WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2006 – Speed and flexibility make a new military high-speed vessel especially valuable for shallow-water operations, a Defense Department official said.

The "Stiletto," a shallow-water craft made of a tough, lightweight carbon composite material, offers a safer, more comfortable ride and is easily reconfigured to accommodate technological advances and the military's needs, said Navy Cmdr. Greg E. Glaros, a transformation strategist in the Office of Force Transformation...