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by James Holloway III Adm.
James Holloway describes this book as a contemporary perspective of the
events, decisions, and outcomes in the history of the Cold WarKorea,
Vietnam, and the Soviet confrontationthat shaped todays U.S. Navy and its
principal ships-of-the-line, the large-deck, nuclear-powered aircraft
carriers. The admiral is exceptionally well qualified to write such an
expansive history. A prominent player in Cold War events, Holloway served as
a carrier pilot in Korea, commander of the Seventh Fleet in Vietnam, CNO in
the mid- 1970s, and as a civilian presidential appointee to various
investigative groups. He casts an experienced eye at defining combat,
tactics, and strategies of the Cold War abroad and at home. Holloways
first-person narrative of combat conveys hostile fires tense atmosphere and
the urgency of command decisions. His descriptions of White House
conversations with Presidents and of war room meetings with the Joint Chiefs
offer a revealing look at the decision-making process. Few will forget his
comments about the sobering effect of planning for nuclear warfare and
training and leading a squadron of pilots whose mission was to drop a
nuclear bomb. Both wise and entertaining, this book helps readers understand
the aircraft carriers full significance. Additionally, it stands as a
testament to those who fought in the Cold War and to the leadership that
guided the U.S. through a perilous period of history while avoiding the
Armageddon of a nuclear war.
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by Donald Kagan
War has been a fact of life for millennia on
end. By following the common threads that connect the ancient clashes
between Athens and Sparta and between Rome and Carthage with the the First
and Second World Wars and the Cuban Missile Crisis, acclaimed historian
Donald Kagan reveals fresh and illuminating insights into the nature of war
and of peace. His lucid accounts help alert the reader to the dangers of
complacency and serve as a clarion call to preparedness in times of peace.
Ranging across 2,500 years of history, this fascinating work shows how
peace does not keep itself.
Part history, part philosophy, this is a
book about which former Secretary of State George Schultz said: By now it
is clear that the so-called end of history really has meant the return of
history, with a vengeance. Recent events regrettably confirm that warfare
is inherent to any system of world affairs yet imagined, so we better do all
we can to prevent it. Professor Kagans impressive volume presents thoughts
that are timely, intellectually deep, and just about indispensable.
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by George Baer This
powerfully argued, objective history of the modern U.S. Navy explains how
the Navy defined its purpose in the century after 1890. It relates in detail
how the Navy formed and reformed its doctrine of naval force and operations
around a concept articulated by Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan. There were,
however, many years, notably in the 1920s and after World War II, when there
was no enemy at sea, when the Navy could not count on support for an
expensive peacetime battle fleet. What, then, did the Navy do? It shrewdly
adapted old ideas to new technology. To reclaim its position in a general
war, and avoid being transformed into a mere transport service, the Navy
(with the Marine Corps) proved it was capable of power projection onto the
land through seaborne bombers armed with nuclear weapons and by building a
ballistic missile-launching submarine force. The growth of a Soviet sea
force in the 1970s and 1980s revived the moribund sea power doctrine, but
the Navys bid for strategic leadership failed in the face of the
war-avoidance policy of the Cold War. With the dissolution of the Soviet
Union, the Navy finally retired Mahans doctrine that the defeat of the
enemy fleet was the Navys primary objective. This book, is the history of
how a war-fighting organization respondedin doctrine, strategy,
operations, preparedness, self-awareness, and force structureto radical
changes in political circumstance.
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by Robyn Meredith An urgent
exploration of the earth-tilting emergence of India and China on the world
stage, The Elephant and the Dragon is the essential guide to
understanding how India and China are reshaping our world. In a compelling
mix of history and on-the-ground reporting, a veteran journalist cuts
through the alarmist hype surrounding globalization, off-shoring, and
layoffs, untangling the complex web of business, politics, and culture that
entwines India, China, and the West. In lively prose, the author, who writes
on India and China for Forbes, examines the looming shadows of
Gandhi and Mao that help explain not just the past, but also how the future
is unfolding for India and China. It is one of hyper-connected world trade
that, whether carried by container ships or fiber-optic cables, promises to
reshape the world. Her book contends that Chinas development will continue
to outpace Indias and that wealth transferred overseas will benefit the
U.S. in the long run. The author breaks new ground in outlining how
Americans business leaders, workers, politicians, even parentscan
understand the vast changes coming and thrive in the age of The Elephant
and the Dragon and highlights the possible lessons in transformation
that may be applied to the U.S.
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by Bernard Cole With the
worlds largest population, largest army, and fastest growing economy, China
is now in the process of building a large modern navy to assure its status
as Asias predominant power. Yet, to date, the West has had sorely limited
knowledge of what could become its greatest naval opponent. This major
studythe first in more than fifteen yearsprovides timely, authoritative
information about Chinas developing navy and its quest for power. The
author, a professional at the National War College and a retired captain in
the U.S. Navy, first helps the reader understand Chinas 2,000 year-old
maritime tradition. He then examines Chinas extensive territorial claims at
sea and follows up with a path-breaking description of the nations
increasing dependence on energy sources mined from the ocean floor. At the
books core is an examination of Chinas navy in detail, its organization as
well as the submarines, ships, and airplanes that make up its seagoing
force. The book also discusses the personnel who man the growing fleet and
Beijings efforts to shape them into professionally capable and politically
reliable officers and sailors. Of key interest are Chinas future plans
for its navy, including doctrine and operations. Chinas naval developments
are explained within the context of national goals and the international
arena.
An emerging China, a rapidly growing Chinese navy. Two words: essential
reading.
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by James Hornfischer The
incredible story of the men who fought in the Battle of Samar in October
1944, The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors presents a
David-and-Goliath sea fight filled with actionful elements: Navy pilots
attacking with makeshift weaponry and selfless bravery, a veteran commander
improvising tactics not found in the conventional playbook, and young
American Sailors rising to an impossible challenge. The book takes us into
the heart and mind of an iron-willed, self-made executive officer leading
his men through a sea of carnage and two hellish days and nights clinging to
survival amid oil, blood, sharks, and madness. And it dramatizes how the
overmatched U.S. force, enduring the loss of five gallant ships and nearly
a thousand brave men, turned a certain crushing defeat into a momentous
victory that would lead to the final surrender of Americas ruthless
imperial foe. At Samar, the American destroyers and escort carriers slugged
it out with a much-larger Japanese force, as part of the larger Battle of
Leyte Gulf. Filled with riveting detail and based on the authors extensive
interviews and correspondence with veterans, unpublished eyewitness
accounts, declassified documents, and rare Japanese sources, The Last
Stand of the Tin Can Sailors is an unforgettable story that captures
the essence of heroism, the power of loyalty, and the way in which the
unadorned truth is sometimes more stirring than legend itself.
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by Richard McKenna This now
classic novel enjoyed much critical acclaim and commercial success when it
was first published in 1962. The winner of the coveted Harper Prize, it was
on the New York Times bestseller list for seven months and was made
into a popular motion picture. Set in China on the eve of revolution, the
book tells the story of an old U.S. Navy gunboat, the San Pablo,
and her dedicated crew of Sand Pebbles on patrol in the far reaches of the
Yangtze River to show the flag and protect American missionaries and
businessmen from bandits. The arrival of machinists mate Jake Holman, a
maverick and loner, dramatically alters the lives of the crew and of the
people they have come to save. It is the story of old loyalties versus new
values, of violence and tenderness, tragedy and humor, and it engages the
reader from the first line to the last.
The Sand Pebbles takes place on the Yangtze in 1920s China, yet
it is extremely applicable to the naval reader of today: It involves a
riverine mission in which cultural sensitivity to the indigenous populace is
crucial. As the Navy renews its riverine commitment, The Sand Pebbles
achieves a relevance anew, in addition to its value as a timeless
classic of U.S. Navy literature.
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by E.B. Sledge This
Recommended category, Operate Forward book is considered
by many to be the best war memoir ever written. Ken Burns, documentary film
maker of the PBS series The War, said it best when describing
With the Old Breed: In all the literature on the Second World War,
there is not a more honest, realistic or moving memoir than Eugene Sledges.
This is the real deal, the real war: unvarnished, brutal, without a shred
of sentimentality or false patriotism, a profound primer on what it actually
was like to be in that war. It is a classic that will outlive all the
armchair generals safe accounts ofnot the good warbut the worst war
ever. This often emotionally heart wrenching and honest memoir of war
fills an important spot in the CNO Professional Reading Program for the
current generation of combat warriors.
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