Midshipman Waaraniemi, a native of Plymouth, Minnesota, is a member of the Naval Academy Class of 2023. He is completing dual majors in history and Chinese and has been assigned as a Navy pilot. He served a summer internship under the Navy Secretariat historian.

Articles by Nels Waaraniemi

Formosa or the Philippines? (L. to r.) General Douglas MacArthur, President Franklin Roosevelt, and Admiral Chester Nimitz meet in Hawaii in July 1944 to determine the strategy going forward in the Pacific war.

The Invasion That Never Was

By Ensign Nels Waaraniemi, U.S. Navy
December 2024
Operation Causeway was shelved to clear the way for the invasion of the Philippines. But Causeway’s plans underscored relevant lessons for today’s concerns in the South China Sea.