on Monday September 24. See you then???
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Iraq – Planning for Defeat
New Yorker – George Packer asks how should we withdraw from Iraq?
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