Digital Commons Network^™

Triumph Regained: The Vietnam War, 1965–1968, David Adamic, Mark Moyar

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Laying The Groundwork For Sims—Albert P. Niblack As The First Usn Inspector Of Target Practice, And The Gunnery Revolution Of The U.S. Navy, Andrew K. Blackley

Naval War College Review

Vice Admiral Niblack was a driving force behind the U.S. Navy’s modernization and institutional development at the turn of the last century, even though it is his contemporary and colleague William Sims who is most remembered for that legacy.

Island-Hopping With Chinese Characteristics—What The Prc Is Doing In The Pacific Islands, Why It Matters, And Why The Time Has Come To “Block And Build”, Cleo Paskal

Naval War College Review

China’s engagement with western Pacific island nations and its pursuit of influence over their affairs are driven by its conception of comprehensive national power and a need for reliable access from which it might challenge the U.S. military and eventually displace it from the region.

Reluctant Retrenchment—America’S Response To The Rise Of China, Robert S. Ross

Naval War College Review

China’s rise augurs a power transition that challenges the preeminent security position of the United States in East Asia and has led to an incoherent retrenchment that both undermines that position and complicates efforts to recapitalize the Navy to face that challenge effectively.

Oplan 1003v—Operation Iraqi Freedom From A Planner’S Perspective, Don Thieme

Naval War College Review

Unlike the political decision to invade Iraq in 2003 and the violent insurgency that followed, the operational planning that went into the invasion has not been studied granularly. This history of that planning effort offers rich insight both for historians and for planners who may be called on to plan another major conventional combined-arms operation in the future.

President's Forum, Pete Garvin Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy, President, Naval War College

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

From The Editors, Carnes Lord Editor, Robert Ayer Managing Editor

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Autumn 2023 Full Issue, The U.S. Naval War College

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

China Maritime Report No. 36: China's T-Agos: The Dongjian Class Ocean Surveillance Ship, Devin Thorne

CMSI China Maritime Reports

Since 2017, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has commissioned a new class of ocean surveillance vessel into its order of battle: the Type 927. Similar in design and function to the U.S. Navy’s Victorious and Impeccable class T-AGOS ships, the Type 927 was introduced to help remedy the PLAN’s longstanding weakness in anti-submarine warfare. The PLAN has likely built six Type 927 ships to date, most based for easy access to the South China Sea. In peacetime, these ships use their towed array sonar to collect acoustic data on foreign submarines and track their movements within and beyond the …

International Law And Acoustic Antagonism In East Asian Waters, Matt D. Montazzoli, John C. Tramazzo

International Law Studies

This article analyzes a 2023 maritime incident in which the Chinese Navy Ship (CNS) Ningbo employed active sonar in the vicinity of His Majesty’s Australian Ship (HMAS) Toowoomba, while knowing that Toowoomba had divers in the water. The Chinese sonar caused injuries to the Australian divers. The article discusses the employment of acoustic devices to cause harm during peacetime and analyzes whether CNS Ningbo’s actions constituted a failure of "due regard" and other applicable legal regimes and norms. The article concludes that CNS Ningbo’s actions were an unlawful use of force and failed to demonstrate due regard, and that …

Cmsi Note #4: Deck Cargo Ships: Another Option For A Cross-Strait Invasion, Conor M. Kennedy

CMSI Notes

CMSI Perspectives and Key Take-Aways:

• In addition to RO-RO ferries, the PLA also uses another class of RO-RO ship, the deck cargo ship, in sea transport training exercises.
• Deck cargo ships are widely used in China’s ocean engineering and construction industry, constituting an existing and large-scale volume of lift capacity.
• The simple design and relative ease of construction of deck cargo ships means they can quickly be built in large numbers.
• These vessels may be tasked to bring in large columns of logistics and follow-on forces to consolidate landing areas, possibly in waves not far behind landing assault forces.
• Deck …

Cmsi Note #3: “Choose The Right Person, Choose The Right Path”: Taiwan’S Cross-Strait, National Security, And Defense Policies Under A Lai/Hsiao Administration, Julia M. Famularo

CMSI Notes

CMSI’s Perspectives and Key Takeaways:

• The incoming William Lai/Bi-khim Hsiao administration almost certainly intends to continue to execute and deepen President Tsai’s defense reforms. Lai has also stated his support for the implementation of an Indo-Pacific Strategy concept.
• Lai has an opportunity to leverage the national security experience of President Tsai’s outgoing advisors, who may potentially help his administration calibrate Taiwan’s responses to People’s Liberation Army (PLA) military provocations in and around the Taiwan Strait.
• The Lai administration likely would prove receptive to U.S. and partner overtures that contribute to Taiwan’s ability to strengthen its maritime domain awareness and security; …

Ai Warfare And The Law, Bill Boothby

International Law Studies

AI Warfare and the Law, published as a full volume of International Law Studies, analyzes the legal implications of the introduction of AI technologies into the design of weapon systems and the potential use of AI in connection with military activities. It considers several discrete but related bodies of international law as well as significant aspects of domestic and human rights law. Its key aim is to work out how the law will impact the use of AI technologies and what AI technologies must be able to do if they are to satisfy legal requirements. A further purpose …

Cmsi Note #2: Admiral Dong Jun Engages Friends And Foes: China’S First Naval Defense Minister Brings Joint Operational Experience, Andrew S. Erickson, Christopher Sharman

CMSI Notes

On 29 December 2023, Admiral Dong Jun (董军) was appointed China’s 14th Minister of National Defense (国防部部长) at the seventh meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress. He replaced the previously deposed Army General Li Shangfu, ending a four-month leadership gap. Admiral Dong is the first PLA Navy (PLAN) officer to head China’s Ministry of National Defense (MND). Previously the 9th People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Commander, he was likewise exceptional in achieving this position from a background in theater joint operations.

China Maritime Report No. 34: Plan Submarine Training In The "New Era", Christopher Sharman, Terry Hess

CMSI China Maritime Reports

Since 2018, there have been significant changes to People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) submarine force training, and these changes have been driven by important revisions to strategic guidance and subsequent directives that focused PLA efforts to enhance its capabilities to operate in the maritime domain. While this guidance is applicable to all services, improving PLAN submarine force capabilities appears to have been of particular interest to senior Chinese leadership. This guidance expanded the PLA’s maritime domain requirements, which demanded that China’s submarine force improve its capabilities to operate independently or along with other PLAN assets at greater distances from coast …

Cmsi Note #1: Admiral Hu To The Helm: China’S New Navy Commander Brings Operational Expertise, Christopher Sharman, Andrew S. Erickson

CMSI Notes

China’s Navy, the world’s largest by number of ships, has a new leader. On 25 December 2023, Commander-in-Chief Xi Jinping, in his capacity as Central Military Commission (CMC) Chairman, promoted Vice Admiral Hu Zhongming (胡中明) to Admiral and appointed him Commander of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) (海军司令员). 2 Hu’s predecessor Admiral Dong Jun (董军) attended the promotion ceremony, suggesting this is an orderly and expected transition—unlike recent removals of the PLA Defense Minister and the former Commander of China’s Strategic Rocket Forces.

Naval War College Situation: Conflict In Gregoria And Tanaka: The Law Of Targeting, Project Director: Michael N. Schmitt

International Law Studies

This article addresses complex law of armed conflict (LOAC) issues posed by a scenario with eight “situations” examined during a tabletop workshop conducted by the U.S. Naval War College’s Stockton Center for International Law. Participants included judge advocates from the United States and uniformed legal advisors from Israel, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, all of whom had extensive experience providing legal advice on targeting. Also included were academics with particular expertise in the law of armed conflict. The situations were drafted to reflect situations some of the participants had faced in international or non-international armed conflict.

The scenario involves …

China Maritime Report No. 33: China's Sea-Based Nuclear Deterrent: Organizational, Operational, And Strategic Implications, David C. Logan

CMSI China Maritime Reports

China’s development of a credible sea-based deterrent has important implications for the PLAN, for China’s nuclear strategy, and for U.S.-China strategic stability. For the PLAN, the need to protect the SSBN force may divert resources away from other missions; it may also provide justification for further expansion of the PLAN fleet size. For China’s nuclear strategy and operations, the SSBN force may increase operational and bureaucratic pressures for adopting a more forward-leaning nuclear strategy. For U.S.-China strategic stability, the SSBN force will have complex effects, decreasing risks that Chinese decisionmakers confront use-or-lose escalation pressures, making China less susceptible to U.S. …

Hm 32: New Interpretations In Naval History, Benjamin "Bj" Armstrong

Historical Monographs

Selected papers from the twenty-first McMullen Naval History Symposium held at the U.S. Naval Academy, 19–20 September 2019.

Hm 31: New Interpretations In Naval History, Brian Vandemark

Historical Monographs

Selected papers from the twentieth McMullen Naval History Symposium held at the U.S. Naval Academy, 14–15 September 2017.

Hm 30: Reflections On Naval History: Collected Essays, John B. Hattendorf

Historical Monographs

Reflections on Naval History: Collected Essays, by John B. Hattendorf, Ernest J. King Professor Emeritus of Maritime History, Naval War College, is the third in a series of volumes that bring together scholarly writings originally published in a variety of specialized journals and other publications, many of which are obscure and difficult to access. It includes papers originally appearing in the years 2010–20. The earlier volumes are Naval History and Maritime Strategy: Collected Essays (2000), and Talking about Naval History: A Collection of Essays (2011). The latter volume also appeared under the imprimatur of the Naval War College Press.

China Maritime Report No. 32: The Pch191 Modular Long-Range Rocket Launcher: Reshaping The Pla Army's Role In A Cross-Strait Campaign, Joshua Arostegui

CMSI China Maritime Reports

With its fielding of the PCH191 multiple rocket launcher (MRL) and its variety of long-range precision munitions, the PLA Army (PLAA) has become arguably the most important contributor of campaign and tactical firepower during a joint island landing campaign against Taiwan. No longer simply the primary source of amphibious and air assault forces, the PLAA is now capable of using its multiple battalions of PCH191 MRLs to support maritime dominance, the joint firepower strike, and ground forces landing on Taiwan’s shores and in depth. The Chinese ordnance industry has developed multiple low-cost rockets, an anti-ship cruise missile, and a tactical …

Awakening The Law Of Contraband In The Russia-Ukraine Conflict, Martin Fink

International Law Studies

Following the collapse of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, both Russia and Ukraine announced measures against shipping that may have introduced counter-contraband operations into the maritime dimension of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The law of contraband, which is at the heart of the law of naval warfare, regulates such operations. The law of contraband has, however, not been often used in current conflicts and some of its details are not crystalized as generally accepted law. Awakening this instrument in the current conflict brings questions for both belligerents and non-State parties, some of whom have adopted a position of qualified neutrality that …

Military Agility: Ensuring Rapid And Effective Transition From Peace To War, Richard Norton, Meir Finkel

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Dark Skies: Space Expansionism, Planetary Geopolitics, And The Ends Of Humanity, Carnes Lord, Daniel Deudney

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Battleship Commander: The Life Of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr., James R. Holmes, Paul Stillwell

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Seventeenth-Century Dutch “Stranger Painter” Willem Van De Velde The Elder And His Impact On British Maritime Art—Two Kings, The Netherland Marine Painters, And The Rise Of The British Navy, Mary Raum

Naval War College Review

On his return from exile, Charles II expanded his naval forces, which amplified British interest in marine-themed scenes. However, British artists lacked the skills to convey the nation’s seafaring excellence, so the king invited Willem van de Velde the Elder and his son to immigrate, and their talents set the standard for British marine art for the next two centuries.

The Future-War Literature Of The Reagan Era—Winning World War Iii In Fiction, Nicholas Evan Sarantakes

Naval War College Review

During the Reagan era, fiction about a hypothetical World War III was generally popular among the book-buying public, but a few authors actually influenced national-security matters by shining a light on particular topics, forcing discussions on particular issues, and giving ideas to those in power.

Disadvantages Ashore—Constraints On Achieving Integrated All-Domain Naval Power, Sam J. Tangredi

Naval War College Review

Strategists and analysts should be aware that the recently issued triservices strategy suffers from at least six political-bureaucratic-doctrinal disadvantages that very easily could turn into material disadvantages if the U.S. Navy were to face a competent enemy on the actual oceans.

On Naval Theory, Milan Vego

Naval War College Review

Too many naval officers mistrust, neglect, or even ignore the importance of naval theory, instead placing too much reliance on advanced technologies. Yet without full understanding of naval theory, it is very difficult to have the broad outlook necessary to develop naval doctrine, train one’s naval forces, and employ those forces successfully in a war.