The Open Forum: We Can Discuss Tough Issues Here

By Bill Hamblet

July 2021

This issue is full of hard-hitting articles on the importance of social issues, naval strategy, and the need for collaboration to invent and innovate.

CEO Notes

July 2021

We have been enjoying a flurry of new support as construction of the Jack C. Taylor Conference Center nears completion. Sponsorship opportunities are still available.

Comment & Discussion

July 2021

Readers respond to articles on recruitment and retention in the Coast Guard, diversity and inclusion, and more.

Petroleum at a Premium

By Andrea K. Orlowski

July 2021

As currently configured, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve can’t support a war in the Pacific.

They Are Not ‘Broken Shower Shoes’

By Captain John P. Cordle, U.S. Navy (Retired)

July 2021

The Navy should examine how it treats those who took the challenge of command and fell from grace—and how others could learn from their experience.

Rising Concerns Over Defense Health Cuts

By Lieutenant General Pete Osman, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired), and Master Chief Petty Officer Jim Herdt, U.S. Navy (Retired)

July 2021

One recent DHA initiative has generated serious concerns for all, especially active-duty service members and their families.

Navy Awards Need to Move Faster

By Commander Scott Welles, U.S. Navy

July 2021

The Navy must revitalize its high-level individual and unit award decision process, to recognize both personal and collective achievements closer to the time they occurred.

Bring Back a Culture of Self-Sufficiency

By Chief Warrant Officer 2 Eric Gingras, U.S. Navy

July 2021

The threats facing the Navy are growing at an exponential rate. To answer these threats, the service has fostered an environment that promotes toughness and resiliency.

Great Power Competition Requires Theater Deterrence

By Admiral James Stavridis, U.S. Navy (Retired)

July 2021

The United States and its allies must have sufficient combat power in key theaters to deter their enemies.

The Navy Must Hide in Plain Sight

By Lieutenant Commander Ryan Hilger, U.S. Navy

July 2021

Information Warfare Essay Contest—Second Prize Sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton. To survive on the digital battlefield, the Navy must embrace the cyber principle of steganography.

Mine Warfare and Surface Combatants: Practice Now or Pay Later

By Lieutenant (junior grade) W. Kirk Wolff and Lieutenant John Zatkovich, U.S. Navy

July 2021

A better prepared surface warfare officer corps will help prevent future losses.

The Navy Lacks a Culture of Purpose

By Commander Jim Moses, U.S. Navy (Retired)

July 2021

All sailors must be able to answer, “Why am I here?”

Strategic Failures Are Often Failures of Imagination

By Kori Schake

July 2021

The Washington Naval Treaties had different effects on interwar innovation in Britain, Japan, and the United States.

American Sea Power Dialogue

July 2021

A reader suggests becoming familiar with the work of strategist Halford Mackinder, and thoughts on naval blockade.

Escaping the Innovation Bunker

By Britta Hale

July 2021

Winner Naval Postgraduate School Essay Contest. The key to harnessing innovation is strategic, interpersonal collaboration.

Sailing Between Scylla and Charybdis: The Royal and U.S. Navies and the Specter of Decline

By Lieutenant Commander Joshua M. M. Portzer, U.S. Navy

July 2021

The U.S. Navy is facing a critical decision: embrace reforms or continue overextending itself?

Move The Coast Guard Toward Savings

By Commander Luke Petersen, U.S. Coast Guard

July 2021

Relocating three district offices from their high-cost cities could free funds for other priorities.

Color-Blind Promotion Boards Devalue Diversity

By Major Rafiel Deon Warfield, U.S. Marine Corps

July 2021

Diversity & Inclusion Essay Contest—Second Prize Sponsored by Raytheon Technologies. Embracing a multicultural approach to promotion packets would help diversify the Sea Service officer corps.

Hit Hard, Hit Fast, Hit Often!

By Commander Robert McFarlin, U.S. Navy

July 2021

Examining Halsey’s five-star leadership offers five key lessons all naval leaders should heed.

Rules for Safe Electronic Navigation

By Commander Casey Mahon, U.S. Navy

July 2021

Watchstanders should be intimately familiar with all the ship-control equipment installed and be ready to operate under any condition.

Invest in the Marine Corps Fire-Support Specialty

By First Lieutenant Michael A. Fernandez, U.S. Marine Corps

July 2021

Force Design 2030 makes clear that future infantrymen should be multidomain, multidiscipline warfighters who excel in a wide range of roles.

Forging a Healthy and Productive Navy Civilian Workforce

By Captain Pamela L. Krahl, U.S. Navy; Captain Richard J. Thomas, U.S. Navy (Retired); and Colonels Timothy M. Mallon and Joel C. Gaydos, U.S. Army (Retired)

July 2021

Workforce health is a key productivity lever in the Navy civilian workforce that deserves more attention.

Book Reviews

July 2021

Experts review Four Guardians, Red Line, Economists at War, and other new and noteworthy books.

Where We Were

July 2021

A look back at the July issues of Proceedings from 1921, 1971, and 1996.

From Our Archive

July 2021

Fourth of July celebrations in Nome, Alaska, in 1955.

The Impressive Type 45 Air-Defense Destroyer

By Eric Wertheim

July 2021

The British Royal Navy’s six Type 45 Daring-class guided-missile destroyers apply hard-earned lessons from the 1982 Falkland Islands War and after.

Expeditionary Fabrication in the Marine Corps

By Theodore Roach

July 2021

Additive manufacturing (AM) has evolved from an emerging technology to a primary influence in the design and fabrication industries.

Burial at Sea: Injecting CO2 into the Deep Ocean

By Captain Don Walsh, U.S. Navy (Retired)

July 2021

The total volume of the World Ocean has an almost unlimited capacity to absorb CO2. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies could greatly accelerate this.

Salting the Tail of a Soviet Sub

By A. Denis Clift

July 2021

As commander of Destroyer Squadron 2 in the Mediterranean, then-Captain Odale D. “Muddy” Waters recalls attempting to hold down a Soviet submarine caught spying on a replenishment formation.

Asked & Answered

July 2021

For which event, person, or place should a U.S. Navy ship be named, either for the first time or again if that name is no longer in service?

A Rising Tide Swamping Seafarers: COVID-19 and Mariner Welfare

By Dr. Joshua Tallis

July 2021

The seafaring community has faced unique stresses during the pandemic, and the community should use the attention to implement long-term safeguards for maritime workers.

Get Amphibious with Antisubmarine Warfare

By Commander Terry McKearney, U.S. Navy (Retired) 

July 2021

The amphibious ready group already has most of what it needs for protection from submarines.

To Provide and Maintain a Navy: Understanding the Business of Navy Shipbuilding

By Senators Jack Reed and Jim Inhofe

July 2021

Before major changes to Navy shipbuilding are proposed, all stakeholders should have a fulsome discussion of the business of Navy shipbuilding and implications of big changes.

Fix Navy Selected Reservist Pay Problems

By Master Chief Petty Officer Timothy E. McIntire, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)

July 2021

Navy Reserve pay problems are legendary and prolific but solvable—with good leadership.

Move Like a Shark, Vanish Like a Squid

By Matthew F. Calabria

July 2021

The Navy Must Invest in Biomimetics to Sustain Dominance on the High Seas.

Bias Education is Necessary

By Lieutenant Commander David Elsenbeck, U.S. Navy   

July 2021

It is a military leader’s duty to provide ongoing, quality education to combat the problems of bias in the ranks.

U.S. Navy Needs a Corvette: The Badr-Class Would Do

By Lieutenant Commander Grant Greenwell, U.S. Navy

July 2021

For more than 25 years, the Navy has been grasping for an affordable, reliable, capable, present, small surface combatant.

The Navy Needs a New Way to Write Software

By Captains Scot Miller and Charles Deleot, U.S. Navy (Retired), and Manfred Koethe

July 2021

The Navy needs to use new tools to create better code from the start.

The Navy and Racial Justice: What We Owe

By Commander Wolf Melbourne, U.S. Navy

July 2021

If the Navy does not act with urgency on diversity initiatives, efforts such as Task Force One Navy will either fail or disappear into bureaucratic oblivion like each preceding effort.

Prepare Now for War in the Pacific

By Congressman Michael Gallagher (R-Wisconsin)

July 2021

The window to prepare for war in the western Pacific is closing quickly. The United States must build and prepare naval forces that can deter or defeat China.

Learning Lessons from Professional Institutions to Improve Diversity in the Navy

By Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed B. Massaquoi, U.S. Army

July 2021

To increase diversity in its senior ranks, the Navy should look to lessons learned by professional institutions.

Navigating the Gray Space of Social Media

By Captain Kenneth Froberg, U.S. Navy

July 2021

The Navy is on a back foot when it comes to establishing its social media presence, understanding the terrain, and adapting physical strategies to maneuver within it.

Unmanned Ships and the Future of Deterrence

By James Wirtz

July 2021

The Navy must now explore building a more distributed fleet that is offensively disposed yet can suffer losses and fight on.