Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.
The Coast Guard’s long-sought heavy icebreaker, the Polar Security Cutter, was among the programs to receive funding when Congress passed a spending...
Forward. Engaged. Ready. These are the signature words of America’s newly updated maritime strategy, which publicly debuted in March and appeared in our pages last month. That document...
Now Hear This - Collective Self-Defense for Japan—and Asia?
By Lieutenant (junior grade) Sean P. Quirk, U.S. Navy
On 1 July 2014 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced an official shift in Japan’s defense posture, stating that his government had “reinterpreted” Article IX of the Japanese...
From the Deckplates - A Matter of Compensation, Not Rank
By Senior Chief Jim Murphy, U.S. Navy, Retired
Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter recently called for the services to find new ways to “attract, inspire, and excite people,” especially those with advanced technical skills. Inspiration...
By Lieutenant Commander Brendan R. Stickles, U.S. Navy
The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill revived a great idea. Now the Navy must attract and keep its new wave of talent with relevant and competitive options for service members.
The U.S. Coast Guard experienced another exceptionally busy year. There was a change in senior leadership, an ever-increasing set of mission requirements conducted by an aging asset inventory, and an...
As I reported at the 142nd Annual Meeting on 22 April, the state of the Naval Institute is strong, and we had a banner year in 2014. We keep our mission in the fore. We are dedicated to guiding...
Nobody Asked Me, But . . . - It’s Time to Rethink the PHIBRON Commodore Billet
By Captain Pete Pagano, U.S. Navy
With most amphibious ships now or soon to be commanded by captains (O-6 paygrade), it’s time to revisit the amphibious squadron (PHIBRON) commodore billet and make it a ...
By Lieutenant Michael S. Proctor, U.S. Navy Reserve, and Commander Robert E. Poling, U.S. Navy
When it comes to executing missions in the littorals and rivers—especially in Latin America—and engaging with regional allies, no conventional-warfare unit is better suited than the Navy’s coastal riverine...
During 2014, at any given time, about 95 ships—one-third of the U.S. Navy—were deployed around the world, fighting adversaries as deadly yet diverse as ISIL and the Ebola virus. They were...
U.S. Naval Aviation and Weapons Development in Review
By Commander Jan C. Jacobs, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)
The aftermath of sequestration and military budget cuts still echoed through the halls of the Navy and Marine Corps aviation establishment in 2014. With increasing weapon-system costs and decreasing...
By Lieutenant Colonel John C. Berry Jr., U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)
It was a year of transition, as the Marine Corps’ role in Operation Enduring Freedom ended in 2014. Over the course of the year the Marines continued evolving in their approach to crisis...
The tantalizingly upbeat ambience that prevailed toward the end of 2013 led most pundits to predict an improving world economy in 2014 and a period of rising expectations in the shipping industry....
Wherever an oil and gas platform is installed, most governments require complete removal and site cleanup when production is terminated. In the United States the time is one year in most ...
There is a renewed U.S. interest in the electronic-warfare methods developed during the Cold War to counter the Soviet navy. That makes sense; the Chinese, our most threatening potential antagonists...
On 31 March the USS Peleliu (LHA-5), the last active Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship, was decommissioned from the U.S. Navy. Built by Ingalls Shipbuilding at Pascagoula, Mississippi, the Peleliu was launched in...
Lest We Forget - ‘ROCs’ and Other Denizens of ‘the Yard’
By Lieutenant Commander Thomas J. Cutler, U.S. Navy (Retired)
In the December 1968 Proceedings, Lieutenants Alexander Monroe and Thomas Lane wrote: “There was an inescapable sense of history. . . . This ‘sense of the place’ will...