News, Articles and Comment

Ed. The practitioner author paints a stark picture of a casualty-intensive opening phase of a near-future Pacific war, employing lessons from the Second World War to argue that depth of capability must be actualised today. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, April 2026. A 10 minute read.

Ed. When the 1980s Iran-Iraq War bled into the maritime sphere, the US Navy raced to halt depredations to oil shipments; the mine-warfare factor weighed heavily in the operation and offers lessons for today. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, June 2025. A 15 minute read.

Ed. With a study of American maritime strategy ranging from Mahan to Huntington, the practitioner author believes that the era of the Panoceanic Navy, focused on competitive sea control and sustained sea denial, has begun. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, March edition. A 50 minute read.

Ed. The expert author examines the emerging technological risks to aircraft carriers in the drone age. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, February edition. A 15 minute read.

Ed. The author considers the past century of technological innovation in the USN, its impact on the Service’s officer corps and naval leadership, and proposes several possible outcomes with regard to AI integration. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, December edition. A 15 minute read.

Ed. The author contends it is a fallacy that a US war with China over Taiwan could be contained to the western Pacific, and proposes a three-pronged strategy to counter the PRC. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, November edition. A 10 minute read.

Ed. Churchill’s final volume of his war memoirs is titled Triumph and Tragedy: the theme of the volume is “how the great democracies triumphed and so were able to resume the follies which had so nearly cost them their life.” What did Churchill mean by tragedy? Was he referring to the incredible loss of life caused by the firestorms of Dresden and Tokyo or by the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Or was he lamenting the tragedy that, for most of Eastern Europe, he foresaw that one jackboot was to be replaced by another. As it wasn’t just the democracies that triumphed, the most successful victor of the Second World War was indeed Stalin claiming territories and spoils both in Europe and in Asia. Once again, we risk another tragedy as it looks increasingly likely the jackboots are on the rise.

Ed. The author contends that anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles, launched from smaller, more cost-efficient and conventionaly-powered submarines, designed and built with Pacific allies in mind, would be an important step towards reaching revitalised maritime goals for the USN. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, October edition. A 15 minute read.

Ed. The author, professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, employs historical analogy and common sense to solidify the case for totally autonomous naval platforms. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, September edition. A 15 minute read.