February 1922 Proceedings—In “The General Board,” Rear Admiral Richard Wainwright, U.S. Navy, wrote that the Board was established by the Secretary of the Navy on 13 March 1900, “to be composed of the Admiral of the Navy, the Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, the Chief Intelligence Officer, the President of the Naval War College, and three other officers. The purpose of the Department in establishing this Board is to ensure efficient preparation of the fleet in case of war and for the naval defense of the coast.”
February 1972 Proceedings—In “Last Muster for the Citizen’s Army?” Lieutenant Philip J. Katauskas, U.S. Navy, wrote, “An America which, for almost two centuries, relied on its farmers, shopkeepers, and businessmen to don uniforms, wage a war, and then return to their civilian pursuits may one day soon place its faith and its future in an All Volunteer Force. When and if this happens, the transition period will be extremely difficult as the military seeks to accommodate to a concept which as yet lacks explicit definition.”
February 1997 Proceedings—“Mainstays in the U.S. Navy’s blue-water operations, the Spruances require modernization to be all they must be for success in the littorals. This class is now at a crossroads,” Lieutenant David Haas, U.S. Navy, wrote in “Don’t Forget the Spruances.” “As the roles and missions of surface combatants shift from open ocean to littorals, Spruance destroyers have assumed the role of the premier strike and undersea warfare platform. To increase the combat effectiveness and survivability of these ships in the littorals, an aggressive modernization program should be undertaken as the Spruances approach middle age in their service lives.”
A. Denis Clift
Golden Life Member
