Naval Arctic Mission

The Chronicle-Herald has an article about an upcoming naval exercise in the Arctic. In addition to three ships, and six aircraft, over 400 sailors, soldiers, RCMP and Coastguards will travel the northwest passage. In addition to exercises and patrols they will maintain graves at several long abandoned RCMP posts.

Leaflets

Slate has an article on the dropping of propaganda leaflets.

A little bit of India in China

The Register has an article about a discovery in Google Earth. A Chinese military base in the village of Huangyangtan has a large area that is a scale model of the terrain on the Chinese-Indian border.

How statisticians won the war

This article in the Guardian describes how statisticians used the serial numbers of captured / destroyed German tanks managed to estimate the number of tanks that the Germans had.

I am assuming that today serial numbers are a bit more random.

SAR techs make two rescues

The Chronicle-Herald describes a rescue at sea while Canoe describes a mountain rescue. Both were performed by Canadian Forces Search and Rescue technicians who parachuted onto the scene.

Bearded troops

According to The Daily Mail, British troops in Afghanistan have been given permission to grow beards when on operations. This is to improve cooperation with Afghan men who are usually bearded.

DND's plans for the north

An article in the Chronicle-Herald discusses the defence minister's (and presumably the military's) plans for the arctic. In addition to a port they would like a winter warfare training area.

Who's who in Afghanistan

The BBC have a quick summary of the major players in Afghanistan.

Paratroopers meet submarine

According to the Chronicle-Herald, an exercise has been held in the Atlantic where members of the Pathfinders parachuted into the sea and rendezvoused with the submarine HMCS Windsor. The goal is to allow the Pathfinders to operate from subs without having to spend weeks in the cramped spaces of a submarine getting to the mission.

Followup: This article in the Trident has more info and some pictures.

Training for water landings

The Halifax Chronicle Herald has an article about one of their reporters attending a course in Shearwater that teaches Sea King helicopter pilots how to do an emergency landing on water.

An amusing quote from a Warrant Officer riding with the reporter when the reporter asked what would happen if the helicopter sank on landing:

"The only thing you a’re going to feel is my foot going on top of your head, pushing myself out," he says. "Might as well tell it how it is."

CIA shuts down bin Laden unit

The Scotsman reports that the CIA has shut down the unit that has been responsible for hunting Osama bin Laden. Apparently the CIA feels that al-Qaeda is not longer hierarchical enough to be affected by bin Laden's loss.

Royal Naval gay pride

For the first time the Royal Navy has allowed gay sailors to march in a gay pride parade in uniform. This follows last years decision to activly recruit gay sailors. Note the contrast with the American "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. I'm not sure what the exact situation is in Canada but I don't believe there are any restictions on gays in the Canadian Forces.

A related article in the Telegraph has some more background.

Coffee making

The Washington Post describes new technology that US soldiers can use to make coffee in the field. It is basically a sturdy plastic bag that is used in conjunction with the normal chemical ration heating packs.

Combat Team Commanders Course

A CBC reporter who is also a reservist has a report on the Combat Team Commanders Course that he attended earlier this year.

CF on exercise at Pearl Harbour

Canoe has an article about Canadian participation in a multinational exercise in Hawaii. Three warships, divers, six CF-18s, a Hercules and two Aurora maritime patrol aircraft are involved.

Australian defence

According to this article in The Age, the Australians are also on a defence spending spree.

Laser eye surgery in the US Navy

The New York Times has an article about laser eye surgery in the US Navy. The surgery is offered to all cadets at the US Naval Academy and is having an effect of the careers chosen by the cadets. In the past many cadets did not qualify for pilot or SEAL training because of their eye sight and had to select alternative careers, the submarine service in particular.

As far as I know in Canada, pilots are not allowed to have had the surgery.

Improving SEAL numbers

The Washington post has an ariticle on how the Pentagon is trying to get more people though SEAL training without lowering standards.

New British popularity medal

This short article describes the Soldiers' Medal which is awarded to the British recruit who gets the most votes from the other recruits. I'm not sure how many are awarded each year and I couldn't find any other information on a British Soldiers' Medal on the web.

New land forces commander

The government has announced that General Andrew Leslie has been appointed Chief of the Land Staff and Commander Land Forces Command (ie the head of the army).

Followup: An article on the General's family history in the military.