| | | |

The Doolittle Raid – 70 Years Later: Naval Officers and Planning

Here and elsewhere much has been written of the Doolittle raid, from the bookstand to Hollywood and the curriculum of War Colleges the world over.   Coming fast on the heels of the stunning blows barely four months prior a malevolent arc of destruction and defeat stretching from Pearl Harbor back across the Pacific to…

In The Mail Today: “The Admirals” by Walter R. Borneman
| |

In The Mail Today: “The Admirals” by Walter R. Borneman

So – just as I was making a serious dent in the pile of shame, in the mail today comes an advance copy of “The Admirals” courtesy the publisher, Little Brown, scheduled for release next month.  The noted author Walter R. Borneman (Polk, 1812, and The French and Indian War among several) takes on the…

Steeljaws Airborne Again?
| |

Steeljaws Airborne Again?

Arriving in the mail today — the E-2D IOT&E patch.  IOT&E (Initial Operational Test & Evaluation) is a critical milestone event for the E-2D program.  Conducted by VX-1, operating out of Pax River, IOT&E provides an opportunity to test the aircraft and weapons system in a more dynamic environment than what was present for developmental…

Naming Ships — Here We Go Again…
|

Naming Ships — Here We Go Again…

I have held my peace for the past 24-hours as a kind of “counting to ten” mindful of one of blogging’s first principles regarding blogging while angry.  Time’s up — I’m not angry, I’m royally POd. Still. “The selection of Gabrielle Giffords, designated LCS 10, honors the former Congresswoman from Tucson, Arizona, who is known…

ROSKOSMOS Head on Recent Failures – “…Sabotage”
|

ROSKOSMOS Head on Recent Failures – “…Sabotage”

When all else fails – and your butt is on the line with a major PR catastrophe looming, it is best to man-up, square your shoulders and do your duty as organizational lead by assuming responsibility before The Big Guy…unless you are the head of Russia’s ROSKOSMOS space agency.  Then you can hint darkly about…

What We’re Reading – And Why
| | | | |

What We’re Reading – And Why

A quick look at the sidebar will reveal a variety and number of books read over the course of the past year, oft times engendering discussions off-site as to selections and purpose.  Looking at the current working stack on my desk, I thought I’d take this opportunity to talk to why these particular selections.  Understanding…

| |

Pearl Harbor – 70 Years Later

“AIR RAID PEARL HARBOR. THIS IS NOT A DRILL” Seventy years ago those words ushered in a period of unbelievable agony, trial, effort and sacrifice. What was once before was forever changed afterward. Jack-booted thugs bent on their “Final Solution” strode cobblestone streets of the land distantly remembered as the forebear of a new nation,…