We are a Member organization, and your engagement is very important to ensure we further our mission and keep our open, independent forum robust. Now is an important time to have a strong Naval Institute. Here is my current “Top Ten” list of actions I ask you to engage on as a valued, active Naval Institute Member:
1. Convince one other person you know to join the Naval Institute—you are the best judge of who has the affinity to join.
2. Make a donation. Your donations help us innovate and expand our offerings.
3. Sponsor your USNA Company, your NROTC Unit, or your USCGA Company for U.S. Naval Institute student memberships (see last month’s CEO Notes).
4. Attend the Annual Meeting—hear the latest news about the Naval Institute and support our award-winning authors!
5. Support the Naval Institute Press—buy a couple of books or eBooks for yourself or a friend.
6. Subscribe to Naval History magazine! (Just call us.)
7. Download the Naval Institute App—it’s free.
8. Keep those submissions coming. Write for Proceedings, USNI News, Naval History, and the USNI Blog. We are only as good as our last submission.
9. Mark your calendar to join us at our EAST- Joint Warfighting Conference 14-16 May in Virginia Beach. It is shaping up to be a terrific program.
10. Give us feedback: email us at [email protected] or call 1-800-233-8764—we want to hear from you!
Eric Wertheim epitomizes those authors whose informed professional thinking, research, and writings contribute so importantly to the Naval Institute’s authoritative independent forum. In May 2013 we will publish the 16th edition of The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems by Mr. Wertheim, seen by many as the best one-volume reference to the world’s naval and para-naval forces.
There have been major changes in the world’s navies since the last edition went to press six years ago. This new 9”x12” edition, 1,152 pages in length with 4,450 photographs and increased emphasis on detailed, multi-view line drawings, provides all-inclusive, accurate, up-to-date coverage on more than 160 nations and territories.
This work is much more than an encyclopedia of warships. It covers each nation’s navy, coast guard, marine corps, customs services, and navy special forces, their personnel strengths, bases, aircraft, radars, sonars, and other weapon systems. Typical class entries for ships include data on dimensions, displacement, armament, sensors and electronics, propulsion systems, range, and crew size, as well as budget details and in-service upgrade, and refit dates.
The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World is a highly valued, sought-after reference at headquarters, fleet, squadron, unit, and academic levels around the world. If you have a question, it has your answer. Make it a part of your professional library!
In other book news, the 19th edition of The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet is on the street and shipping now! Norman Polmar continues the proud tradition going back to the first edition compiled by James C. Fahey in 1939. This is Norman’s last edition, and we salute him for bringing nine editions of this important work to our readers! This book is a “must” for every naval professional’s library.
Our Annual Meeting is now just around the corner. It will be held on 11 April at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington, D.C., and will combine the required business and reports with recognition of our award-winning authors for 2012. We are delighted to have Sandra Grimes, coauthor of the Naval Institute Press book Circle of Treason: A CIA Account of Traitor Aldrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed as the event’s guest speaker.
After the Annual Meeting, we will walk across the street to the National Postal Museum (adjacent to Union Station) for a reception to celebrate with our award winners and mingle with other Members, Institute staff, and supporters.
The key “business” elements of the Annual Meeting consist of a report on how USNI finished out 2012, and the election results for the Board of Directors and the Editorial Board. We will also announce the results of the membership vote on revised Constitution and By-Laws. We would like to see and hear from our Members! You can still register at www.usni.org/annual-meeting.
I hope to talk to many of you at the Annual Meeting!