We reach a critical junction this week for the future of the Naval Institute. Since February a small but determined group has sought to surface in the light of day plans undertaken to radically change the mission of the Institute and force a new direction which offers little in the way of relevance as a…
The Empty Tomb 1 Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to…
Couple of developments in the last week with regards to major systems in our Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) plans for the coming decades: Item: The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has awarded concept definition contracts to three teams competing for the SM-3 Block IIB advanced interceptor (aka: Next Generation Aegis Missile (NGAM)). Designed to…
Hard on the heels of the announcement naming the floating casino aircraft carrier after a Ming dynasty admiral who conquered Taiwan, comes word that the naval jack is, well, just not big or bright enough: To match the bigger role that the PLA Navy is playing in international waters, all its vessels will receive bigger,…
 Another test of the SM-3 Blk 1A was successfully completed last night with the intercept of an IRBM-class target: The Missile Defense Agency (MDA), U.S. Navy sailors aboard the Aegis destroyer USS O’KANE (DDG 77), and Soldiers from the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command operating from the 613th Air and Space Operations…
The dream was given form and fire on April 12, 1981 with the launch of STS-1, the world’s first reusable spaceplane — the Shuttle Columbia. At the controls were a crew of only two, Astronauts John W. Young, commander for the mission, and Robert Crippen (both Naval Aviators) for this first “test flight” which would…
More from Norman Polmar on the USNI: THE NAVAL INSTITUTE IN CRISIS Dear Friends and Colleagues, As you know, the Board of Directors–for now–has withdrawn the proposed change to the mission statement that would have made the Naval Institute an advocacy organization. Unfortunately, the battle is not over. The majority of the Board still seeks…
There is a saying in politics that if you really want to find out what is going on, follow the money. The current Chairman of the USNI Board of Directors has cited the need for the Institute to gain financial stability as the prime motivator behind their actions leading up to the mission change. Following…
