New Publications Offer Excellent Weekend Reading

The Maritime Strategy talk is picking up in a big way with a continuous drumbeat of articles and analysis. This week there are 6 new contributions from some of the most influential professionals on naval subjects, including Bob Work and Captain Wayne P. Hughes.

First on the list is the contribution from Bob Work and Jan van Tol. A Cooperative Strategy For 21st Century Seapower: An Assessment. I look at this short contribution as the starting point for understanding the Navy's new maritime strategy. It tells a story of the Navy struggling to find its way over the last few years in a post cold war environment driven by globalization, but evaluated in the context of Samuel P. Huntington.

The next 5 pieces all come as part of the Naval War College Spring 2008 Review (PDF 8.95 MB).

“A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower”
A View from Outside
Geoffrey Till

Commercial Shipping and the Maritime Strategy
Steve Carmel

Implementing the Seapower Strategy
Captain Wayne P. Hughes, Jr., U.S. Navy (Retired)

The New Maritime Strategy
A Lost Opportunity
William T. Pendley

The New Maritime Strategy
The Rest of the Story
Robert C. Rubel

There are some other articles in that review as well, including the topics of Sea-Basing medicine, the Law of the Sea Treaty, and a very interesting article on Chinese energy in the context of a naval blockade. There is also an interesting article in the Spring 2008 NWC review regarding Chinese repression and how our national leaders explain it away. Finally there is a book review of a book that I've heard about and want to read, although it is pretty expensive which is why I'm trying to get the local library to buy it. Chinese Naval Strategy in the 21st Century: The Turn to Mahan is reviewed as excellent, which is what I have been hearing from a few friends who have read it. I've heard this book does the job few can do in getting people to ask the right questions regarding Chinese Sea Power.

This coming week the theme will be maritime strategy as we discuss these contributions, more thoughts from the blogger roundtable, and other information related to that topic. Of coarse, we will also discuss the usual news and events as they happen.