US Navy – On board the USS Theodore Roosevelt – going after the caves with her pilots.

• Sunday Times: Aerial Assault: Pilots switch attack to Taliban caves

US Coast Guard – Aboard the USCGC Diligence, providing homeland security.

• The Day: A Coast Guard Cutter Turns Its Eye To Homeland Security

Background – Strategy – A look at the evolving US strategy.

• Washington Post: New Front Illustrates Evolving U.S. Strategy

Background – James F. Dunnigan on how today’s Afghan soldier is little different from his ancestors.

• Strategy Page: 19th Century War in the 21st Century

US Navy – The Royal Air Force’s tankers are winning high praise from US Navy pilots over Afghanistan.

• Daily Telegraph: Britain’s flying tankers hailed as ‘Godsend’

US Marines – US Marines are helping to provide security for the world trade conference in Qatar.

• Daily Telegraph: US calls in marines to protect delegates

Background – UAV’s – A review of the usage of UAVs in Afghanistan to date, stating their pros and cons.

• Economist: Send in the drones
• New York Times: U.S. Is Using More Drones, Despite Concern Over Flaws

US Navy – A review of the current SAM threat over Iraq that faces the pilots enforcing the no-fly zones.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: SAM Threat over Iraq
  

Background – Saudi Arabia – James F. Dunnigan on the balance of power in Saudi Arabia.

• Strategy Page: An Explosion Waiting to Happen

Royal Australian Navy – More problems with refugees trying to gain entry to Australia.

• BBC: Asylum seekers ‘torch ship’
  

US Navy – Aboard the USS Thedore Roosevelt, her pilots are now attacking more and more targets chosen by forward air controllers on the ground.

• Associated Press: Forward Air Controllers Aid Pilots

US Navy – The USS Enterprise’s air wing looks back on their missions over Aghanistan.

• Virginian Pilot: Enterprise air wing ready to come home
  

US Coast Guard – On patrol with the Coast Guard’s latest asset, the US Navy’s Cyclone-class patrol craft.

• New York Times: A New, Experienced Protector for the Navy in Home Waters

Background – Afghanistan – Journalist Robert Kaplan’s insight into the current situation in Afghanistan.

• The Atlantic: The View From Inside

Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – 2 destroyers and a supply ship from the JMSDF have deployed to the Indian Ocean in support of operations against the Taliban. They will have a supportive, rather than combative mission.

• BBC: Japanese warships back US troops
• Associated Press: Japanese Warships Join Terrorism War

US Navy – The USS Bataan Amphibious Ready Group may be moved to the Indian Ocean, to join the USS Peleliu.

• Virginian Pilot: Norfolk amphibious ships may carry Marines to fight
  

US Navy – The USS John Stennis will deploy 3 months earlier than planned to the Indian Ocean.

• US Navy: Pentagon to send 4th carrier to Afghanistan

Overview – A summary of the war at one month.

• New York Times: A Month in a Difficult Battlefield: Assessing U.S. War Strategy

Background – Special Forces – A way to differentiate between “special forces” such as SEALs and “raiders” such as the Royal Marines.

• Jane’s: Special forces and the reality of military operations in Afghanistan

Italian Navy – Italy will sent a naval task force, including the aircraft carrier Guiseppe Garibaldi, to the Arabian Sea.

• CNN: Italy pledges troops to U.S.

US Navy – The US Navy is running out of precision guided munitions, and there is a request to send a fourth aircraft carrier to the theater of operations.

• Washington Times: Air Force slow to transfer special bomb kits to Navy

US Coast Guard – Why the Deepwater program is more important than ever.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: National Security Depends on Deepwater

Royal Marines – 40 Commando is currently on R+R. It will take them some time to get their kit sorted and made ready for operations in Afghanistan.

• The Times: Marines enjoy sunshine before storm

US Coast Guard – The US Coast Guard will be acquiring the services of 5 of the US Navy’s coastal patrol boats, to use for off shore patroling.

• Virginian Pilot: Coast Guard getting five patrol boats from Navy
  

US Navy – Former Secretary of the Navy James Webb’s opinion on how the US should proceed.

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: Go after Them and Eliminate Them
  

Background – Strategy – The current strategic view, from the United Kingdom – are we currently headed for a large land campaign?

• Daily Telegraph: Army set for cold war
• Sunday Times: Thousands of troops in big Afghan push ‘within weeks’

Russian Navy – The Russians now feel a torpedo explosion inside the Kursk was the most likely cause of her loss.

• BBC: Kursk investigators rule out sub collision
  

Russian Navy – More about the Granit missiles being removed from the Kursk.

• Jane’s: Russia’s ‘Shipwreck’ missile enigma solved
  

US Navy – R+R aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

• Associated Press: Roosevelt crew takes a break as Marines fly off Peleliu
  

Russian Navy – The Varyag broke loose from the vessels towing it and was adrift but now has been taken back in tow.

• Times of London: Greeks rescue crew of stricken carrier
• BBC: Giant vessel shuts the Bosphorus

US Navy – The USS Enterprise is steaming towards its home port.

• Virginian Pilot: Enterprise heads into Atlantic Ocean on way home
  

US Navy – The US Navy will base the new aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan in San Diego.

• Virginian Pilot: Navy will base new carrier Reagan in San Diego
  

US Navy – An analysis of the US targeting strategy.

• Washington Post dot mil: Bombing the Red Cross

Background – Nuclear Weapons – How secure are Pakistan’s nuclear weapons?

• New Yorker: Watching the Warheads

Chinese Navy – The former Soviety Navy carrier Varyag has transitted the Bosporus Strait on its way to China.

• Los Angeles Times: Aircraft Carrier Jams Bosporus Strait Traffic
  

US Navy – US Marine Harriers from the USS Peleliu took part in air strikes against Afghanistan for the first time.

• Associated Press: Marine Jump Jets Take Part in Raids

US Navy – Aboard the USS Peleliu, the Marine troops wait for the call to action.

• Washington Post: Aboard Assault Ship, Marines Await Their ‘Piece of the Action’

Royal Navy – The Royal Navy is investigating ways to defend its ships from attacks from small fast craft

• Jane’s: Attack craft threat to RN ships addressed
  

Background – Nuclear Weapons / Radiological Weapons – The threat of an attack against the US from terrorists armed with nuclear or radiological weapons is higher than most assume.

• Economist: Could worse be yet to come?
  

US Navy – The DD-21 program has been effectively canceled. A new, modular design adaptable to several missions, will be solicited from the design teams.

• Virginian Pilot: Navy drops its destroyer plans in favor of a revised hull form
  

US Navy – Air to air refueling is a key component of every US Navy strike over Afghanistan, and S-3 Vikings are performing yeoman work in that regard.

• Washington Post: Gas Stations in the Sky Extend Fighters’ Reach

US Navy – With the ordinance specialists on the USS Thedore Roosevelt.

• Associated Press: Piece by piece, sailors on aircraft carrier assemble precision bombs to match the target

Greek Navy – An interview with the Commander in Chief of the Greek Navy.

• SeaPower: Hellenic Navy Plays “Crucial Role” in NATO Operations
  

US Navy – Somewhere over Aghanistan, with pilots from the USS Carl Vinson.

• Washignton Post: Over Afghanistan, Gantlets in the Sky

US Marine Corps – The MV-22 Osprey will be grounded until next spring, and then will require 2 years of flight test to certify it is truely ready for production.

• Seattle Times: Osprey’s grounded for the time being, Pentagon says
  

US Navy – A possible breakthrough in submarine communications.

• New Scientist: Reversed broadcasts key to underwater secrecy

Background – Biological Weapons – An absolutely chilling essay on what biological weapons could potentially do.

• New Yorker: The Bioweaponeers

US Navy – With the aviation mechanics aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

• Virginian Pilot: Roosevelt’s mechanics keep warplanes flying

Royal Marines – 40 Commando continues to prepare for action, but how will they be used?

• Daily Telegraph: Marines not yet ready to attack, says
• The Times: Marines to join ranks of ‘Fearless’
• Daily Telegraph:
  ‘My men know what’s needed to eradicate the terrorist cancer’

US Coast Guard – A new icebreaker will be built for use on the Great Lakes, to replace the USCGC Mackinaw which dates from WWII.

• MSNBC: New Great Lakes icebreaker to replace WWII-era ship

Background – Biological Weapons – Smallpox – An excellent history of smallpox as a disease, and how it can be turned into a lethal weapon.

• New Yorker: The Demon in the Freezer
  

US Navy – Aboard the USS Carl Vinson with the bunker busters.

• Washington Post: Mountain Caves Used by Taliban Latest Targets of U.S. Bombs

US Navy – Why the use of “kinetics” is not the way to win in Afghanistan.

• Washington Post dot mil: Euphoria Lost

Royal Australian Navy – Refugees continue to try to land in Australia.

• BBC: ‘Hijacked’ refugee boat found
  

Background – Afghanistan – An excellent history, from 1985, by the military historian John Keegan that covers the history of Afghanistan including the British and Russian invasions in great depth and describes which tactics work and don’t work in Afghanistan.

• The Atlantic: The Ordeal of Afghanistan

US Navy – The true effect the air raids are having on Afghan morale, as seen by the correspondent John Simpson who is an observer on the ground. Simpson claims that the US technological precision does not awe the Afghans, but instead makes them regard the US as being effete. Read this, then read the next essay from 12 years ago to see if we have learned the lessons from the last war in Afghanistan???

• Daily Telegraph: The Taliban are a ragbag of deluded opportunists

Background – The Soviet Defeat – An interesting essay from 1989 written by Robert Kaplan that says the reason the Afghans ultimately defeated the Russians was the Afghan’s willingness to die.

• The Atlantic: Afghanistan Post Mortem

US Navy – The USS Enterprise is on her way home.

• Virginian Pilot: Enterprise on its way home

Canadian Navy – The second Upholder-class attack submarine, HMCS Windsor, has arrived in Canada.

• Canada.com: Second refitted British submarine, HMCS Windsor, arrives to joyful welcome

Given the current interest in biological weapons, in the next few days I will be bringing to your attention a few excellent background articles on biological warfare from the New Yorker magazine.

Background – Anthrax – A historical case report of one of the last anthrax cases in the United States, from the early 1960’s, told in story form. A good review of what anthrax does to humans.

• New Yorker: A Man Named Hoffman

Royal Marines – 200 Royal Marines from 40 Commando will stay in the Persian Gulf and assist in the campaign. They will be based on HMS Fearless and will have their helicopters based on HMS Illustrious.

• BBC: Blair outlines UK troop decision
• The Times: Britain deploys 4,200 troops in show of resolve
• Sunday Times: Mountain marines ready for snow strike
• Daily Telegraph: Ground phase gains momentum

Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – Japan may send naval ships to the Indian Ocean, but not to the Persian Gulf.

• Associated Press: Japan Reportedly Considers Warships

US Navy – Does the US Navy still need it’s Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) communications network for communicating with ballistic missile submarines?

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Battle lines drawn over ELF

US Navy – Night air operations aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

• BBC: Night shift on USS Theodore Roosevelt
  

US Navy and Marines Corps and Royal Navy – Lockheed-Martin wins the competition to build the Joint Strike Fighter which will be the next generation fighter for the US and the British militaries.

• BBC: Lockheed wins fighter contract
  

Russian Navy – A look inside the Kursk.

• BBC: First pictures inside charred Kursk
  

Russian Navy – Russia will officially close its naval base in Vietnam at Cam Ranh Bay.

• Philadelphia Inquirer: Russia to close two foreign bases and focus on home

US Navy – The life of a landing signals officer aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

• Associated Press: Pilots Help Guide Planes to Carrier

US Navy – Part of the Enterprise battlegroup has returned to port, but the USS Enterprise remains at sea.

• Virginian Pilot: Four ships of the Enterprise bring 1,000 sailors home

US Marines – The Marines of the USS Peleliu amphibious ready group are ready to go.

• Virginian Pilot: Special-op Marines ready, commander says on Roosevelt
  

Russian Navy – The nuclear attack submarine Gepard will soon be commissioned.

• Strana: Awesome tribute of the ìsilent serviceî new boat

Background – Strategy – How the strategy is evolving.

• Economist: A puzzling war

Russian Navy – Work begins on removing the Granit missiles from the Kursk.

• BBC: Kursk gives up its dead
  

US Navy – With the pilots aboard the USS Carl Vinson.

• Reuters: U.S. Pilots Admit to Nerves on Afghan Air Raids
  

Royal Marines – It seems likely Royal Marine Commandos will be committed to the battle.

• BBC: UK ground troops on Afghan alert
  

Background – Strategy – The long view of the war, from Britain’s top military officer.

• New York Times (registration required): British Commander Calls Long Ground Raids Likely

Background – John Keegan on why al-Qa’eda must be extinguished.

• Daily Telegraph: Why the new terrorism threatens all of humanity

US Navy – Aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt. The USS Enterprise may be heading home soon.

• Virginian Pilot: U.S. Navy pilots providing air support to northern alliance
  

US Navy – Hand held computers are revolutionizing naval life.

• Wall Street Journal: U.S. forces pack pocket computers

Royal Marines – The Royal Marines of 3 Commando Brigade are ready for cold weather warfare.

• The Times: Marines poised for action in cold-weather combat zones

Danish Navy – The Danish Navy will send a ship to join NATO’s nine-ship Standing Naval Force Mediterranean, to free up other NATO members ships for operations in the Persian Gulf.

• Associated Press: NATO-member Denmark to send warship to alliance’s naval force in Mediterranean
  

Background – Collateral Damage – Has the Pentagon become too concerned with causing civilian casualties?

• Washington Post: Civilian Casualties and the Air War

Canadian Navy – HMCS Halifax has cleared the Suez Canal on her way to the Gulf.

• Globe and Mail: Gulf-bound HMCS Halifax past Suez Canal, navy says

US Navy – Underway replenishment aboard the USS Carl Vinson.

• Reuters: Fruit, Bikes, Bombs Replenish U.S. Aircraft Carrier
• Reuters: Helicopters Reload U.S. Carrier as Raids Go On

US Marines – More on the US Marines Mountain Warfare Training Center.

• Associated Press: Marines prepare for battle in Afghanistan-like Sierra setting

Background – National Security Agency (NSA) – An essay on what went wrong at the NSA that allowed the US to be blindsided on September 11 – a desire to live in the cryptological past rather than trying to embrace the future.

• New Yorker: The Intelligence Gap

Royal Australian Navy – HMAS Kanimbla, an amphibious ship, has departed for service in the Persian Gulf. The frigate HMAS Anzac remains in the Gulf.

• BBC: Australian ship heads for Gulf
  

Romanian Navy – More on the sale of Type 22 frigates from the Royal Navy to Romania.

• Daily Telegraph: MoD accused of hypocrisy over warship sale to Romania

Background – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

• Daily Telegraph: US rushes to develop unmanned strike plane
• Jane’s: Coming soon: attack of the killer UAVs
  

• US Naval Institute Proceedings: UAVs Hold Promise for No-Fly Zone Enforcement

Royal Marines – The 24 man strong Royal Marine Brigade Patrol Troop specializes in winter recce work.

• Daily Telegraph: British unit prepares to defy extremes of the Afghan winter

US Navy – Aboard the USS Carl Vinson with one of the few female F-14 Tomcat pilots.

• Daily Telegraph: ‘I was smiling: I had dropped my bombs. They hit’

US Navy – Aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

• Associated Press: U.S. pilots focusing more on Taliban troops, tanks and providing air cover

Background – Middle East – Is the US winning the battle but loosing the war? The view from inside the Beltway.

• Washington Post: At Pentagon: Worries Over War’s Costs, Consequences

Background – CIA – What is wrong with the CIA and why it missed predicting the events of September 11.

• New Yorker: What went wrong

Royal Australian Navy – The Australian Navy has intercepted more refugees seeking asylum in Australia.

• BBC: Australia intercepts asylum boat
  

US Marines – The US Marines will form an antiterrorist unit.

• San Diego Union Tribune: Marine Corps assembles anti-terrorism unit

Canadian Navy – The state of the Canadian Navy today.

• Sixth ship may head to Middle East

US Navy – Aboard the USS John F. Kennedy, which is not in the Persian Gulf.

• Florida Times-Union: Far from action, Kennedy awaits call

US Navy – US special forces, staging from the USS Kitty Hawk, have raided Taliban targets on the ground.

• BBC: US troops clash with Taleban
• CNN: U.S. Special Operations troops in commando raid
  

• Washington Post: Rangers Attack Taliban Target

US Navy – Aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the latest aircraft carrier to arrive in theater.

• Associated Press: Carrier Jets Ready to Support Troops

Royal Marine – The Royal Marines will be offered to the US for use in ground operations.

• The Times: Marines poised to join ground offensive

Background – Taliban troops – The caliber of the troops US forces will face on the ground, by analyst James F. Dunnigan.

• Strategy Page: The “No Surrender” Brigades
  

US Navy – Aboard the USS Enterprise’s air group.

• Stars and Stripes: Fighter pilots’ mission: ‘We go
  up and execute democracy’

US Navy – Prototype systems that help shorten sensor to shooter time lags may be deployed to help US forces.

• Jane’s: Prototype technologies could be useful for strikes

Ground War – It was confirmed today that US special forces are on the ground in southern as well as northern Afghanistan.

• Washington Post: Special Forces Open Ground Campaign

Background – Saudia Arabia – This essay paints a disturbing picture of our “allies” the Saudis – a corrupt regime that has bankrolled the fundamentalists who are trying to overthrow it.

• The New Yorker: King’s Ransom

US Air Force – The USAF has for the first time armed its RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles with Hellfire antitank missiles. This is truely a revolution in military affairs, and is actually covered in more detail at the end of the above New Yorker article.

• Washington Post: U.S. Arms Unmanned Aircraft