The Networks are Social

Wired has an article that implies that the problem the Americans are having in Iraq is that they have relied too much on electronic networks rather than social ones. I'm not sure I buy their argument but the article is interesting nonetheless. The brief section on the US Army psych ops sergeant was very interesting:

Colabuno's early efforts to persuade the population were just as subtle. He shows me a collection of his early posters, tabloid-sized pages laid on a table. Against a flaming background, a terrorist holds a child. The text asks why the parents of Fallujah would let insurgents harm their kids. Wrong move. This is a culture based on shame and honor; now you've just called the parents inadequate. Plus, the piece is just too on the nose, too blatant. The best propaganda is sneaky.

History: WWI Ship Camouflage

Dark Roasted Blend has a blog posting with plenty of pictures about the vibrant camouflage schemes used on ships during the First World War. Some of them seem like they'd make the ships much easier to spot but I can see how they would make it harder to do rangefinding or determine the ship's heading.

French Navy recuits in Second Life

Aviation Week reports that the French Navy has opened a recruiting station in the online video game Second Life. There are some pictures of the "virtual frigate" that they have created in the game.

Submarine rescue training

The Australian has an article about a submarine rescue exercise called Pacific Reach. The exercise involved the British, Canadian, Italian and South Korean navies. The article has some details on the Royal Australian Navy's submarine service.

Canadian Reservists in Sierra Leone

The Toronto Star has an article about a group of Canadian reservists who are in Sierra Leone training the local army.

Canadian Air Force helps out

The Torch has a post about how the Canadian Air Force assisted the US Air Force when the US grounded some models of the F-15 fighter. Canadian CF-18s flew patrols over the Alaskan coast for two weeks in November.

One of the comments to the post is interesting as it points out how the grounding of the F-15 fleet highlights the problem of having only one type of aircraft in a particular role. This is similar to how, if you only grow one type of crop, you are very vulnerable to plant diseases.

New US Anti-Swimmer Grenade

Danger Room has a short article about a new American grenade designed to defend ships and shore facilities against divers. The grenade looks a bit large in the photo but I wouldn't imagine troops will be carrying them in their pockets.

More on robots at sea

Popular Mechanics has an article about small robotic boats and how they might be used to fight piracy. There are some nice photos of the vessels.

The U-2 makes a comeback

US News and Daily Report has an article about the U-2 spy plane. Despite the current trend towards unmanned aerial vehicles, the Cold War era aircraft is being increasingly used to gather intelligence against modern enemies. The number of U-2 flights is up 20% in the last two years.

An Aging Air Force

Canada.com has an article about how age is becoming a problem for the Canadian Air Force. While the average age of aircraft is down to 26 years, the average age of personnel is now 36.

Germans won't fly at night

According to this article in the Times, German helicopter pilots in Afghanistan won't fly at night. They leave the operating area so that they will be back at their base on time.

First World War Helmets

Danger Room has a link to a video about experimental American First World War helmets. It was interesting how many of the helmets ended up looking like the German helmet - and were consequently rejected. Remember that when the modern day American helmet was adopted its similarity to Second World War German helmets was a common complaint.

Obit: RCAF pilot who bombed bridge over River Kwai

The Globe and Mail has an obituary for Roy Borthwick. He was the RCAF pilot who bombed the railway bridge built by prisoners of war over the River Kwai in Thailand. The bridge was part of the "Death Railway".

USMC basic training

The LA Times has an article about US Marine Corps basic training. It follows four recruits through the grueling 13 week course.

Blackwater rents out spies

The Washington Post has a story about Blackwater's for hire intelligence agency. The company, Total Intelligence Solutions, employs a large number of former US intelligence personnel and is headed by a former CIA associate deputy director of operations.

Obit: RAF Doctor who tested first rocket ejection seat

The Guardian has an obituary for Air Vice Marshal Peter Howard. He was a Royal Air Force doctor who was involved in aircraft testing. He tested the first rocket powered ejection seat in 1962.

The Times also has an obituary.

CF National Fitness Test Results

The Toronto Star has a report on the results of the Canadian Forces first national fitness test. Apparently 1,000 failed the test as compared to 47,000 "enlisted men" (I'm not sure what happened to all the officers) who passed.

The failure rates were higher in the Navy, which I think you would expect given that sailors spend so much of there time on ships. Of course this doesn't explain why sailors in Halifax did better than those in BC.

Followup: Canoe also has a similar story about the test. This one mentions that no officers over the rank of Colonel (ie Generals and Admirals) failed the test.

Nowhere to park CC-177s

The Toronto Star reports that the Canadian Forces new CC-177 (aka C-17) strategic transport aircraft arrived so quickly that there are no hangers large enough to hold it. Consequently it has to park outside.

British SAS Troops have entered Iran

The Times reports that SAS commandos have entered Iran and engaged in combat with gun runners.

Obit: Colditz escapers Lockwood and Goldfinch

The Daily Telegraph has obituaries for Captain Kenneth Lockwood and Flight Lieutenant Bill Goldfinch both of whom were prisoners of war at Colditz Castle during the Second World War. Lockwood was one of the first six British prisoners to arrive at the castle and assisted many escape attempts. Goldfinch was the designer of the famous Colidtz glider.

Armed Robots

Danger Room has a blog post with picture and a video of a new American armed robot that may be deployed to Iraq.

They also have a posting about the US Navy's plans for unmanned ships.

The cost of equipping a soldier

The Seattle PI has an article about the costs of equipping a US soldier. In World War II it cost 170 US dollars (in 2006 money) to equip a soldier, in Vietnam is cost $1,100 and today it costs $17,500. Obviously none of these figures include training - just the equipment the soldiers (presumably infantry) carry with them.

Jamming IEDs

The Washington Post has a long article about the American's battles with IEDs, in particular their efforts with jammers. Developing and operating the jammers seems to be a tri-service affair with even the Navy getting involved.

How the Israeli's got into Syria

A blog at Aviation week has some information about how the Israeli's penetrated Syrian air defences during their recent air strike. It seems that the aircraft they used, which were not stealthed, were equipped with a system that could hack into the Syrian Radar system and prevent the planes from being noticed.

via Danger Room

Blog post: More thoughts on COIN

The Torch has a blog post where he an copies article from an American blog about terms that should be avoided or used when one is involved in a counter-insurgency operation against Islamic opponents. The author feels that some of the terms used "help legitimize the Islamic Terrorists and Insurgency actions in the eyes of the Islamic world". He provides some very interesting examples.

CF's fight against IEDs in Afghanistan

The Toronto Star has an article about Canadian efforts to counter Improvised Explosive Devices in Afghanistan. The article has a picture of one of the new Husky mine clearance vehicles.

NATO troop contributions in Afghanistan

Flit has a blog posting about the numbers of troops contributed by the various NATO nations to the mission in Afghanistan. He calculates how many more troops each country would have to contribute to bring them up to the NATO average percentage of forces contribution.

Land Warrior Gear in Iraq

Danger Blog has an article about the US Army's Land Warrior programme and how the new equipment is being used in Iraq. While initially being unpopular with the troops due to its weight, the gear gained some acceptance once it was used in combat.

I found it interesting that the idea of letting users annotate maps was suggested by the troops themselves. That seem to me to be the sort of thing that the original designers should have included as one of the main features of the system.

As a bonus, ISR journal has an article about China's equivalent equipment.

Rage against the Machines

A very interesting paper that studies most modern counter-insurgencies and finds that increased mechanization of forces does not help with victory - in fact it seems to reduce the chances of winning.

via flit

UAV's Grounded by Red Tape

Danger Room has a posting about how bureaucratic red tape is reducing the usefulness of UAV's in Iraq. Many units with their own UAVs don't bother to fly them anymore because of all the permissions required.

Video games with real bullets

The Danger Room has a blog posting about a new training technology. Basically a unit's live fire training building is modified so that computer generated images are projected on the walls. Live rounds are still used by the troops and another computer detects the impacts of the rounds on the walls so that the images can react correctly - ie if you shoot someone they fall down.

I'm not sure how practical or expensive this is but it certainly sounds like it might be useful.

Canada's new C-17 transport makes frist trip to Afghanistan

The CTV reports on the first CC-177 (that's the Canadian designation) and its first flight to Afghanistan.

Canadian journalists to wear dogtags

According to this article from CTV, journalists traveling with Canadian Forces in Afghanistan will have to wear dogtags. The Globe and Mail also mentions the story. Neither article has anything about what journalists think of the new policy.

Naval Reserve programme for aboriginal youth

The Victoria Times-Colonist has an article about a programme run by the Canadian Naval Reserve for aboriginal youth. The participants are put through basic training and then can either stay in the Naval Reserve or, if they don't live near a Naval Reserve Division, can transfer to other reserve units such as the Canadian Rangers, or if they don't like military life they can be honourably discharged.

Computer pilots beat humans at refueling

The Register (of all places) has an article about DARPA's recent advances in piloting computers. The computers are now better than human pilots at docking with air to air refueling tankers. This will presumably allow UAVs to stay airborne indefinitely (or at least until the require maintenance). Another interesting point:

If it was human, it would now retire and go to work for the airlines, and the military would have to start again with a another second lieutenant; but the robot will stay this good forever, or improve.

Blog post: Tactical Operations Centres

Blogger Michael Yon has a post that is, at least partly, about the Tactical Operations Centres of various sized units. He also discusses and has photos of the different UAVs used by the various units.

Canadian Navy to study use of UAVs

The Halifax Chronicle-Herald reports that the Canadian Navy is investigating the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles from its ships. Another article on Canoe has a bit more information and a picture of a Bombardier UAV.

Canadian Sub Stalks Aircraft Carrier

The Maple Leaf has a brief article about the Canadian submarine HMCS Corner Brook getting within torpedo range of the British aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious during an exercise in May. There is a great picture of Illustrious taken through Corner Brook's periscope.

429 Squadron is reactivated

According to the Intelligencer, 429 Squadron has been reactivated. They will fly the new C-17 cargo aircraft once they start arriving next month.

HMC Ships in the news

Two stories about Canadian Navy warships:

Firstly, the Halifax Chronicle Herald has an article about HMCS Fredericton's participation in a secret drug operation in the Caribbean. Interestingly the presence of the ship in the region only became public when Prime Minister Harper met the vessel during a visit to Barbados.

The second, in the Halifax Daily News, is about an upcoming voyage by HMCS Toronto which will feature a number of historic firsts. In addition to exercising with the South African Navy, Toronto will circumnavigate Africa.

CF has a new robot sub

According to this article in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald the Canadian Navy has a new remote controlled submarine.

While the navy’s mini-sub — dubbed Dorado after the big fish — is now based in British Columbia, it is highly portable. The sub and the gear used to control it can be loaded into a few shipping containers and sent anywhere in the world.

Canadian UAVs in Afghanistan

The National Post has an article where the artist Richard Johnson describes, with sketches, a mission for a Canadian Sperwer unmanned aerial vehicle. You'll have to scroll (or read) down a little bit to get to the section where he describes and illustrates the Sperwer and its launch vehicle.

Google Earth reveals new Chinese Sub

The Strategic Security Blog reports that a picture of the new Chinese Ballistic Missile submarine has made its way into Google Earth.

Robotic Air Attack Squadron bound for Iraq

Yahoo has an article about a probable upcoming deployment of a new American Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to Iraq. The MQ-9 Reaper is similar to the older MQ-1 Predator but is larger and more capable.

Follow up: The Daily Mail reports that the RAF has purchased some Reapers for deployment in Afghanistan. Interestingly, the aircraft will be remotely controlled from Nevada.

Who will man the new arctic patrol vessel?

This article on the CTV website speculates that the new arctic patrol vessels, recently announced by the Prime Minister, will be manned by reservists.

New Russian Arctic Claims

A blog post at the New York Times talks about the recent Russian attempt to claim a large part of the Arctic Ocean. There are links to a number of maps of the various claims and counter claims for how to divide the Arctic.

US tries to simulate the world

An article on The Register describes the US Department of Defense's effort to create giant simulations of the world. They aim to have one "node" in the simulation for every person on earth.

via slashdot

US Forces to use Aghan currency

A very short article in the Economic Times says that US troops in Afghanistan are going to start using local currency rather than US dollars in their dealings with local people. The goal is to try to stabilise the Aghan currency.

Map of Canadian casualties in Afghanistan

The CBC has a Google Map showing the locations of the incidents in Afghanistan where Canadian soldiers have been killed.

Special Forces Underwear

Canada.com has an article about the US Air Force's efforts to develop special underwear for their special forces units. The goals are for the underwear to eliminate odours and to be very durable.

CF Hercules in Afghanistan

The Torch has a blog post about Canadian Forces Hercules aircraft operations in Afghanistan. The post links to an article and a video of a Hercules making a supply airdrop.

Australia to expand its navy

CBC has an article about Australia's plans to spend 10 billion dollars upgrading its navy.

Canadians in the Congo

Canada.com has an article on Canadian soldiers serving with the UN peacekeeping mission MONUC in the Congo.

In August, we had a civil war in the city. In November, we had another one which burned the supreme court building, and in March we had another civil war in the city, a confrontation between government forces and the security forces of a former vice-president.

A 10 Warthog

Aviation Week has an article on the venerable A-10 Warthog ground attack aircraft.

The Warthog has proved far more useful for modern fights than even the contemporary F-117 stealth fighter: the stealth jet is bowing out of service beginning this year; the Warthog, on the other hand, is slated for another 20 years of service.

Exercise Western Sentry

The Lookout has an article about a Canadian Naval Reserve exercise on the west coast.

Like high readiness work-ups on a warship to prepare crew and ship to deploy at a moment’s notice, Western Sentry is the method of certifying a Port Security Unit (PSU) is ready for duty. There are four PSU, two on each coast. This year, PSU 2 is being prepared as the national manning pool to draw from should a domestic emergency operation or port security need arise in Canada.

US Army to teach combat lifesaving to new recruits

The Washington Post has an article about the US Army increasing the amount of first aid training that recruits are given during basic training. Previously only specially selected soldiers in each unit were given the training.

The new skill training is comprised of about one week of the soldiers' nine-week training program, and follows only rifle marksmanship and physical training in the time devoted to it.

Gays in British military not really news

The International Herald-Tribune has an article on gays in the British military. Homosexuals have been allowed to serve openly since 2000 and the article reports that no serious problems have been reported.

Nonetheless, the issue is extremely sensitive right now. The military does not want to be seen bragging about the success of its policy when the issue still can cause so much anguished debate in America.

The Modern Foreign Legion

The Washington Post as an article on the modern day French Foreign Legion.

Once an almost exclusively European force, the Legion now counts Asians and Latin Americans among its fastest-growing cadres of soldiers. Although French law forbids the Legion to actively recruit beyond French borders, the Internet has rendered the law almost meaningless.

COIN for beginners

The blog Black Five has a posting that explains counterinsurgency in terms that normal people can understand.

Profile of a cook

The Kingston Whig-Standard has an article profiling a cook serving with the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. A former member of the infantry, Master Corporal Dave Dore has previously worked as a cook on the plane the military uses to fly the Prime Minister.

CSE in Afghanistan

The Torch has a blog post about the activities of the Communications Security Establishment in Afghanistan. The relatively unknown CSE is essentially the Canadian equivalent of the US NSA or the British GCHQ and is responsible for gathering intelligence by monitoring communications. The article describes their operations intercepting the communications of the Taliban.

Leave in the Canadian Forces

The Halifax Chronicle-Herald has an article about how leave works for Canadian soldiers deployed in Afghanistan. Essentially each soldier on a six month deployment gets roughly 18 days of leave and C$3,145 to spend on travel. Many soldiers return to Canada during their time off but others travel to exotic destinations around the world.

Walmart has its own intelligence agency

According to this article in Business Week, Walmart is hiring intelligence officers for a unit in its global security office.

The job description includes collecting information from "professional contacts" and public data to anticipate and assess threats stemming from "world events, regional/national security climates, and suspect individuals and groups."

"Familiarity with a broad spectrum of information resources and data-mining techniques" is listed among the skills sought, along with a foreign language, preferably Chinese or Spanish.

via Global Guerillas

Veteren dies of wounds recieved in WWII

The Times has an article about Leslie Croft, a British veteran who died recently at the age of 86, from the effects of a shrapnel wound suffered during the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943.

Croft served with the 6th Battalion of The York and Lancaster Regiment but never returned to combat after his injury. The wound to his stomach caused the growth of scar tissue which eventually lead to his death.

According to the Rotherham coroner:

“I rather suspect that Leslie Croft will be one of the last men to die of a wound suffered in World War Two.

“Mr Croft died from broncho-pneumonia consequent on a war wound which he suffered when fighting in World War Two in Italy in 1943.

“He had undoubtedly made what appeared to be a miraculous recovery because he went on to work in the coalmines and he must have enjoyed quite a long period of retirement.”

First Canadian pilots certified on C-17

The Canadian Air Force news site announces that the first Canadian Forces pilots have been certified to fly the C-17 transport aircraft. Both of the pilots have flown the planes while on exchanges with the US Air Force and each have over a thousand hours of flight time.

Canadian helps build school in the Sudan

The Trident has an article about a Canadian officer, Lt(N) Jamie Stewart, who helped rebuild a school in the Sudan while he was a member of UNMIS, the United Nations Mission in Sudan.

New tankers for Canadian Air Force

The Air Force News reports that the Canadian Air Force has taken delivery of its first CC-150 Polaris air tanker. The plane, a modified Airbus A310, will give Canada a strategic Air-to-air-refueling capability which will allow the air force's CF-18s to be deployed worldwide.

Dealing with Afghans

The Halifax Chronicle-Herald has an article about the difficulties in trying to get things done in Afghanistan. Basically the Canadians want to pay the workers directly while the village higher ups feel that they should be in charge of distributing the cash. Reminds me of stories of getting construction work done in New York City.

Chaplains train at Toronto hospital

A news release from Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto describes a programme for training Canadian Forces Chaplains before they are deployed overseas.

Conclusion of Arctic Patrol

The CTV has an article about the conclusion of the previously mentioned Arctic patrol.

"We were supposed to see some of the most beautiful scenery in Canada. All we saw was white.''

Additional: The Washington Post has an interesting article about the patrol which gives, at least part of, the American view. Amusingly they refer to members of the Canadian Rangers as "Eskimo reservists".

TV Interview lead to capture of RN personnel

The Guardian has an article claiming that the Iranians decided to capture the Royal Navy personnel after seeing a TV interview with one of the crew that implied they were gathering intelligence as well as enforcing sanctions.

Blog post: Driving in Afghanistan

Slate has a blog post that links to a YouTube video about driving in Afghanistan.

Canadian Tanks

The Hamilton Spectator has an article about tanks and their use in the Canadian Forces.

Every generation of the Canadian army since the first use of the tank -- more than 90 years ago on Sept. 15, 1916, in the Battle of the Somme -- has had to articulate the immutable, steadfast, necessity for having and maintaining armoured regiments equipped with tracked armoured fighting vehicles.

The link came via this post on the Torch.

Vimy Ridge Diary

Canada.com has some excerpts from the diary of a Canadian gunner at Vimy Ridge.

Sweating for his country

The Chronicle-Herald has an article about the gunner in a Canadian Forces Leopard tank serving in Afghanistan. A lot has been written about the heat in the vehicles but this article put a more personal spin on the issue.

"I’ve lost about 15 pounds since I got here in late February," he said Friday.

"I weigh about 170 now and I’m guessing I’ll probably be down to 150 by the time I go home for good."

Blog post: Must have combat gear - flip flops

A blog post describing a mandatory piece of equipment for service overseas - sandals for the shower.

More on the Arctic patrol

The Chronicle Herald has an article about the previously mentioned Arctic sovereignty patrol that is currently underway in the Canadian north. The going seems to be a bit rough so far.

There is also an article in the Globe and Mail but I find that their articles often tend to vanish after a while.

CF Senior Promotions

A Canadian government press release about recent senior officer promotions in the Canadian Forces.

Once the promotions and appointments for 2007 have taken place, the number of Regular Force generals and naval flag officers will be 72, a reduction from last year’s total of 74. This number includes Gen. Ray Henault, who is not performing a CF function.

British TA raises entry age to 40

The Scotsman has an article about the British Territorial Army raising its maximum age for joining to 40. The limit for the Royal Naval Reserve was already 40 while that for the Royal Auxiliary Air Force was 55. The TA limit only effects people joining without any previous military experience.

Arctic exercise

Canada.com has an article about a Canadian Forces mission in the Arctic. The mission, which is essentially a sovereignty patrol will include an RCMP officer.

Canadian Military Justice

Canoe has an article about the differences between the civilian and military justice systems.

Meanwhile the Chronicle-Herald has an article about accidental discharges.

Blog post: Nickels in Iraq

A blog post on the use of small change by the American forces in Iraq.

Exercise Cougar Salvo

The Lookout has an article about an upcoming exercise in British Columbia which will involve both reserve and regular force units.

Naval Reserve divers

A blog post with two articles from the Daily News about the Canadian Naval Reserve Port Inspection Divers and their recent activities in Port Rupert.

Shadow Wolves hunt bin Laden

The Australian has an article about a unit of Native American trackers who will be used to hunt for bin Laden. The article doesn't mention what they are a unit of - US military, CIA, Homeland Security? This seems an odd omission.

The unit's Wikipedia entry explains that they are a unit of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement service and were formed in 1972.

A CF officer in Sudan

The Lookout has an article about a Canadian officer was has just returned from a peacekeeping tour in Sudan.

Windows at Sea

The British computer magazine the Register has an article about the coming deployment of Microsoft Windows as an operating system on Royal Navy warships. They don't seem to see this as a good thing.

Little Birds over Iraq

The Virginian-Pilot has an article about the small helicopters used by the US military contracting company Blackwater in Iraq.

For many grunts on the ground, Blackwater's Little Birds fill two simple needs: entertainment and inspiration.

Interestingly the Blackwater contractors work in Iraq for 60 days then spend 30 at home.

Canadian Reservists can now serve in Australia

The Department of National Defence has announced that Canadian reservists who move to Australia can now serve with Australian reserve units and vice versa. The article mentions that a similar arrangement is already in effect with the UK. The article doesn't say how many people will be involved.

US Navy: Chinese hackers attack

According to Federal Computer Week, the US Naval Network Warfare Command claims that Chinese hackers are continually attacking American military computer networks.

Canadian sub prepares for arctic mission

The Chronicle Herald has an article about the preparations being made by the submarine HMCS Corner Brook to travel to the arctic. The article expresses concern about the lack of under-ice sonar.

I like the quote about what icebergs sound like:

"When you pour a glass of 7-Up and hold it up to your ear, that’s sort of what they sound like"

General Afghanistan articles

Two articles about the Canadian troops in Afghanistan:

The first from the Vancouver Sun is about a number of local soldiers, regulars and reservists. I particularly like the title of the article: We went because we wanted to go, and we're glad we went

The second, from the Edmonton Journal, is about female soldiers: Women 'outside the wire'

New US Army Uniforms save on dry cleaning

The New York Times has an article about the US Army's new uniforms. The elimination of the need to have them dry cleaned has pleased the troops (though not the owners of dry cleaning stores near to bases) but they aren't all happy about the use of Velcro to attach all badges.

Officers with PhDs

The Washington Post has an article about a group of American officers with PhDs who are advising General David Petraeus, the new U.S. commander in Iraq who himself has a PhD. I met an American Air Force officer on a plane once and he told me that US officers need a Masters degree to be promoted to Major / Lt Commander and a PhD to be a General / Admiral.

Canadian Rangers

An article on canada.com about an exercise with the Canadian Rangers in northern British Columbia.

C-17 purchase

I don't usually mention stories that are all over the news but I thought I should mention the official announcement of the Canadian Force's purchase of four C-17 cargo aircraft. There are articles at the CBC and CTV.

Several interesting things here. Firstly the CF are getting the first plane in August because the US Air Force has agreed to let Canada go ahead of them in the line for aircraft coming out of the factory. Secondly, the CF is buying the engines separately from the aircraft. This seems to be a common practice and apparently is cheaper than having Boeing buy them.

High-Speed Vessel

A photo of aUS Navy catamaran tied up to the dock in Pearl Harbour. HSV-2 Swift is a leased vessel being used to evaluate new technologies.

Psyops in Afghanistan

The Times has an article about Psyops in Afghanistan. The article includes an interview with a NATO psychological warfare officer.

Royal Marines attempt amazing rescue

The Telegraph has an article about four Royal Marines who, in an attempt to rescue a comrade, ride back into a battle strapped to the outside of two Apache helicopters. The Apache, which is an attack helicopter, does not have any room for passengers. Unfortunately their comrade had already been killed.

Followup: Some photos of the rescue attempt have been released.

SAS operating in Somalia

According to this article in The Times, the SAS, and American Special Forces, are operating in Somalia in support of the Ethiopian invasion.

Navy studying ship to ship transfers

According to an article in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald, the Canadian Navy is investigating ways to move larger loads between ships while at sea. At the moment loads of up to two tons can be moved, the Navy is hoping to triple that.

Canadian Subs exercise together

The Trident has an article, with picture, about HM Canadian Ships Corner Brook and Windsor completing an exercise in Halifax. This is the first time since the early 1990s that Canadian submarines have operated together.

Mentioned in dispatches

The Torch has a great posting that gives an explanation of what it means to be "Mentioned in Dispatches".

UK awards a posthumous VC

The Torch has a post about the UK awarding a posthumous Victoria Cross to Corporal Bryan Budd of the Parachute Regiment. Corporal Budd was killed in Afghanistan in August.

A Dutch pilot joins the CF

Canoe has a story about a pilot from the Royal Netherlands Air Force who has now joined the Canadian Forces. In the end he required a special cabinet order to grant him Canadian citizenship.

The AK-47

The St Petersburg Times has an article on the history of the AK-47 assault rifle. More AK-47s have been made than any other type of assault rifle.

US military increases focus on Africa

The Pentagon is creating a new Africa Command to keep an eye on things in Africa. At the moment responsibility for the continent is divided between three of Pentagon's regional commands.

The article also mentions that the US gets 10% of its oil from Africa.

Radio Kandahar

The CBC has an article on a new radio station in Kandahar run by the Canadian Forces. The station will play Bollywood and Afghan music. Interestingly the station is located in Canada with just the transmitter being in Afghanistan.

Driving outside the wire

The Toronto Star has an article on the vehicles used by Canadian troops when they travel around in Afghanistan.

A female Muslim's journey to the US Army

The International Herald Tribune has an article about the trials and tribulations of a Jordanian woman as she tries to join the US Army.

New US cold weather uniforms

DefenseLink has an article about the introduction of the US's new cold weather uniforms to National Guard units in Alaska. Given the source of the article we can't really expect it to be unbiased but the soldiers involved seem quite pleased with their new clothes.

Canadian Air Force in Afghanistan

The CTV website has an article describing Canadian Air Force operations in Afghanistan.