Editorial Note – World Naval Operational News Highlights 2004

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2004

World Naval Operational News Highlights

The operational story of the year was the occupation of Iraq, and the tremendous challenges it has faced due to the lack of planning for the post-combat phase of the war, as documented in numerous articles this year. I believe that history will judge harshly the CENTCOM CINC, Secretary of Defense, and President for their lack of attention to this planning.

The strategic story of the year was Thomas P.M. Barnett’s strategic vision outlined in his book, “The Pentagon’s New Map.” I believe it outlines a strategic plan for the United States and the world that replaces the Cold War strategy of containment with a strategy for making globalization global, and that it therefore outlines a “future worth creating” for the world.

  • Several recurring themes were identified throughout this year’s naval news stories, many of which persist from last year:
    • Continuing piracy on the high seas, particularly in the South China Sea, that is beginning to be slowly addressed.
    • The threats terrorists pose to ships.
    • The tension in the Taiwanese Straits between Taiwan and China.
    • The question of whether or not China is becoming a rising naval power.
    • The realignment of U.S. Navy bases and forces around the world.
    • The inability of the U.S. Navy to articulate and commit to a consistent ship building program.
    • The inability of the Russian Navy to safely and successfully exercise at sea.
    • The dangerous nature of submarine operations, evidenced this year by the fire on board the newly commissioned HMCS Chicoutimi.
    • Concern over the damaging effect that low frequency active sonar has on marine mammals.
  • Significant naval operations this year included:
    • Exercise Summer Pulse 04 in which the U.S. Navy put its Fleet Response Plan into action for the first time, sending seven Carrier Strike Groups (formerly Carrier Battle Groups) to sea simultaneously around the world.
    • Exercise Team Samurai, off of Korea, the first exercise involving the nations of the Proliferation Security Initiative, which is dedicated to stopping shipments of weapons of mass destruction at sea.
    • The most professional amphibious operations of the year was the redeployment of the U.S. First Marine Division the Royal Marines to Iraq to assist in the occupation. Unfortunately, the First Marine Division’s much vaunted “low-key” approach to occupation was never given a chance as soon after the Marines arrived in country, Fallujah exploded in violence.
    • Dispatch of a Marine Expeditionary Unit to Haiti for peacekeeping.
    • Dispatch of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit to Afghanistan to assist in hunting down the Taliban.
    • Dispatch of the Royal Marines 40 Commando to Iraq to assist in the occupation.
    • The tracking and identification of a Chinese submarine which entered Japanese territorial waters by the Japanese Maritime Self Defense force.
    • There was no ship-to-ship combat of the year.
  • The most significant operational naval news story of the year was the successful first test of the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Response Plan.
  • The naval training story of the year was the increasing use of simulators to train personnel before and after they go to sea.
  • The most strategically significant naval news story of the year was the stationing of an Aegis-equipped U.S. warship off the Sea of Japan so as to contribute its sensors to the U.S. ballistic missile defense program.
  • The most significant personnel naval news story this year was that the U.S. Navy’s Sea Swap program has been found to undercut morale, and if it is to be successful in the the long term it must be modified.
  • The most tragic naval news story of the year was the loss of life aboard the HMCS Chicoutimi.
  • The most intriguing naval news story of the year was the near mutiny aboard the nuclear submarine HMS Trafalgar over safety concerns. This would have been the Royal Navy’s first mutiny in over 200 years.
  • The most humorous naval news story of the year is the continuing Taiwanese submarine saga – will they or won’t they order them?
  • The most bizarre naval news story of the year was the attempted sale of the Brazilian aircraft carrier Minas Gerais on eBay.
  • The procurement story of the year is the continued shrinking in size of the Royal Navy, to help pay for its future aircraft carriers.
  • The naval aviation story of the year was the choice of Boeing to produce the U.S. Navy’s Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA), which may eventually replace the P-3 Orion in many navies around the world.
  • The most ignored story of the year remains port security in the U.S., or the lack thereof.
  • The most surprising story of the year was Russia sending warships to join NATO’s antiterrorist patrol in the Mediterranean Sea. This is a concrete step in closer counter-terrorism cooperation between Russia and NATO.
  • The most technically significant naval news story of the year was the increasing promise and potential demonstrated by underwater autonomous vehicles.
  • The quietest naval story of the year was the continued tracking, by coalition navies, of cargo ships belonging to Al Qaeda. What is on these ships, where are they going, and what has become of them?
  • The most insulting naval news story was that hundreds of Commonwealth troops working in sensitive positions in the British Armed Forces have been ordered to adopt British nationality or lose their jobs.
  • And finally, the naval news story of the year with the most potential long term significance for the second year in a row was the continued rise of 4th Generation Warfare techniques in Iraq and Afghanistan. How will the U.S. effectively address 4th Generation Warfare?

Statistics
In 2004, there were news stories linked to on 320 / 365 days – that is on 88% of the days.

In 2004, NOSI linked to 1,058 articles covering 1,002 news stories.

In 2004, 436 of these stories (44%) were related to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, or U.S. Military Sealift Command.

In 2004, 268 of these stories (27%) were background stories and 59 stories (6%) were historical stories.

The remaining 298 news stories (30%) covered the operational activities of 33 nation’s navies, coast guards, and marine corps:

Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, India, Indonesia, Iraq (Coast Guard), Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia (Navy and Coast Guard), New Zealand, Nigeria, North Korea, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom (Navy and Marines)

In 2004, 209,986 pages of information were read on NOSI by 115,315 users.


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