Waves crash over the bow of the guided-missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG-59) as she deploys in 2007 with the USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group in the South Pacific. Our Surface Warfare Spotlight begins on page 14.

Combat medic and Army Specialist Timothy Jovanovic administers an IV to a wounded Iraqi after an attack on the man's Concerned Local Citizen checkpoint in Owesat, Iraq, on 18 December 2007.

Our International Navies coverage begins with The Commanders Respond.

Plus
A Hero's Long-Delayed Medal Bestowed: The Spence Dry Story

Capitalizing on al Qaeda’s Mistakes By Colonel Mark Cancian, USMC (Ret.) - A former Assistant Chief of Staff for Assessments in Iraq reviews how we took advantage of errors made by the enemy. 

Ramadi: From the Caliphate to Capitalism By Andrew Lubin - Resilient U.S. troops and a sheikh who befriended the Americans have reformed what was one of Iraq’s most dangerous provinces.

Where Are the Ballistic-Missile-Defense Cruisers? By Rear Admiral Thomas Marfiak, USN (Ret.) - Faced with the threat of a ballistic-missile attack on America, it’s time to talk seriously about the next-generation cruiser.
‘Worse Than A Crime—A Mistake’ - By Captain J. M. van Tol, USN (Ret.) - Commanding officers should stop treating Sailors like children and more like the adult professionals they are.

NEW Answering the Call - Bob Feller Leads Off

DOD on a Glide Path to Bankruptcy By John D. Christie-A seasoned Defense Department procurement insider says unchecked acquisitions may put the Pentagon out of business.

Plus - Submarine / ASW / Mine Warfare

Sprinting Through the Tape By Major General Thomas L. Wilkerson, USMC (Ret.) - After the ouster of the Air Force’s secretary and chief of staff, the Naval Institute’s CEO assesses the Secretary of Defense.

Lots of Bullets, Not Enough Ballots By Captain Chas Henry, USMC (Ret.) - One would think voting is easy for those defending our freedom overseas. For decades, it just hasn’t been so.

Guantanamo: Full, Fair, and Open Trials? By Andrew Lubin

U.S. Coast Guard Spotlight

Admiral Allen’s Blue Tsunami By Art Pine - The Commandant shakes up the Coast Guard.

A Perfect Fit for Africa By Captain Phillip J. Heyl, USCG - The cutter Dallas’ recent deployment could serve as the prototype for future interaction with other African nations.

An Affordable Global Presence By The Honorable Donald C. Winter - The Secretary of the Navy looks at shipbuilding challenges in an era of tight budgets.

Plus, Naval Aviation Spotlight
Taking Out Saddam’s Floating Pleasure Palace By Commander John Patch, USN (Ret.) - Was Saddam Hussein’s palatial yacht a target of opportunity or was the Navy trying to send a message? Or what?
 

Homeland Security Spotlight begins with Friend or Foe? Tough to Tell by Admiral Thas Allen, USCG - The Commandant of the Coast Guard warns of terrorists using small boats to transport weapons of mass destruction into our ports and waterways.

Plus! 25 Years Later: We Came in Peace by Colonel Timothy J. Geraghty, USMC (Ret.) - The commander of the Marine force slaughtered in the 1983 Beirut bombing writes for the first time about that tragic day and the horror it spawned.

The Marine Corps Features begin with From the Banks of the Euphrates to the Shores of the Severn - Two Marine combat veterans who are now U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen reflect vividly on the reality of war.

Plus! An Entirely Different Battlefield By Ed Darack - Marines headed to Afghanistan need mountain training as much as Iraq-bound troops need  desert-survival training.

PIRACY AND OTHER PERILS ON THE SEA

What Makes Piracy Work? By Virginia Lunsford - A piracy expert surveys the history of the phenomenon and highlights the five factors that are still keeping piracy alive. 

The Overstated Threat By Commander John Patch, USN (Ret.) - According to a U.S. Army War College professor, piracy is being over-hyped and confused with terrorism. They’re not the same.