Foreign Affairs – Bernard Lewis says to speak of dictatorship as being the immemorial way of doing things in the Middle East is simply untrue. It shows ignorance of the Arab past, contempt for the Arab present, and lack of concern for the Arab future. Creating a democratic political and social order in Iraq or elsewhere in the region will not be easy. But it is possible, and there are increasing signs that it has already begun.
US Navy – Hospital ship returns to San Diego after treating tsunami victims
Associated Press – The hospital ship USNS Mercy returned home Wednesday after treating thousands of the sickest survivors of the tsunami and earthquake that ravaged Indonesia.
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US Navy – Carrier Jets Not Bombing Iraq Lately
Associated Press – Dozens of fighter jets have been roaring off the deck of the USS Carl Vinson to patrol Iraq for four weeks now but haven’t dropped a single bomb – a clear sign of success, the ship’s commander said.
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Royal Navy – Will glasses of cordiale be raised to maritime entente?
The Herald – The latest on the Anglo-French Future Carrier Programme.
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US Navy – Guam, Hawaii Lobby for Aircraft Carrier
Associated Press – Guam and Hawaii are lobbying to be the Pacific homeport for a Navy aircraft carrier, eyeing the thousands of local jobs and millions of dollars it could bring to one of the islands’ economies.
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US Navy – The Futurist
Sea Power – An interview with the Deputy chief of naval operations for warfare requirements and programs, who charts the road ahead.
Air Warfare – Attack of the Drones
Wired – Flying bots rule the skies in combat zones around the globe. Now the battle is on between the joystick jockeys and the fighter jocks.
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US Marines – Iraq's Ho Chi Minh Trail
New York Times – An overview of what the Marines are up against in western Iraq: One of the most important – and, so far, undecided – campaigns of the Iraqi conflict is the American drive to close off insurgent infiltration routes.
Here is an excellent graphic that accompanies the article: New York Times – A Lifeline of the Insurgency.
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US Navy – Enemy of the Status Quo
Sea Power – Navy research chief Cohen highlights ONR innovations.
Russian Navy – Multipurpose Akula-class nuclear submarine under repairs in Severodvinsk
Bellona – Akula-class nuclear submarine K-317 îPantherî was placed in the dock of Sevmash plant in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk region.
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US Marines – Out of war but not at peace: the battle scars of Cpl. Jack Self
Associated Press – An Associated Press reporter who was embedded with Marines during the invasion of Baghdad reconnected with the same unit for this report.
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US Navy – The Mosquito Can Be More Dangerous Than the Mortar Round: The Obligations of Command
Naval War College Review – Flesh and blood are critical elements of all weapon systems. Absent the will and physical capability to fight due to uncontrolled disease, any equation for victory is doomed. As the painfully high rate of malaria infection among unprotected Marines in Liberia recently demonstrated, the global war on terrorism, and especially expeditionary warfare in the underdeveloped world, may be completely paralyzed without a wholesale commitment of leadership ìfrom the topî to environmental protection of troops under their command.
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Wargaming – War game gives Washington a lesson in power
History – The Epic Cruise of the Essex
Sea Power – The actions of the USS Essex in the War of 1812.
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Chinese Navy – Chinese Sub May Have Caught Fire in South China Sea
Agence France Presse – Did the damaged Chinese submarine catch fire while submerged?
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Ground Warfare – Bad law is making a Just War so much harder to fight
Daily Telegraph – John Keegan on the difficulty of applying the rule of law in guerilla warfare.
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Geopolitics / Pakistan – Musharraf is losing his grip
New York Times – Ahmed Rashid on how Pakistan continues to unravel.
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US Navy – The F-35, Ready for Prime Time?
Air Force – The services have slashed the fighterís weight and changed its milestones to get the program back on track.
US Navy – New Looking Glass
Sea Power – Optics system technology would turn the ocean itself into a lens, enabling subs to perform some surface missions without a periscope.
Chinese Navy – Chinese sub suffers accident in South China Sea
Agence France Press – A Chinese navy submarine has been damaged during exercises in the South China Sea, Beijing said Tuesday, but officials refused to say whether there were any casualties.
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History – How Britain averted a Falklands invasion in 1977
Guardian – A look at how Britain persuaded Argentina not to invade the Falklands in 1977.
More from the Daily Telegraph – Secret Falklands task force revealed.
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US Marines – Preparing for Iraq
Marine Corps Gazette – A closer look at training all Marines should receive before deploying to Iraq.
US Navy – Vital Links
Sea Power – The Coast Guard and Navy are cooperating across the board to increase U.S. awareness of what is happening in the maritime arena.
US Navy – Wing-mounted technology gives jet pilots crisp view of battlefields
Virginian Pilot – A look at the Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared (ATFLIR) that gives today’s F/A-18 Hornets their ability to see targets on the ground three to five times better than earlier models of the system.
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Geopolitics / Lebanon – The Autumn of the Autocrats
Foreign Affairs – If the assassins of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri sought to make an example of him for his defiance of Syria, the aftermath of the crime has mocked them. For a generation, Lebanon was an appendage of Syrian power. But now the Lebanese people, in an “independence intifada,” are clamoring for a return to normalcy. The old Arab edifice of power has survived many challenges in the past, but something is different this time: the United States is now willing to gamble on freedom.
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