US Navy – Reports inconclusive about effects of sonar on whales

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Virginian Pilot – It’s been over a year since more than 30 whales beached themselves on the Outer Banks, and local residents and scientists alike wonder whether Navy sonar contributed to the deaths???
Two preliminary reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Associationís Fisheries division offer some insight but donít draw firm conclusions.
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US Navy – Command will give sailors a larger role on the ground

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Virginian Pilot – In a move to bring sailors closer to combat and to assume duties from the fatigued Army and Marines, the Navy formally established the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command at a ceremony Friday at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base.
The new command pulls together Seabees, cargo handlers, ordnance disposal experts and maritime security forces under one structure. It will also create a new riverine force for patrolling inland waterways in countries plagued by terrorists, drug runners and pirates.
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US Marines – Pentagon Study Links Fatalities to Light Armor

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New York Times – A secret Pentagon study has found that as many as 80 percent of the marines who have been killed in Iraq from wounds to the upper body could have survived if they had had extra body armor. Such armor has been available since 2003, but until recently the Pentagon has largely declined to supply it to troops despite calls from the field for additional protection, according to military officials.
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