US Navy – Battlespace engineering brings new realism to dockside training.

• SeaPower: The Synthetic Torpedo Meets the Virtual Submarine

Royal Australian Navy – HMAS Manoora lands troops on Guadalcanal’s Red Beach.

• BBC: Peacekeepers arrive in Solomons
• CNN: First troops arrive in Solomons

US Marines – More Marines are landed at the embassy in Liberia.

• Associated Press: Helicopters Bring More Marines to Liberia

US Marines – The use of naval mobile construction battalions (NMCBs) is a needed force multiplier, not an engineer redundancy.

• Marine Corps Gazette: Navy SeaBees: The MAGTF ëStingí The Marine Corps Needs

US Navy – From its inception, the Virginia-class has been an innovative platform for both its warfighting capabilities and for its unique and effective design, development, construction, and testing processes.

• SeaPower: The Virginia Attack Boat Brings New Potency to the Fleet

Background – Japan – Can Japan shoulder a greater burden of its defense?

• New York Times: Japan Faces Burden: Its Own Defense

Royal Australian Navy – An intervention force for the Solomons is being shipped via HMAS Manoora.

• Sydney Morning Herald: Aussie troops sail for Solomons

US Marines – More Marines are being sent to reinforce the embassy in Liberia.

• Associated Press: U.S. Sends Marines to Embassy in Liberia

Russian Navy – The first of Russia’s new class of diesel electric submarines – St. Petersburg – may go to sea in 2004.

• Jane’s: Russian submarine sea trials set for 2004

Background – Pakistan – More bad news on how close Islamic radicals are to taking over Pakistan.

• Washington Times: Heartbeat Away From Jihadi Nucs?

Background – Afghanistan – An excellent look at what the situation is like on the ground today in Afghanistan. In the hunt for Al Qaeda on the Afghan-Pakistani border ó perhaps the most dangerous place in the world ó intelligence is sketchy, the troops don’t trust their translators and even apprehending suspects increases the sense of futility.

• New York Times Magazine: Where the Enemy Is Everywhere and Nowhere

US Navy – The Navy’s swimmer delivery vehicle (SDV) platoons are some of the highest-priority and least-available units of America’s military forces.

• SeaPower: SDV Units in Great Demand as Speed, Range Improve

Background – Iraq – The air war against Iraq began in the fall in the fall of 2001; alternatively one could say it continued non-stop from 1991???

• Washington Post: U.S. Moved Early for Air Supremacy

Background – Iraq – The Iraqi military’s view of the war, from their side???

• Washington Post: A Foe That Collapsed From Within

Background – Iraq – Ralph Peters says things are going better than we think in Iraq???

• Washington Post: History Proves We’re Doing Fine

US Marines – With the Marines of the First Marine Division, who are still in Iraq.

• Associated Press: Marines Eager to Leave Iraq, Return Home
• San Diego Union Tribune: Local Marine units staying busy in Iraq

Background – History – As the cease fire approached, the scramble for terrain took its toll on leathernecks of the First Marine Division.

• Leatherneck: The Last Battle – Korea 1953

US Navy – The USS Iwo Jima amphibious ready group is moving closer to Liberia.

• CNN: Marine task force moves closer to Liberia

US Navy – A possible future for signals intelligence aircraft in the US Navy.

• Aviation Week: Navy May Join Army on New Sigint Aircraft

Background – North Korea – Thomas Ricks on how the US is drifting towards war with North Korea.

• Washington Post: U.S., N. Korea Drifting Toward War, Perry Warns

US Navy – Tactical Tomahawk will not begin to reach the fleet in significant numbers for two to three years, but it is time to start planning what the follow-on to this vital long-range strike capability will be.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: What Comes after Tomahawk?

Taiwanese Navy – The US pushes Taiwan to consider purchasing used submarines.

• Reuters: Pentagon mulls second-hand submarines for Taiwan

US Navy – An interview with the director of the Navy’s Submarine Warfare Division.

• SeaPower: Sub Director Foresees ‘Revolutionary’ Power of SSGNs

US Marines – On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Korean War armistace (July 1953), the Gazette takes a look at how artillery was employed in that war.

• Marine Corps Gazette: Effects on Target: Marine Artillery Lessons Learned From the ëForgotten Warí

South African Navy – South Africa is sending patrol boats to Burundi.

• News24: SA navy off to Burundi

Royal Australian Navy – Australia sends another frigate to the gulf.

• Agence France Presse:
  Australian frigate leaves for six months’ duty in the Gulf

Singaporean Navy – Singapore and the US are exercising.

• Agence France Presse:
  Singapore, US navies conduct joint nine-day exercise

• The Straits Times: S’pore and US in military exercise

US Navy – The Navy has laid out a plan for development and procurement of its next-generation carrier-based electronic attack aircraft, which is expected to reach operational capability in 2009. The EA-18G–a derivative of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighter–will capitalize on the Improved Capability III (ICAP III) electronic warfare suite being developed as an upgrade for the Navy’s current EA-6B Prowler.

• SeaPower: Milestones, Schedule Set for Prowler Replacement

Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – Japan is going to build small aircraft carriers.

• Washington Times: Warships suggest discarded pacifism

Royal Navy – Are the UK’s new aircraft carriers about to shrink in size?

• Financial Times: BAE says it cannot build ships to budget

Background – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – A Lockheed Skunk Works stealthy unmanned aerial vehicle was used for reconnaissance over Iraq.

• Aviation Week: A Classified Lockheed Martin Unmanned Reconnaissance Aircraft Was Used in Iraq

US Navy – The new Virginia-class submarines will have improved habitability over the Los Angeles-class submarines.

• Virginian Pilot: Submariners to get more room on new Virginia-class vessels

US Navy – Fundamental shifts in the international security environment, and in the military capabilities of the United States and its adversaries, are among the forces that will change the conduct of warfare in the 21st century. Shifts in the application of key technologies also will play a part.

• SeaPower: Trends in America’s Post-Cold War Military Conflicts: The Implications for Sea Power

Background – US Bases – More on the thinking behind the repositioning of US forces around the world.

• The Economist: Patrolling the world

Background – Future Wars – Analysts at the RAND Corporation lay out ten international-security developments that aren’t getting the attention they deserve.

• The Atlantic: Headlines Over the Horizon

NOSI will next be updated on Tuesday. See you then???

Taiwanese Navy – The latest on the US promise to supply submarines to Taiwan – Taiwan will wait until 2006 to budget money for the submarines.

• Taipei Times: US firms mulling sub contract

Indian Navy – The US and India participated in search and rescue exercises.

• NDTV: India, US hold joint naval exercises

US Navy – The US is considering forward deploying a second aircraft carrier in the Pacific.

• Washington Times: Inside the Ring

US Marines – Some of the Marine Corps immediate lessons learned from Iraq.

• SeaPower: Marine Corps Studies Lessons Learned In Iraq to Plan for Future Conflicts

Background – Liberia – Austin Bay gives an nice overview of Liberia’s recent history.

• Washington Times: Liberia Momentum

Background – North Korea – The latest about the potential naval blockade of North Korea.

• The Korea Times: Clock ticks in a military machine

US Navy – What it is like to be the captain of a newly commissioned aircraft carrier.

• Virginian Pilot: Captain takes carrier Reagan from infancy to commissioning

US Marines – The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is exercising in Djibouti.

• Associated Press: Pentagon may base fighter aircraft in Djibouti for anti-terror operations

US Marines – Another in a continuing series of articles on Marines as they prepared to go to battle in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

• Leatherneck: Going to War

US Navy – The comeback trail for military airships is getting wider and smoother in the aftermath of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

• SeaPower: Iraqi Conflict Brings Increased Interest in Military Airships

US Marines – Marines added new lines to the fabled history of Iraq.

• Leatherneck: Appointment in Samarra

US Marines – Will the USS Iwo Jima amphibious ready group be sent for peacekeeping in Liberia?

• CNN: Pentagon ponders Marines in Liberia

US Navy – The USS Ronald Reagan prepares to be commissioned.

• Virginian Pilot: From stem to stern, the carrier Ronald Reagan is ready

US Navy – An interview with Admiral Arthur K. Cebrowski, who is known in Washington as the Pentagon’s transformation czar.

• SeaPower: Champion of “A New American Way of War”

Background – Middle East – A look at the new commander of the US Central Command.

• BBC: Profile: John Abizaid

Background – 4th Generation Warfare – William Lind on how the US is not prepared to wage 4th Generation Warfare.

• San Francisco Chronicle: The military game has changed, and the U.S. isn’t ready

Russian Navy – Russia resumes its nuclear submarine deterrent patrols.

• Washington Post: Russia Resumes Strategic Sub Patrols After Year Off

Background – Air War – Long before they went into combat, US forces had gotten the goods on their Iraqi foe.

• Air Force: The Iraqi File

Background – Command and Control – William Arkin on how the US is going about upgrading its nuclear command and control capabilities.

• Los Angeles Times: A New Nuclear Age – Planners design technology to withstand the apocalypse

ASEAN Navies – ASEAN naval chiefs are meeting to discuss issues of common interest.

• New Strait Times: Strengthening Asean naval ties

US Navy – The Trimersible, the design of which envisions a monohull platform fitted with two semisubmersible pontoons, could be tailored for a variety of missions.

• SeaPower: The Trimersible Enters the Fray As Navy Refines Its Sea Basing Concept

Background – Homeland Security – Flying combat air patrols over US cities with US Air Force pilots in their F-16’s.

• CNN: The serious business of combat air patrol

Background – Terrorism – A concise history of terrorism.

• Center for Defense Information: A Brief History of Terrorism

NOSI will next be updated on Monday. See you then!

US Marines – Definitions of 4th Generation Warfare, Nontrinitarian War, Nonlinear Warfare, Asymmetric Warfare, and Third-Wave War.

• Marine Corps Gazette: Definitions for the ‘New Reality’

US Navy – Some of the SEALs missions in Iraq.

• San Diego Union Tribune: SEALs give glimpse of missions in Iraq

Background – Oceanography – The deepest diving submersible in the world has been lost at sea.

• Associated Press: Deep diving sub lost in Pacific

Background – History – America’s first submarine – the Turtle.

• SeaPower: America’s First Submarine

Canadian Navy – Canada’s navy is taking a year off to rest and recuperate.

• Toronto Globe and Mail: Worn-out navy says it’s taking a ‘pause’ for a year

US Coast Guard – If ever a Coast Guard cutter dealt with nearly everything short of toe-to-toe combat, it was the Charleston-based Dallas on its recent deployment to the Mediterranean.

• Charleston Post and Courier: Mediterranean deployment kept Dallas busy

US Marines – An excellent review and bibliography of published works on British and U.S. amphibious operations Bin the last century.

• Marine Corps Gazette: Some Aspects of the Historiography of British and U.S. Doctrines of Amphibious Operations in the 20th Century

Background – Iraq – James F. Dunnigan analyses the American situation in Iraq and what the way forward should be.

• Strategy Page: The Impossible Dream in Iraq

US Navy – More on how US carrier deployments will be changing.

• Washington Post: Navy Plans To Increase Carrier Readiness

Taiwanese Marines – The US and Taiwanese Marines will increase their cooperation.

• Taipei Times: Marine corps improves ties with US counterpart

US Navy – Snakebot is a developmental model of a slithering robot that might one day help remove land mines or worm its way inside collapsed buildings to help rescue victims without disturbing the tottering structures.

• SeaPower: The Slithering Robot Tries to Worm Its Way Into Navy’s Tactical Units

Russian Navy – Russia is exercising in the Baltic Sea.

• The Hindu: Russia displays naval power

Background – Imperialism – The United Statesóthe most carefree, happiest empire in historyónow confronts the question of whether it can escape Romeís fate. The challenge can be localized, for a moment in Afghanistan, then in Iraq, but it is global in character. This nation has no choice but to exercise its imperial power, and how it does so will shape the emerging world order and test its own legitimacy as a democratic society.

• Naval War College Review: The Challenges of American Imperial Power