U.S. Navy – The U.S. Navy is improving Sailors’ quality of life by providing each with an e-mail account to stay in touch with home during deployments.

• Seatttle Post Intelligencer: Carrier crew uses e-mail to stay in touch with loved ones back home

U.S. Marines – the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit has returned home after a 6 month deployment to the Pacific. During the cruise they assisted UN peacekeeping efforts on East Timor; exercised in the Persian Gulf with Kuwait, Quatar and Oman; and stood by to assist if necessary in evacuations from war-torn Eritrea.

• San Diego Union Tribune: Troops return to admirers

No NOSI on Monday, I’ll be lecturing at the Surface Warfare Institute of Medicine’s Officer Indoctrination Course in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Taiwanese Navy – The Taiwanese Navy placed into commission the Anchorage-class amphibious landing ship U.S.S. Pensacola and 3 missile patrol boats. The landing ship, along with 2 Newport-class LSTs will form Taiwan’s amphibious rapid response force.

• Associated Press: Chen commissions naval ships
• Agence French Presse: Taiwan to beef up naval strength
• Reuters: Old U.S. landing craft enters service with Taiwan

Indonesian Navy – The Indonesian Navy will now play a more active role in attempting to subdue the violence between Christians and Muslims in the Malukus Islands.

• Agence French Presse: Navy to help clear “Jihad warriors” from Malukus

Royal Navy – An attempt to sue the British government for the sinking of the Argentinian Navy cruiser General Belgrano during the Falklands War has failed.

• BBC News: Belgrano legal action fails

U.S. Marines – Is it time to take the U.S. Marines off of Okinawa, and position them somewhere else in the Pacific? Pro and Con

• New York Times (registration required): Take the Marines off Okinawa
• Los Angeles Times: Reselling Asians on US forces

Chinese Navy – Russia has finished work on the second Sovremenny class frigate it is building for China, and sea trials have begun. Delivery is expected by the end of the year. The ship is armed with the SS-N-22 anti ship cruise missile.

• Washington Times: Russia readies warship for China

Nigerian Navy – Nigerian Navy Sailors are being encouraged to become more proficient in small arms handling, to better help them maintain internal security and defend their fragile democracy in concert with the Nigerian Army.

• Africa News Online: Navy Pledges to Defend Democracy

Indian Navy – the Indian Navy commissioned it’s 10th Kilo-class submarine, INS Sindushastra. It is to be equipped with the Klub anti ship missile.

• Times of India: Navy acquires Russian missile sub
• The Hindu: New missile-firing sub being commissioned
• Rediff.com: Indian Navy’s first missile-firing submarine commissioned

U.S. Marines – The U.S.M.C. Harrier fleet has been grounded, due to an excessive number of recent accidents, which have been attributed to a lack of spare parts and maintainence difficulties.

• Washington Post – Up in Arms

French Navy – The French Navy’s stealth missile frigate, Aconit, is currently on an around-the-world cruise, with the majority of its time being spent in Southeast Asia. It is currently visiting Singapore.

• Times of India: French warship in Singapore for joint exercise

Indian Navy – Pro and (mostly) con on whether the Indian Navy should purchase the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov from Russia, by Admiral J.G. Nadkarni (retired)

• Rediff.com: Does India need to invest Rs 9,000 crore on a Russian aircraft carrier?

Sorry for the lack of updates the last 2 days, but I am again out-of-commission with a bad case of the flu. Should be back in a day or so???

U.S. Navy – A collision at sea has occured, during underway replenishment, between the USS Denver and the USNS Yukon off Hawaii. Both ships were heavily damaged but no injuries were reported.

• CNN: Two U.S. Navy ships collide in Pacific; vessels damaged, no injuries reported
• CNN: Cause of U.S. Navy collision at sea under investigation

Royal Navy – The United Kingdom has been accused of violating Argentinian airspace this week when overflying Argentinian fishing boats, near the Falkland Islands.

• Reuters: <a href="http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000714/wl/argentina_britain_dc_1.html&quot;Argentina Says UK Violated Airspace Near Falklands

Background – Falklands – In a conference on the future of the Falkland Islands, Britian vowed to continue its military committment to the islands for as long as it is needed. There are felt to be large oil holdings off the islands.

• The Times (registration required): Britian to stand by Falklands

Royal Navy – HMS Tireless, one of the Royal Navy’s nuclear attack submarines, is undergoing repair at Gibraltar after suffering a coolant leak in its propulsion system while underway in the Mediterranean. Some of the locals are not pleased???

• The Guardian: Gibraltar protests at nuclear sub repair

Indonesia Navy – More on the Indonesian Navy capture of boats that were smuggling weapons to the riot-torn province of North Maluku.

• Agence France Presse: Navy swoops on Maluku guns shipment

U.S. Navy – A report by the General Accounting Office claims that most U.S. Navy ships do not have adequate defenses against cruise missiles.

• Washington Post: Report: Navy ships vulnerable

Indonesia Navy – The Indonesian Navy has captured two boats that were smuggling weapons to the riot-torn province of North Maluku.

• Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Indonesian Navy intercepts gunship heading for Malukus

Chinese Navy – On a port visit to Kuala Lumpur, senior Chinese Navy officials stated that one of the Navy’s roles will be to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.

• Agency French Presse: China’s Armed Forces Pledge Key Role in Regional Peace

Indian Navy – The Indian Navy must maintain control over the 1,200 islands in its territory in the Indian Ocean to ensure these islands are not used by those who have no title to them.

The Hindu: Effective control of Indian Ocean vital

Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force – The JMSDF will form its first special operations unit next year.

• Janes’ Defense Weekly: Japanese navy to launch special operations unit

U.S. Navy – The U.S. Navy is lobbying hard for a 360 ship fleet to protect U.S. interests worldwide, up from the current count of 305 ships.

• Virginian Pilot: Navy intensifies drive to build more ships

Indian Navy – The Indian Navy is undertaking a number of goodwill cruises around the globe in the next 2 years, for diplomatic reasons.

• Times of India: Navy takes to diplomacy in a big way

Ghanan and Nigerian Navies – Lessons learned in littoral warfare in Africa during operations other than war in Liberia.

• Africa News Online – Lessons from Liberia

Royal Australian Navy – The Collins class submarine HMAS Waller performed extremely well in the recent RIMPAC 2000 exercise, penetrating the the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln’s surface screen during the exercise.

• Australian Financial Review: Collins-class sub shines in Hawaii war games

U.S. Navy – U.S. Navy submariners claim their forces have been cut to dangerously low levels, given the wide spectrum of missions they are now called upon to execute. By next year the U.S. will be down to 50 SSN’s, a 50% reduction from Cold War strength.

• San Diego Union: Navy sub commanders decry shortage of subs

Virginian Pilot – Life aboard the ballistic missile submarine U.S.S. Maryland.

• Virginian Pilot: Ballistic missile submarine pays Norfolk rare visit.

Background – Electromagnetic weapons – We are becoming increasingly vulnerable to electromagnetic weapons, which emit a blast of electromagnetic radiation which toasts the electronics of any device within its range. There are suggestions that such weapons have already been used surreptitiously in wars and in terrorist operations. These weapons can be easily made at home???

• New Scientist: Just a normal town???

U.S. Navy – Continuing on the terrorist thread???activists have claimed they sabotaged the U.S. Navy’s Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) communications system which is used to send information to ballistic missile submarines at sea. The sabotage was carried out by cutting down utility poles which supported transmission lines.

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinnel – Activists say they downed Navy’s link to subs

U.S. Navy – The U.S. Navy announced that the first of 32 DD-21 class land attack destroyers would be named the Admiral Elmo M. Zumwalt, after the former Chief of Naval Operations.

• Associated Press: Navy announces plan for 21st century ship

U.S. Navy – To increase the number of Sailors in the U.S. Navy, entrance standards are being lowered and Sailors are being given higher pay. In the short term, these changes are working.

• Bergen Record: Lower standards, higher pay help shrink shortage of sailors

Iranian Navy – The United States now has evidence that the governments of Iran and the United Arab Emirates are assisting Iraq in its illegal oil smuggling operations, at a nice profit to each. Meanwhile, Iran continues to maintain publically that it is helping to enforce the sanctions againts Iraq.

• Los Angeles Times: Iran Opens Key Isle to Iraqi Oil Smugglers, U.S. Says
• Reuters: U.S. welcomes Iran’s halting of two Iraqi tankers

Indonesian Navy – The Indonesian Navy has been coordinating the search for survivors from the sunken ferry that was carrying refugees from the Moluccas.

• BBC News: Ferry survivors’ dreadful ordeal

NOSI is on vacation until Tuesday, July 4. See you then!

Canadian Navy – The Canadian Navy’s aging Sea King helicopters will fly under restricted conditions, due to several recent losses.

• Toronto Star: Sea King choppers restricted after sinking
• Daily News: Sea King sinkings might help

Sri Lanka Navy – Tamil Tiger forces carried out a suicide attack on a government supply vessel, causing heavy damage to it. Sri Lanka Navy vessels which came to its assistance were also attacked by Tamil Tiger forces. The sea route is the only open line of supply the Sri Lankan government has to its forces.

• Agence French Press: Tigers shatter Jaffna lull with kamikaze attack on ship

Pakistan Navy – The Pakistan Navy opened a new base today, its second, at Ormara, which is 240 km west of Karachi, its first and heretofore only base.

• The Hindu: Pakistan naval base opens

Pakistan – Background – The education of the next generation of hundreds of thousands of Muslim holy warriors is underway in Pakistan at madrasas, or religious schools. Their narrow interpretation of Islam, coupled with Pakistan’s nuclear capability, makes them a substantive future threat to the West.

• New York Times: The education of a holy warrior

Taiwan Background – A new Pentagon study concludes that it is unlikely that China will attack Taiwan, because it would jeopardize China’s economy.

• Washington Post: China is unlikely to attack Taiwan, Pentagon assessment says

Royal New Zealand Navy – Further modernization of the Royal New Zealand Navy will be delayed indefinitely under new government plans, which will give priority in funding to the Army.

• Australian Financial Review: NZ defence policy sets sights on upgraded, combat-ready troops

U.S. Navy – The submarine U.S.S. Dolphin has demonstrated the ability to send e-mail while submerged using an acoustic modem.

• Associated Press: Expanding underwater e-mail

Royal Navy – The trimaran research vessel RV Triton will commence formal sea trials in September. The builder, Vosper Thornycroft, feels the trimaran is the shape of the future.

• Janes’ Navy International: RV Triton

Indonesia Navy – The Indonesia Navy has begun evacuating Christians from the Moluccan islands in an attempt to quell religious violence.

• BBC News: Navy begins Moluccas evacuation

U.S. Navy – The incoming U.S. Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Admiral Vernon Clark, draws interesting parallels between today and when he first entered the Navy in the early 1970’s when Admiral Zumwalt was CNO.

• Virginian Pilot: Navy boss, who once quit himself, to focus on
  retention

U.S. Navy – the U.S.S. George Washington battlegroup is deploying to the Gulf with a nearly 99% manning rate, a vast improvement over recent deployments which have occured with 90% manning rates.

• Virginian Pilot: George Washington battle group deploys at near-full status

U.S. Navy – A report submitted to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration concludes that the cause of the strandings of a number of whales in the Bahamas in March was loud underwater noises. Near the time of the strandings the Navy was testing active sonars designed to detect diesel-electric submarines undertaking operations in littoral areas.

• Washington Post: Navy tests linked to beaching of whales