NWC in the Headlines

China Space Program Ramping Up Capabilities, Pentagon Says | quotes Joan Johnson-Freese

“I am always baffled at why it would be thought that a country would take out a satellite — creating debris with the potential to damage their own satellites — when taking out the ground station is easier, yields the same result, and without the debris-creation issues," Johnson-Freese said.

Thinking About the Littoral Combat Ship | by James Holmes

The U.S. Navy’s new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is hotly debated. Proponents say it’s a vital building block of the future Navy. Opponents say it’s overpriced and overestimated. Tens of billions of dollars and the future of American sea-power are at stake.

Navy Commander Philip Beckman Receives Award For Military Professional Of The Year

Navy Commander Philip Beckman of Ivoryton received the Award for Military Professional Employee of the Year from the Rhode Island Federal Executive Council on May 8th.

The Naval Diplomat Blog | by James Holmes

May 22 | The U.S. Army’s Anti-Access Strategy
May 20 | The Geopolitics of Hawaii
May 18 | The Insurgent’s Playbook: Start Cumulative, Go Sequential

U.S. nuke response 'adequate' to deter N. Korea: U.S. military professor | quotes Terry Roehrig

South Korea has relied on the U.S. nuclear umbrella as insurance against North Korea's defiant pursuit of nuclear weapons, but the likelihood of a U.S. nuclear response is "more than adequate" deterrence against the North, a U.S. military professor said Tuesday.

Deleterious Neglect: Will the U.S. Navy Surrender Maritime Asia? | by Toshi Yoshihara and James Holmes

The Chinese navy's surface forces are on the march. Destroyers, frigates, corvettes, fast-attack craft, and, most recently, the newly commissioned aircraft carrier comprise the surface fleet.

Ghosts of Iraq | by Nikolas Gvosdev

One of the apparent subtexts in the contemporary debate over what the United States ought to be doing in Syria is the interest in relitigating the Iraq War. Thus, some of the arguments that are being advanced rely less on actual conditions on the ground in Syria and have just as much to do with justifying the stance taken on Iraq ten years ago.

China the Likely Winner if U.S. Intervenes in Syria | by Nikolas Gvosdev

If I were a strategist sitting in Beijing, I would see the prospects of any U.S. intervention in the Syrian civil war as being very beneficial to China. This might seem counterintuitive, given that Beijing, following Moscow's lead, has resolutely blocked any effort in the U.N. Security Council to authorize any sort of action in Syria.

Women In Combat: Obstacles Remain As Exclusion Policy Ends | quotes Mackubin Owens

"Women have done wonderful jobs in the military in many things. I just don't think they are necessary in the infantry," says Mac Owens, who teaches at the Naval War College. He says having women in combat will also erode "unit cohesion." "Cohesion, I think, is based on mutual trust," he says. "Sexual tensions and things like that which are possible can undermine that cohesion."

North Korea's Nuclear Weapons: Future Strategy and Doctrine | by Terry Roehrig

North Korea [Democratic People's Republic of Korea—DPRK] conducted its third nuclear weapons test on 12 February 2013 with a yield that most estimate was around 6 to 10 kilotons. The test came on the heels of a December 2012 missile launch that placed a satellite into orbit though reports soon indicated that the satellite was not functioning properly. Given North Korea's actions and apparent determination, any chance to achieve complete and verifiable denuclearization may be long gone.

Four Legal Experts Appointed as Centre’s Senior Fellows | mentions Michael Schmitt & WH von Heinegg

Professor Michael N. Schmitt, Professor Wolff Heintschel von Heinegg, Dr Louise Arimatsu and Professor Sean Watts received yesterday the honorary title of NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence’s Senior Fellow for their contribution to the legal projects undertaken by the Centre.

The Naval Diplomat Blog | by James Holmes

May 13 | Welcome to the League of Mad Strategists
May 10 | Top 3 Takeaways from the Pentagon’s China Report

Readings: “Incompleteness” of International Law Governing the Use of Force | mentions ILD's ILS

The article appears in 89 International Law Studies 362 (2013). (This is the famous “Blue Book” long published by the Naval War College; under the leadership of editor-in-chief Michael Schmitt, it is now moving to online publication, and I’m privileged to serve on the advisory board.)

Why can’t Washington act in Syria? | by Tom Nichols

In Syria, the red lines set long ago have now been crossed. And yet nothing changes, at least not in U.S. or Canadian policy, even as the slaughter continues. U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration continues to express “concern” (whatever that means), Secretary of State John Kerry is in Moscow asking the Russians to “co-operate” (whatever that means), and Canada’s Foreign Minister John Baird last week insisted that the answer in Syria lies with a “political solution” (whatever that means).

Narrowed Focus in U.S.-Russia Relations Proves Productive | by Nikolas Gvosdev

John Kerry undertook his maiden voyage to Moscow as U.S. secretary of state this week, and the initial impression is that his visit was a success. There was a perceptible thaw in what, over the past year, has been described as a much more contentious relationship.