When Your Buzzword Becomes a Punchline

Hopefully you caught the Foggo-Berube back and forth over the last week.

It started with the CNO, Admiral Greenert and Rear Admiral Foggo, USN's bit in the May Proceedings, Forging a Global Network of Navies. 

Sigh. Here we go again. The Bad Idea Ex-Girlfriend is going to make you love her.

One of our advantages, as a nation and as a Navy, has been our extensive network of alliances, partnerships, and coalitions.

In 2007, Admiral Mike Mullen addressed more than 100 leaders of the world’s navies gathered at the 18th International Seapower Symposium in Newport, Rhode Island. He challenged the international community to act in concert when responding to threats to the global maritime domain, and he shared his vision of a “1,000-Ship Navy” fueled by the common interest of global stability and economic prosperity. The “1,000-Ship Navy” stimulated much discussion among our partners across the globe. Some wondered how contributions would be solicited, what the command-and-control structure would look like, and how binding the concept would become. The debate prompted Admiral Mullen to explain:

The ‘1,000-Ship Navy’ is a fleet-in-being of nations willing to participate in global maritime partnerships (GMP). To face the challenges we do today, nobody can do it alone. Many countries are looking for ways to help create security through an international navy. The barriers to entry here are very low. You don’t have to join; you don’t have to sign a treaty.

I really don't need to do another paragraph by paragraph fisking, do I?

Much of the article is a collection of well worn concepts, diplo-speak, and aspirational goals. Then end of the above quote shows the feet of clay this all is with, ".. you don't have to sign a treaty." 

Of course not. You can show the flag, but when things get hairy or wet work needs to be done, you'll leave the work to the USN.

On top of that - some of the transformationalist verbiage is ahistorical and slightly insulting to our heritage;

GMP was a new approach to cooperation among maritime nations.

No it isn't. Combined naval operations have been around thousands of years, in peace and war.

The international community has become an economically hyper-connected global network of independent states pursuing prosperity and security. Trade and commerce transcend borders, while globalization drives interdependence among nations.

Again, this has been true for thousands of years - in fits and starts - but true. Heck - we hear the same argument about how such condition precluded war .... right before WWI.

Why am I making such a pedantic fuss over the above? Simple, the transformationalist mumbling cant that "all is new" is deadly to the intellect and any military organization. 

It is deadly as it gives people the invitation to do the intellectually lazy thing and not read and reference thousands of years of lessons. Equipment and names may change - but by and large, the big picture concepts are exactly the same.

Many generations have been right where we are. We can save a lot of treasure, and some blood as well, by being humble and discuss what the world was and is - not as we wish it to be.

As such, the Global Network of Navies provides the opportunity for countries to more effectively meet the challenges of insecurity in the maritime environment in spite of resource constraints. The only requirements are a willingness to collaborate and the creation of a network that is scalable, durable, responsive, flexible, and interoperable. This makes the Global Network of Navies key to the collective future security of all maritime nations.

They can plug in .. but ... here is the tricky part - what do you do when they unplug and go home?

The authors do nod to this concern - but continue forward;

There are those who may say that we cannot, and should not, rely on coalitions or partnerships to solve all of our problems. We have to “go it alone” because coalitions or partnerships are not enduring or binding, and they are sometimes limited by differing perspectives on authorities, rules of engagement, and national caveats. But a Global Network of Navies already exists. No singular response to crisis is ever the same. A network construct must be flexible and adaptable to different circumstances. Not all nations with the requisite maritime capacity or capability will always see it in their best interests to participate. That is their option, but there is compelling evidence that when like-minded nations get together, the whole of their contributions is always greater than the sum of their parts. Several vignettes illustrate how this network is already confronting common threats to our collective security around the globe.

Who is saying we need to "go it alone?" Who is this cabal? No one I know is asking for a go it alone mindset - what many are saying is, "Prepare to have to go alone." 

To do otherwise is to give other nations' politicians veto power over the US Navy conducting operations in our strict national interest.

I know what Greenert and Foggo are trying to do, and I am sure they are heartfelt - but I'm sorry; it is bad theory that puts too much riding of unicorns pooping skittles on the rainbow lines of operation.

It is an important part of the conversation and part of the solution - but it is an unalloyed vision of the future that does not survive first contact with the past or present.

They starts off their penultimate paragraph with a strangely off-centerline sentence;

We are all facing similar fiscal pressure and rising challenges at sea, and no one nation has the ability to be everywhere all the time or to act alone.

Again, no. First, we are not all facing similar fiscal pressure.

China announced on Wednesday that it would increase its military budget for 2014 to almost $132 billion, a 12.2 percent rise over last year.

Second - again,

"no one nation has the ability ... to act alone"

Excuse me. The USN can act alone. The Russian Navy can act alone. The Chinese Navy can act alone. What a silly line.

I like both Greenert and Foggo, but to be frank, I really don't hear their voice here - they and we are better than this.

The above is my quick jab at a few pull quotes - better minds have been at work at is too.

Over at WarOnTheRocks, our friend Claude Berube sallied forth - you need to read it all

... interconnectivity presents both opportunities and challenges. While the Navy and the country may hope more for the opportunities, they must however resign themselves to the inherent realities of regional and global challenges to partnerships.

As it has for more than two hundred years, the U.S. Navy works with other navies – whether in underway replenishment, patrols, or other operations. In the late eighteenth century, Thomas Jefferson suggested to John Adams that the U.S. should organize an “international task force comprised of all European nations whose shipping was being victimized” by the Barbary States, although Adams responded that it was an idea whose time had not yet come. During the Barbary War, both the U.S. and Swedish navies cooperated against Tripoli until the latter made peace in 1802 and left America to continue alone. In the early nineteenth century, the U.S. Navy sent warships to West Africa to suppress the slave trade at the same time the Royal Navy had its own Africa Squadron.
...
In a more ideal world where countries do find common cause, it is unclear where the fleets will come from. The article states that there are 12,000 ships in the service of navies globally, only 5,000 of which are blue-water capable. How many of these 5,000 are adequately resourced and maintained? How many crews receive sufficient training? How many could actively deploy on a moment’s, a week’s or even a month’s notice? Most importantly, which of those navies have countries that would have the national interest and political will to conduct out-of-area operations? The authors note that “on any given day 685 [ships] are under way.” However that number does not distinguish between being deployed and being under way, the latter a term used for any day away from the pier which might include exercises or preparing for deployments. For example, the Navy’s own website stated on 30 June 2014 that it has 289 battle force ships with 99 deployed and 29 under way. In addition, the authors admit that 42 percent of international ships under way are ships of less than 1,000 tons and therefore unlikely to contribute to major blue-water operations.

Those are good questions and hard facts. Items, sadly, not found in depth in Greenert and Foggo's article.

One of the great things about Berube's insight, is the fact he brings to the table a multi-disciplinary method that looks at an issue from not just a military viewpoint, but a historical, practical, and in this case - political one.

Political decisions – not naval relationships – will determine what forces to use and when in response to incidents, challenges and crises. The article also fails to address the political realities of multinational operations including funding, compatibility, various rules of engagement and access denial not only by potential adversaries but by allies and partners. For example, as the U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry Division prepared to assault Iraq through Turkey, access through that nation – a NATO ally – was denied despite the offer of billions of dollars. Then-Deputy Chief of Naval Operations Vice Admiral Charles Moore later stated that this was a “glimpse of the future…where Turkey was able to significantly alter our war plan in that they denied access.” Negative perceptions about the United States are on the rise globally further eroding U.S. opportunities and increasing them for peer competitors.

BZ to RADM Foggo, he jumped in to comments on Berube's post. However, I was very disappointed to see a tired strawman in Foggo's response that we see dragged out now and then, a complete non-starter - especially if you are responding to WOTR and Berube readers,

"I don’t see America going it alone in the near future unless it is defense of the homeland."

Eeeek! That again. Just stop.

Seriously, to repeat again: no one is saying that American should go it alone - though it should be ready too as time and time again, from when Sweden broke formation in the Barbary War, to Veracruz, to Vietnam, to FONOPS in the Gulf of Sidra - sometimes we have to - and it is something the American people demand that we maintain the ability to do.

The norm is, and our Navy does it every day, to operate in a combined environment.

Here is the undeniable less of history that Berube holds out;

...naval partnerships are important but they aren’t always reliable – not because of the navies with whom we the honor to work with every day but because of the decisions that rest with the political authorities and public opinion among our partners and even ourselves to appropriate invest in their own capabilities.

From the caveat laden allied forces of flaccidity that we all had to work around in Afghanistan, to the ships-in-being that joined us off the Horn of Africa, that is the hard truth of allied operation.

Even in the most right wars - even with the best allies - they can just go home. In one of my favorite little gems in Max Hastings Retribution, in moment of indecision and selfishness in the middle of a fight, some allies will just steam out of sight like the HMCS UGANDA off Okinawa.

To put yourself in Strategic Risk based simply on the promises - especially implied and theoretical - is folly. Or, as Berube puts it,

In the end, affirming phrases like “global maritime partnerships” cannot rationalize, justify or compensate for the lack of national will to appropriately invest in the country’s own naval capability at the risk of maritime force codependency.

Amen. I would much rather see the intellect and political capital of Admiral Greenert and Rear Admiral Foggo invested in explaining to the American people how in a period of strategic change after a decade of land combat, the Navy needs more than an even slice of the budgetary pie.

A little reminder to all. Call it "1,000 Ship Navy" - "Cooperative Maritime Partnership" - or if you must grab your thesaurus and make it a bit more buzzwordy-poetic - "Global Network of Navies," the end effect is the same.

Let me do one of the few things that brings joy in to my life - quote myself - from 7.5 years ago on this blog;

"1,000 Ship Navy" with all due respect, is a mirage. When the shooting starts, they will be about as useful as the Italian and Vichy French Fleets were to the Germans in WWII - or NATO in the South and East of Afghanistan.

A positive note here; the whole interaction with Foggo & Berube specifically is exactly how it should be done. On the more refined side of creative friction, you have two professionals with the same goal, the best maritime forces out nation can provide, working it out tit-for-tat.

As it should be.

Russo-Ukrainian War Black Sea SITREP Panel with Berube, Cavas, & Mercogliano - on Midrats

From the Sea of Azov to the Danube Delta, the maritime component of the Russian invasion of Ukraine's is bringing to the front universal constants; treaties, neutral shipping, amphibious operations, blockades, choke points, sea lines of communication, and an expanded environment where conflict can expand in unexpected ways.

While much of the focus has been ashore, significant developments - and lessons - can be found in the developments in the Black Sea. That will be the focus on today's Midrats with a panel discussion with Claude Berube, Chris Cavas, and Sal Mercogliano.

Dr Claude Berube has taught at the US Naval Academy since 2005 and has worked for two US Senators. He is a Commander in the Navy Reserve.  His latest book is “On Wide Seas: The US Navy in the Jacksonian Era” and his third novel, “The Philippine Pact” will be released this fall.

Chris Cavas is a long-time naval journalist who has reported on navies and maritime issues in the United States and around the world. He’s also the co-host of the weekly CavasShips podcast focusing on naval matters.

Dr. Sal Mercogliano is a Maritime Historian at Campbell University. A former merchant mariner and Host of the What's Going On With Shipping YouTube Channel.

Join us live if you can, but it not, you can get the show later by subscribing to the podcast. If you use iTunes, you can add Midrats to your podcast list simply by clicking the iTunes button at the main showpage - or you can just click here. You can find us on almost all your most popular podcast aggregators as well.

Battleflags, Korean Battles, and the Joys of Unexpected Archeology - on Midrats

Put yourself in the shoes of a museum curator. You have the funds to conduct some much needed preservation on battleflags captured by the US Navy from the War of 1812. To do that, you have to remove them from their home for almost a century.

What happens when you all of a sudden find they are not alone? They are covering something else?

No, this isn't another "National Treasure" sequel, but things that actually unfolded last year at the US Naval Academy. For naval history buffs, this was an exciting time and an opportunity to explore some relatively unknown chapters from our history.

For almost all Americans, when you mention American forces coming ashore to do battle on the Korean peninsula, they think of Inchon and 1950.

Well, we came ashore earlier and fought another battle, in 1871.

When you hear about the American navy vs. pirates, you think about the waters off the Horn of Africa in this century. What about off China in the 1850s?

Join us Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern to discuss the history and the battleflags of pirates and forgotten kingdoms with returning guests, BJ Armstrong, CDR USN and Claude Berube, LCDR USNR.

BJ Armstrong, PhD is an Assistant Professor of War Studies and Naval History with the History Department of the U.S. Naval Academy. He holds a PhD in War Studies from King's College, London.

Claude Berube is the director of the Naval Academy Museum and recently completed his doctoral dissertation through the University of Leeds on Andrew Jackson’s Navy.

Join us live if you can, but if you miss the show you can always listen to the archive at blogtalkradio or Stitcher. 

If you use iTunes, you can add Midrats to your podcast list simply by clicking the iTunes button at the main showpage - or you can just click here.

Post-Election Natsec Hotwash - on Midrats

 

Every election cycle provides a preview of what advocates for national defense and sea power will have on their side - or not on their side - in the next Congress.

New people arrive, experienced people leave, and priorities, agendas, and advocacy will shift change with them.

What can we expect in the next Congress based on changes we see and those national security issues waxing or waning in the mind of legislators and their counterparts in the Executive Branch?

Politics matter.

Our guests for the full hour Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern to discuss the implications of this years election in the national security arena, will be Claude Berube and Derek (Dirk) Maurer.

Claude Berube, PhD, is the author of “On Wide Seas: The US Navy in the Jacksonian Era” and several other books. He has worked on Capitol Hill, in the defense industry, and the Office of Naval Intelligence. A Commander in the US Navy Reserve, he is currently assigned to a unit with Navy Warfare Development Center. Since 2005 he has taught in the Political Science and History Departments at the US Naval Academy.

Dirk Maurer currently is Vice President at Layer 8 Security, & a Visiting Fellow at the National Security Institute at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School. He is the Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Defense Continuity and Mission Assurance and as DASD for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction. and was DASD for Defense Support and Civil Authorities during the George W. Bush administration

Mr. Maurer has served on multiple Senate committees and in the personal offices of three Senators. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserve after twenty years. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center.

Join us live if you can, but it not, you can get the show later by subscribing to the podcast. If you use iTunes, you can add Midrats to your podcast list simply by clicking the iTunes button at the main showpage - or you can just click here. You can find us on almost all your most popular podcast aggregators as well.

Midrats Episode 24: The Navy's New Normal

The budget axe points to sea; the nation suffers sea blindness; a non-traditional actor challenges a fundamental exercise of naval power.

Join EagleOne and me live this Sunday, 06 JUN at 5pm EST as we look at the return of familiar challenges to making the Navy effective.

As our guests we will have two Midrats regulars; Bryan McGrath and Claude Berube.

To discuss “The Navy Under Siege—SECDEF and Naval Preponderance” and "Sea Blindness" will be Bryan McGrath, CDR USN (Ret.) the Founding Director of Delex Consulting, Studies and Analysis (CSA), a division of Delex Systems, Incorporated, headquartered in Vienna, Virginia. Delex CSA is a niche consultancy, specializing in Defense and National Security issues, including strategy and strategic planning, executive communications, and strategic communications.

Bryan spent 21 years on active duty including a tour in command of USS BULKELEY (DDG 84), a guided-missile destroyer homeported in Norfolk, Virginia. His final duties ashore included serving as Team Lead and Primary Author of the US Navy’s 2007 Maritime Strategy “A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower”. He also hosts his own BTR format radio show and blog by the same name, Conservative Wahoo.

Claude Berube, LCDR USNR will follow up with a broad discussion of NGOs at sea. Though the recent incident off Gaza brought the issue to the front - his recent article in the Small Wars Journal outlines that there is a lot more out there involving aggressive civilian entities from NGOs to advocacy groups using the maritime domain to pursue their larger goals.

Claude is a Visiting Fellow for Maritime Studies at The Heritage Foundation. He has taught at the U.S. Naval Academy, and worked on Capitol Hill, at the Office of Naval Intelligence, and for a defense firm. A lieutenant commander in the US Navy Reserve, he's been mobilized several times including a deployment with Expeditionary Strike Group Five in 2004-05. In addition to many articles, he has co-authored two books. His next book will be published next year on maritime security companies (Eagle1 is a contributor). For the past year, he's served as the President of American Independent Writers.

Join us live if you can and pile in with the usual suspects in the chat room during the show where you can offer your own questions and observations to our guests. If you miss the show or want to catch up on the shows you missed - you can always reach the archives at blogtalkradio - or set yourself to get the podcast on iTunes.

As a show note - one of the only real issues with the show to this point has been some technical and connection problems ... well ... we've update our software and switchboard. Hopefully, all will have a much better listening experience.

Listen to Midrats on Blog Talk Radio

The Pirates of the Caribbean: the 200 Horses Indicator

Remember this guest post from Claude Berube last May?

In this highly-trafficked area, tourist destinations such as Aruba, Trinidad & Tobago, and Grenada are within two hundred kilometers of the Venezuelan coastline. At what point, however, would southern Caribbean piracy merit attention?

Well, like I tell everyone; if you want to know what will happen tomorrow, read CDRSalamander today.

Behold;

If your idea of a tropical paradise is based on what you've seen in tourist brochures, the coastline of south-west Trinidad will not disappoint. Golden beaches and coconut groves? Tick. Sleepy villages, full of fishermen snoozing under palm trees? Tick. A relaxed, laid-back vibe? Hmm. Actually, no.

Take a closer look in villages like Fullarton, and you'll notice a few things seem out of place. For one, why have so many of the fishermen got 200 horsepower engines on their boats, when 75 is more than enough? And why, when they go out fishing at night, do none of them put lights on any more?

When you have mouths to feed ...

The answer, as fisherman Gerry Padarath explains from his beachside hammock, is pirates.
...
He gestures out to sea, where across a stretch of mud-brown water another coastline can be seen. It's mainland Venezuela - which, at its closest point, lies just 20km (12 miles) from Trinidad.

In happier times, ferries used to bring groups of Venezuelan tourists to party in Trinidad. Today, though, as Venezuela slides further into all-out economic collapse, its impoverished coastal ports have become modern Hispaniolas - havens for buccaneers.

Socialism strikes again;

Most of the pirates are ex-fishermen, who used to make a good living catching tuna, octopus and shrimp in the Caribbean's warm waters. But under Venezuela's former president, Hugo Chavez, the fishing industry underwent a well-intentioned but disastrous nationalisation programme, prompting companies to relocate abroad.

With the added blow of hyperinflation, many of the fishermen now have no job and no way to feed their families. They do however have access to boats and to guns, which are in ready supply on Venezuela's increasingly lawless streets.

This is sad in so many ways.

How many more examples do people need that the false promises of socialism - really just a pitch to the poor in order to enable a power grab by a few - brings only poverty and strife?

Venezuela used to be the richest country in Latin America.

Bad governments run on bad theories lead to bad results.

H/t Claude Berube.

Claude Berube: Teaching, Legacy, Mentorship, and Opening a New Chapter

Known to all on and considered to be part of the Front Part is friend to the blog, Midrats, and me personally, is Dr. Claude Berube; reserve Naval Officer, author, professor, and all-around good guy.

After a long record of service teaching political science and history at the United States Naval Academy and director of the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, Claude is moving on to start a new chapter.

In a highly enjoyable retrospective of his time in Annapolis, Claude becomes a guest on the podcast he started, Preble Hall, as interviews by Dr. Marcus Faulkner. 

Enjoy.

What about the USN Reserve - on Midrats

Almost everyone who follows military issues can clearly point to what the Army Reserve, National Guard, USAFR, ANG, and USMC Reserves do – their individual and unit deployments have been highly visible so far in the Long War … but what about the Naval Reserve?

What are they doing? Are they being best utilized to purpose? As we re-look at the challenge of a maritime power facing emerging powers on the high seas, do we need to reassess the last few decades of policy, practice, and procedures in utilizing the available manpower and expertise that is and could reside in the US Navy Reserve?

Our guests this Sunday, April 7th from 5-6pm Eastern will be Chris Rawley, CAPT USNR and Claude Berube, LCDR USNR.

We will use Claude's recent article, All Sane Men Believe in Reserves, as a starting off point for our talk.

Chris Rawley is the CEO of Harvest Returns, a platform for investing in agriculture, and is Reserve Chief of Staff for Commander, Naval Surface Forces, helping to oversee 3,800 reserve sailors supporting fleet units around the world. During his 26 year military career, Rawley has filled a variety of leadership positions in naval, expeditionary, and joint special operations units afloat and ashore. He has deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, throughout Africa, the Persian Gulf, and Western Pacific. Rawley has a degree from Texas A&M University, earned an MBA at George Washington University, and is a graduate of the U.S. Naval War College and Joint Forces Staff College.

Dr. Claude Berube teaches at the US Naval Academy and has published several books. He recently returned from his third deployment as an officer in the USNR. He has worked as a defense contractor, as a civilian with the Office of Naval Intelligence, and a staffer to two US Senators.

Join us live if you can, but if you miss the show you can always listen to the archive at Spreaker. 

If you use iTunes, you can add Midrats to your podcast list simply by clicking the iTunes button at the main showpage - or you can just click here.

NavyCon: Science Fiction's Important Role in National Security - on Midrats

This Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern we're going to convince you to make plans to be in Annapolis next month.

Coming up Saturday, Nov. 18, from 12 - 5 p.m. Eastern, our friend Claude Berube is husbanding the Naval Academy Museum's latest effort in what promises to be a very original and entertaining conference, NavyCon.

NavyCon has a great line up to discuss how fleet forces have been portrayed in science fiction, in comparison to our Navy today.

It kicks off with former NASA astronaut and Naval Academy Class of 1981 graduate, Capt. Kay Hire, on “NASA Today and Tomorrow.” Other speakers include the current Director of the Defense Strategies and Assessments Program at the Center for a New American Security, Dr. Jerry Hendrix, the former Program Manager of the U.S. Navy’s DDG-51 program, Captain Mark Vandroff, and “Service, Citizenship and ‘Starship Troopers,’” will be delivered by Congressman Mike Gallagher, who served as a Marine in Iraq. The concluding address will be given by the author of the best-selling “Honor Harrington” science fiction series, David Weber.

We will have Midrats regulars USNA Museum Director Claude Berube, LCDR USNR - Senior Fellow at CNAS Jerry Hendrix, CAPT USN (Ret) - and Mark Vandroff, CAPT USN, CO of NSWC Carderock and former DDG51 Program Manager to come on to discuss their part, do a little geek’n on Midrats time, and generally get you ready for NavyCon. ...and not, that isn't too much Navy for you. You can never have too much Navy.

We’ve got them for the full hour, don’t miss it!

Join us live if you can, but if you miss the show you can always listen to the archive at blogtalkradio or Stitcher. 

If you use iTunes, you can add Midrats to your podcast list simply by clicking the iTunes button at the main showpage - or you can just click here.

Jackson's Navy, with Claude Berube - on Midrats

We're going to kick off our Midrats' 13th year with someone who has been with us from the start, best friend to the show Dr. Claude Berube!

If you care about American history in general, and US Navy history in particular, you won't want to miss a minute of this Sunday's show.

Claude will be with us for the full hour this Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern to discuss his latest and 4th non-fiction book, On Wide Seas: The US Navy in the Jacksonian Era, just released by University of Alabama Press.

Claude earned his PhD in Military History from the University of Leeds and holds two master's from Northeastern and the Naval War College. In his 30-year career, he has worked as a defense contractor for Naval Sea Systems Command and the Office of Naval Research, as a staffer on Capitol Hill for two U.S. Senators and a member of Congress, and teaching at the U.S. Naval Academy in the Political Science and History Departments. A Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, he has served at the Office of Naval Intelligence, CNO's Deep Red, at Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay, Joint Analysis Center Molesworth England, and deployed on USS Bunker Hill to the Middle East.

In addition to his four non-fiction books, he is the author of more than 60 articles, and this third novel in the Connor Stark series will be published this fall.

Join us live if you can, but it not, you can get the show later by subscribing to the podcast. If you use iTunes, you can add Midrats to your podcast list simply by clicking the iTunes button at the main showpage - or you can just click here. You can find us on almost all your most popular podcast aggregators as well.

Claude Berube and his new novel, Syren's Song, this Sunday on Midrats

This Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern for the full hour our guest will be author Claude Berube to discuss his second Connor Stark novel, Syren's Song. From the Amazon page;

"Syren's Song is the second novel featuring Connor Stark, and it promises to be just as engaging asThe Aden Effect. This geopolitical thriller begins when the Sri Lankan navy is unexpectedly attacked by a resurgent and separatist Tamil Tiger organization. The government issues a letter of marque to former U.S. Navy officer Connor Stark, now the head of the private security company Highland Maritime Defense. Stark and his eclectic compatriots accept the challenge only to learn that the Sea Tigers who crippled the Sri Lankan navy are no ordinary terrorists."

We will also discuss the craft of writing, how emerging real world events can influence the writing of fiction, and as we usually do with Claude, perhaps some other interestiing topics that crop up in the course of our conversation.

Join us live if you can with the usual suspects in the chat room and offer up your questions for our guest, but if you miss the show you can always listen to the archive at blogtalkradio. 

If you use iTunes, you can add Midrats to your podcast list simply by clicking the iTunes button at the main showpage - or you can just click here.

Listen to internet radio with Midrats on Blog Talk Radio

Dog Soup and Dragons: Is Venezuela the next place for Maritime Piracy

Guest post by Claude Berube

All roads lead to Rome, but most commerce is conducted via sea lanes. As a recent report shows, those sea lanes remain under threat to varying degrees by non-state actors. The annual Oceans Beyond Piracy report by One Earth Future was released last week with its assessments of global and regional pirate attacks for 2017. Piracy off the Horn of Africa have largely abated compared to the level a decade ago. Attacks in Southeast Asia and the Gulf of Guinea continue to pose challenges. But pay attention to the numbers in Latin America and the Caribbean, specifically the Venezuelan coast. According to the report, incidents in Latin America and the Caribbean rose from 27 in 2016 to 71 in 2017 with a large concentration along the Venezuelan coast. Most of the ships – primarily yachts and tankers – were at anchor.

We’ve seen this play out before. Threats at sea along coastlines reflect instability ashore, or the inability of a territorial government to effectively patrol and intercept human smugglers, narco-traffickers, or pirates. Venezuela continues its descent from failed policies. From The Economist:

[Venezuela’s] economic policies have made life intolerable for most of the country’s 34m citizens. Food is in short supply, and nearly 90% of Venezuelans say they do not have enough money to eat properly. The contraction of the economy is the biggest in the history of Latin America. Prices are doubling nearly every month. At least a million people have left the country in the past four years.

The country’s inflation rate is intensifying the problem:

“Venezuela's inflation rate, already by far the world's highest, spiked from 4,966 percent to nearly 18,000 percent in just March and April — a trend that, if it continues, could push the country's annual rate to more than 100,000 percent by year's end, economists say.”

The health of a coastal nation’s fishing industry can sometimes be an indicator of maritime insecurity and the rise of piracy. In the case of Somalia, for example, large foreign fishing trawlers were able to conduct operations in territorial waters absent a government able to enforce fishing rights. Somali fishermen failed to garner sufficient catch to support themselves and some turned on each other. Others joined networks to take and ransom fishing vessels then larger prey just as tankers and freighters. Venezuela’s trajectory is different. Former president Hugo Chavez established a state-owned fishing enterprise to lower prices for Venezuelans. Long time private fishermen could not compete with the result that,

fish processing plants work at half capacity on good days. Machinery rusts in the salty breeze and there’s no way to replace broken parts.

Some Venezuelan fishermen – like their Somali counterparts more than a decade ago – have resorted to narco-trafficking and piracy. It is unknown if this trend is reversible in the near-term given the extent of the breakdown:

“In Venezuela, pirates are terrorizing the coastal state of Sucre, once home to the world's fourth-largest tuna fleet and a thriving fishing industry. That trade has collapsed, along with virtually every industry across Venezuela. Gangs of out-of-work fishermen prey upon those who still venture out into the open sea, stealing their catch and motors, tying them up, throwing them overboard, and sometimes shooting them. The robberies have taken place daily this year, and dozens of fishermen have died. People can't make a living fishing anymore, so they're using their boats for the options that remain: smuggling gas, running drugs and piracy," said Jose Antonio Garcia, leader of the state's largest union. The catch is down to less than a third of the 120,000 tons of tuna Venezuela produced in 2004. In June, Sucre was the epicenter of food riots that swept through the country. Punta de Araya families got through the summer by eating "dog soup," a broth made from seawater and the small fish that are usually thrown back.”

The Horn of Africa was a target-rich environment for Somali pirates. With the thousands of annual transits by the slower-moving fishing vessels and then tankers and freighters, particularly in the Gulf of Aden, pirates didn’t have to look far for a ship to attack, capture, and ransom. When recommended shipping lanes shifted eastward in the Indian Ocean, Somali pirates adapted and used motherships out hundreds of nautical miles, much to the surprise of some experts who told me “they would never do that.” Similarly, the southern Caribbean offers its own target-rich environment to potential Venezuelan pirates. In addition to larger ships, power and sailing yachts are common in the region in a way they weren’t in the Indian Ocean or Horn of Africa (cases like the ill-fated sailing yacht Quest which was surrounded by an aircraft carrier, a cruiser, and two destroyers.

In this highly-trafficked area, tourist destinations such as Aruba, Trinidad & Tobago, and Grenada are within two hundred kilometers of the Venezuelan coastline. At what point, however, would southern Caribbean piracy merit attention? There are several tiers.

Tier 1: the problem is likely seen as a Venezuelan problem requiring a Venezuelan solution. While facing critical challenges, the country does still have a functioning government.

Tier 2: should Venezuela collapse and piracy increases in nominal territorial waters against fishing vessels, the international community is likewise unlikely to respond as it largely failed to do in the early 2000s off Somalia. Yachts would likely be diverted from the region.

Tier 3: if Venezuelan piracy networks develop and adapt to taking larger ships, it may merit an international response if it has learned the lesson from Somalia. More likely, however, it may defer to the shipping industry. In the earliest phases of large ships being taken and held for ransom, shipping companies found they could pay the ransom and have the ship and crew released in weeks. Once ships and crews were held for months and pirates demanded millions for ransoms, insurance rates rose necessitating a response first by industry in best management practices including on-board armed guards. Only later did the international community respond en masse.

There are at least three factors, however, that are different in this case. First, armed riders usually only appear with the larger shipping companies; fishing vessels – the first to fall victim to pirates – can’t afford that luxury. They have to resort to defending themselves, abandoning their trade, or joining in on the melee and fight for whatever they can take. Second, the southern Caribbean is in America’s backyard facilitating navy and coast guard platforms and assets easier than was done initially with Somalia.

Third, according to the Oceans Beyond Piracy report, the most affected seafarers are from India, the Philippines, and China. China already invests in the Caribbean and the PLA/N has built up significant overseas capabilities with its twenty-nine flotillas it has deployed since January 2009. At what point would China seize an opportunity like the threat of its seafarers to intercede and assert itself in a region?

Is this alarmist? It’s best to remember that the threat to American sailors off North Africa led to the first squadrons deployed to the Mediterranean under Commodores Dale, Morris, and Preble. Why would we expect any another country and its rising navy to be any different?

In the word of CDR Salamander: ponder.

Claude Berube is the co-editor of “Maritime Private Security: Market Responses to Piracy, Terrorism and Waterborne Security Risks in the 21st Century” (Routledge, 2012) and the novels The Aden Effect and Syren’s Song. He teaches at the Naval Academy and has been writing about modern piracy and private security for more than a decade. A Navy Reserve officer, he served off the Horn of Africa in 2005. The views expressed are his and not those of the Navy.
Twitter @cgberube

A Very Berube Christmas

This week's Christmas book recommendations come from Claude Berube, a teacher in the Political Science Department at the Naval Academy.

Obviously not medicated enough as a child or an adult, he has well exceeded his quota of "Top 5."

Being that I share his faults, I won't hold it against him - mostly because his recommendations, every one of them, demand your consideration.

Not only does he love books, he also writes them. His first book was A Call to the Sea: Captain Charles Stewart of the USS CONSTITUTION.

He’s co-authored another on Congress, Congress: Games and Strategies. He’s been published in Naval History, Proceedings, Vietnam, Orbis, The Christian Science Monitor, Small Wars Journal, and others.

A Lieutenant Commander in the Navy Reserve, he deployed in 2004-05 with Expeditionary Strike Group Five participating in tsunami relief in Sumatra, maritime interception operations in the Arabian Sea, and anti-piracy operations off Somalia.

The rest of the post is his.

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Two years ago, I interviewed via email CDR Salamander, Eagle1, Lex, Galrahn, and Steeljaw Scribe for an article that was published in Proceedings, “The Navy Can Handle the Truth: Creative Friction without Conflict.” Phib has called in that chit and asked me to post my top five Navy and/or leadership books that I recommend this Christmas. I’m hoping Eagle1, Lex, et all will give me a pass.

Normally, I’d suggest starting with Thucydides’ The History Of The Peloponnesian War, but it’s usually required reading in one course or another. Still, this is a book that never gets old – literally or figuratively. This should already be on any military officer’s bookshelf and regularly consulted. A natural companion to it might be Barry Straus’ The Battle of Salamis: The Naval Encounter that Saved Greece -- and Western Civilization.

For my top five, in no particular order other than chronological, I’ve opted for big picture books about major periods and conflicts rather than leadership-specific books, since lessons can be derived from any of these.

Empires of the Sea: The Final Battle for the Mediterranean, 1521-1580 by Roger Crowley.

I realize that an earlier reviewer from the Naval War College recommended Empires at Sea but this book is so good that I felt it worth repeating. I came across this book when I was travelling in the UK last year. How many naval campaigns have a central figure like Don Juan about whom Mozart wrote an opera, Lord Byron wrote a poem, or Moliere wrote a play? Or the Ottoman Barbarossa whose name struck fear into contemporary coastal towns along the Mediterranean or centuries later when used by Hitler in a major operation? Or admirals like Andrea Doria after whom ocean liners have been named? The characters are as rich as the organizations like the Knights of St. John or the empires who had this earlier clash of civilization. This was an era that created legends, yet is little studied today. The decades-long conflict between the Ottoman Empire and Christian Europe is a tale of changing alliances, strategies, and leaders, all culminating in the Mahanian Battle of Lepanto. In addition to the campaigns and understanding control of the Mediterranean, it helps students of the defeat of the Spanish Armada understand the conditions by which Spain ultimately decided to attack the English fleet in 1588.

Maritime Supremacy & the Opening of the Western Mind: Naval Campaigns That Shaped the Modern World by Peter Padfield.

A fantastic segue from the previous work. In his introduction, Padfield writes: “Of course maritime supremacy offers no clue to the profounder questions of the spirit, pure philosophy o ethics, or to the directions in which we may be carried by venal science. It cannot explain our terrifying hubris as a species. It is, however, the keyto simpler questions: our faith in democracy, personal freedoms and human ‘rights,’ and the other comforting prescriptions of the humanist liberal credo, stem from the supremacy of maritime over territorial power.” The author discusses the importance of both trade and a naval force to maintain maritime supremacy. What happens when the wealth of a nation disappears and with it it’s ability to trade? It is a gentle reminder when we become too complacent with our own country’s rich maritime heritage or the economy that drives it to grow or into the ground.

Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy by Ian Toll.

Here’s what I wrote, in part, in my review for The Journal of the Early Republic a couple of years ago:

Toll’s work offers a new depth of understanding of the Navy and the country’s history. In addition to America’s early naval engagements, Toll pays equal attention to the vital but largely ignored congressional debates and political involvement, without which there would not have been a Navy. This book includes the stories of the six ships, whose launchings were sometimes less than spectacular or auspicious; the ship designers and builders (Humphreys, Penrose, and Fox), who were not immune to differences of opinion; and the members of Congress who opposed or funded these projects... His multi-disciplinary analysis of the foundations of the U.S. Navy deftly takes the reader from the Federalist Papers to the halls of Congress to the wharves of Philadelphia; he guides the reader from public opinion debates to woefully underestimated shipbuilding projects (the last being a perennial issue through U.S. history). Toll’s vivid accounts of everyday life, such as the 1793 yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia, which had a ten percent death rate, reminds the reader of the late historian Barbara Tuchman’s prose. The story of the creation of the Navy and its early adventures is already riveting; Toll’s writing style makes it doubly so.

Lincoln and His Admirals by Craig L. Symonds.

Symonds brings a heck of a lot to the table: impeccable research, the ability to get to key points, a great narrative, and more. Plus, he more than most historians understands the mid- to senior naval officer corps since he taught them. Though he retired from the Naval Academy several years ago, Symonds taught midshipmen naval history for decades so he knows how to get his points across – and they’re now the audience for all of these books who are making or will be making major decisions. Another reason to read this work is that naval operations and leadership during the Civil War largely play second fiddle to primarily land-based operations and the generals, most of whom are more familiar to readers than the admirals, a rank that did not exist in the U.S. Navy until after the first year of the war. How admirals dealt with their Commander-in-Chief and vice versa during a war has many lessons for today’s and tomorrow’s leaders.

The Two-Ocean War: A Short History of the United States Navy in the Second World War by Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison.

I’m not sure how many naval officers have time to read Morison’s fifteen-volume History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Fortunately, they can read his condensed single volume. Morison was an accomplished sailor when he wasn’t teaching, but with the outbreak of war, he convinced President Roosevelt to give him a commission in the Navy Reserve so that he could write about naval operations from the front lines instead of an academic office.

If you’re still looking for a few others, here are some suggestions:

Christopher McKee’s A Gentlemanly and Honorable Profession: The Creation of the U.S. Naval Officer Corps, 1794-1815.

James Robbins’ Last in Their Class: Custer, Pickett and the Goats of West Point (although not a naval book, the author wrote an accompanying article about the anchormen of the Naval Academy; he has an interesting thesis and tells a great tale).

Arthur Herman’s To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World (P.S.).

Small Boats, Weak States, Dirty Money: Piracy and Maritime Terrorism in the Modern World (Columbia/Hurst) by Martin Murphy should be required reading for all junior officers. I can’t think of a single more comprehensive volume about piracy and maritime terrorism. This is not light reading and Murphy’s research is impeccable. But this work spells out in detail the background of two asymmetric threats.

Geoffrey Till’s Seapower: A Guide for the Twenty-First Century (Cass Series, Naval Policy and History) (2009 edition).

MILBLOG Conf. POSTEX

Big takeaway from the Milblog Conference in DC this weekend was that the Navy and Marine Corps have been fully - if grudgingly - accepted Milblogs as a legitimate part of the media ecosystem.

Sure, General Petraeus gave the opening welcome address to the conference – but that was taped. From the Navy side of the house, the nod was confirmed when the senior active duty officer present in 3-D though was fellow blogger Admiral Harvey who was kind enough to be a panel member. Additionally, the day before my arrival, the CHINFO crew at the Pentagon from all reports did an outstanding job during the availability time they provided the Navy-Marine Corps team that could make it for a visit.

We also had a first for Midrats when RADM Lyden, SC USN was our first Flag Officer guest. BZ and thanks to him and his staff for taking time out of what a very busy day to sit across the table and dedicate 20 minutes for an interview over at the Navy Memorial.

Through fits and starts and a bit behind the Army – I think the Navy in onboard with accepting bloggers as what they are – not the MSM and not even cable – but an important part of the national security discussion.

I think everyone here would have been more than pleased with the small but noisy Navy milblog community attendance. A fair portion of my fellow bloggers from the USNIBlog stable were there led by Mary, with Jim Dolbow, and Jeff Withington (yes, we covered the line from MIDN to ADM) – rounding out the Navy raiding party was Maggie, Navy SC, AW1 Tim, reader Ponsdorf – and heck – even SteelJawScribe made a low pass (quitter, he left too early), and others. We also had a brief visit by occasional guest blogger and regular guest on Midrats, Claude Berube.

As always it is a kick to see in person many you have known for years, and to see again those you work with on a regular basis online including Matt, Jimbo, Troy & Marcus, Mr. & Mrs. G, Chuck, the good folks from Soldier’s Angels, - along with "knew you but haven't met yet" like Baldilocks, Gretta, Andi who threw it all together, and the many others who will send me nasty emails because I didn’t add them to the list.

Both officially and over beers, one recurring topic that came up is that regardless of what part of the Milblog system you operate in – we really do not compete with each other; the normal operation is working together. From Team Rubicon, to McSoulpatch, to the Potempkin Color Guard – we have an impact. We build ignored stories until the traditional media takes notice. We do that by working together on the big stories. True. As a self-policing and self-governing entity in the media ecosystem – I think that is something no one else does, at least at the speed we do it.

There are two things that left me preening – in two different ways. Though my homeblog lost by TWO votes to USNIBlog for the Navy Milbloggie (I am still pouting) – recognizing that I am the most emotionally needy and desirous of public attention of her bloggers, Mary was kind enough to let me accept the Milbloggie on behalf of the Naval Institute Blog. It should be noted that she quickly snatched the award from my hands once we were off the stage and out of sight – I am thankful for the opportunity, as nothing pleases me more than a captive audience.

Lastly, I took away one informal award – the final panel totally and rather clunkily dodged my question of budgetary pressures and its impact going forward. That’s OK though – we’ll take care of it here later.

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UPDATEL Speaking of Claude - he has an objective overview over at USNIBlog that is worth your time.

Episode 7: Don't Ask, Don't Tell

All that is left until the death of the "Don't Ask - Don't Tell" is the signing ceremony.

When the U.S. military moves towards an European model that allows homosexuals to serve openly, what official, cultural, and attitude changes need to be made? What are the gains, and what is the downside of changing the policy?

Will Commanders get the correct direction and guidance for proper integration - or will they be ordered to sail into a minefield of unknown depth or density?

Joining EagleOne, Galrahn and me will be Elaine Donnelly from the Center for Military Readiness, Marcus from the milblog SoldiersPerspective, and returning guest Claude Berube. If you want a preview of Claude's perspective on Don't Ask - Don't Tell, I encourage you to review his guest post over at USNIBlog. As usual, after our guests, our panel will discuss the events of the week and take your calls as time permits.

We're returning to our regular day and time, so set your reminders for this Sunday, 07 FEB at 1700R/2200Z/5pm EST.
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