New York Times Magazine – Peter Maass on the “El-Salvadorization of Iraq:” The campaign against the insurgency in Iraq is increasingly being waged by an elite regiment of Sunni-led fighters. Their leader is a former general in Saddam Hussein’s army, their American adviser is a veteran of the Central American campaigns of the 1980’s and they sometimes play by the rules of the old Iraq. Is the war getting dirtier?
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US Marines – US Marines land on Somali coast to hunt militants
Reuters – U.S. Marines landed on Somalia’s coast in one of their most visible hunts for militants in the country since they set up a Horn of Africa counter terrorism force in 2002.
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US Navy – Navy sonar under scrutiny
Virginian Pilot – The Navy plans to create a sonar training range where its forces can learn to detect enemy submarines. But with sonar known to have contributed to some whale deaths and possibly linked to other cases of animal distress a battle is brewing.
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US Navy – The Secrets of Centric
Sea Power – New technologies are one element of success as the Navy applies its theory of warfare, but new structures and processes also are essential.
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Editorial Note – NOSI on break until May 6
NOSI is taking a short break and will next be updated on Friday May 6th. See you then???
Information Warfare – The Network Way of War
Air Force – Data flowing to and from all Air Force elements will cause a dramatic new form of combat.
US Navy – Tightening the Net
Sea Power – After years of planning, the Navy is about to breathe life into the FORCEnet concept mandating change to every aspect of naval warfare.
Geopolitics / Iran – Taking on Tehran
Foreign Affairs – If Washington wants to derail Iran’s nuclear program, it must take advantage of a split in Tehran between hard-liners, who care mostly about security, and pragmatists, who want to fix Iran’s ailing economy. By promising strong rewards for compliance and severe penalties for defiance, Washington can strengthen the pragmatists’ case that Tehran should choose butter over bombs.
US Navy – U.S. Navy hospital ship ends Indonesia mission
Reuters – The USNS Mercy completes her mission in Indonesia for a second time.
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History – Okinawa Fight Matched Overwhelming Firepower With Desperate Resistance
Sea Power – A look at the battle for Okinawa.
US Marines – Forced Marriage
Sea Power – Pentagon orders Marine Corps and Army to merge two situational awareness systems, but cultural differences prevail.
Miscellaneous – Mystery ship may be used to track AF rocket
Associated Press – A mystery ship that has been cloaked in secrecy since it docked in Portland Harbor three weeks ago may carry equipment used to observe an Air Force rocket on a top-secret mission.
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Ground Warfare – Dick Winters' Reflections on His Band of Brothers, D-Day and Leadership
American History – Major Richard “Dick” Winters of “Band of Brothers” fame speaks candidly about the men and actions of Easy Company and reflects on D-Day and the lessons he learned about leadership.
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US Navy – Sea Services Bring Forth A New Revolution in Aviation
Sea Power – Government and industry experts looking for ways to streamline their organizations and improve readiness should take a few pointers from the sea servicesí aviation programs.
Fourth Generation Warfare – On Strategy
Defense and the National Interest – William Lind on how the Marines should design a strategy for Iraq.
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US Marines – Marines From Iraq Sound Off About Want of Armor and Men
New York Times – In returning home to the US from Iraq, Marines have chosen to break an institutional code of silence and tell their story, one they say was punctuated not only by a lack of armor, but also by a shortage of men and planning that further hampered their efforts in battle, destroyed morale and ruined the careers of some of their fiercest warriors.
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Finnish Navy – Finnish Navy Orders Fourth Hamina Fast-Attack Craft
Sea Power – The latest naval news from Finland, Portugal, United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, United Kingdom, and Oman.
Editorial Note – NOSI on break until April 25
NOSI is taking a short break and will next be updated on Monday April 25th. I have added this weekend’s reading for you. See you Monday!
Geopolitics / Strategy – How Has War Changed Since the End of the Cold War?
Parameters – In the immortal words of Yogi Berra, “Prediction is difficult, especially about the future.”
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History – Lessons from a Successful Counterinsurgency: The Philippines, 1899-1902
Parameters – The United States topples an unsavory regime in relatively brief military action, suffering a few hundred fatalities. America then finds itself having to administer a country unaccustomed to democratic self-rule. Caught unawares by an unexpectedly robust insurgency, the United States struggles to develop and implement an effective counterinsurgency strategy. The ongoing US presidential campaign serves as a catalyst to polarize public opinion, as the insurrectionists step up their offensive in an unsuccessful attempt to unseat the incumbent Republican President. These events-from a century ago-share a number of striking parallels with the events of 2003 and 2004. The Philippine Insurrection of 1899-1902 was Americaís first major combat operation of the 20th century. The American policy of rewarding support and punishing opposition in the Philippines, called “attraction and chastisement,” was an effective operational strategy. By eliminating insurgent resistance, the campaign successfully set the conditions necessary for achieving the desired end-state.
US Marines – The SOCOM Dilemma
Sea Power – Defense Secretary Rumsfeld wants more Marine involvement in the command, but there is a deep divide over how that will be accomplished.
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US Marines – Operation Homecoming
News Hour – Writing military history, from the ground up.
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US Navy – Senate rejects retiring carrier JFK this year
Virginian Pilot – Senators rebuked a Navy plan today to retire the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy later this year, likely forestalling the proposed transfer of a Norfolk-based flattop to the Kennedy’s homeport in Mayport, Fla.
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Wargaming – War games
Guardian – In offices created by an ex-Star Trek designer and using techniques and technology from movies and gaming, some of Hollywood’s top creative talents are helping the US military to train for war in the 21st century.
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US Marines – Interview With a Senator and a Marine
Marine Corps Gazette – The ranks of former Marines serving in Congress are thinning. In this interview the author profiles one of our most distinguished Marine Corps ambassadors who served brilliantly in the United States Senate.
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