Lone Sailor

CEO Notes

December 2020
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Diversity usually is thought of in terms of gender, age, and ethnicity, but those characteristics are only part of the story. Teams whose members bring different perspectives, information processing styles, and methods of expression—cognitive diversity—can accelerate their performance and learning.

Embrace Cognitive Diversity

By Lieutenant Commander Rachel Foote, U.S. Coast Guard 
December 2020
When people think of diversity, they tend to think in terms of ethnicity, age, and gender. But there is another category of diversity that should be valued.
The Navy has improved its telework capability since the start of the pandemic, but adopting a commercial cloud service would reduce its reliance on the overburdened Navy–Marine Corps Intranet and increase personnel productivity.

Abandon NMCI for Commercial Solutions

By Lieutenant Commander Eric Zilberman, U.S. Navy, and Cynthia A. Kidd
December 2020
Many of the technical challenges associated with the service’s capability to telework stem from its reliance on the Navy–Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI).
The Grumman HU-16 Albatross saw service in the Air Force and Navy through the 1970s, and in the Coast Guard into the 1980s. A similar aircraft today could perform a variety of tasks in support of Navy and Marine Corps missions.

Give Amphibians a Second Look

By Captain Walker D. Mills, U.S. Marine Corps; and Lieutenant Commander Dylan Phillips-Levine, U.S. Navy
December 2020
Amphibious aircraft are a promising complement to other U.S. platforms in the western Pacific.
U.S.S Mercy

Spies in Our Midst

By Lieutenant Commander James Landreth, U.S. Navy
December 2020
The Sea Services must be prepared to counter the emerging threat posed by small unmanned undersea vehicles.
The sailors guarding detainees at Guantanamo embraced the Navy’s core values and put them into practice, doing the right thing simply because it was the right thing to do

Honor Bound: Guarding Detainees at Guantanamo

By Captain Thomas R. Beall, U.S. Navy (Retired)
December 2020
The sailors guarding detainees at Guantanamo embraced the Navy’s core values and put them into practice, doing the right thing simply because it was the right thing to do.
Imagery influences public perception of military operations and can be a catalyst for change. Images from the fire on board the USS Forrestal (CVA-59) in July 1967, for example, helped drive improvements to the Navy’s damage-control practices.

Telling the Navy’s Story in Images

By Senior Chief Brock A. Taylor, U.S. Navy
December 2020
From the early images of the Civil War to current operations, visual imagery has helped the military tell its story and shown the world both its might and its failings.
Illustration: Matthew Battaglia

Crowdfunded

By Sergeant Major Mike Burke, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired), and Major Nicholas Nethery, U.S. Army
December 2020
The winner of the Fiction Essay Contest. In a future war, Marines solicit a private contractor to fund an airstrike.
A Navy Reserve lieutenant commander from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Reserve Component observes a junior surface warfare officer from Destroyer Squadron 31 call out contacts during an ONR demonstration of improved training that combines software and gaming technology. Navy active-duty commands should work closely with their Reserve components to ensure the best support.

How to Improve Navy Reserve Support

By Captain Heather Bothwell, U.S. Navy Reserve
December 2020
The reserve is the Navy’s way to cover gaps and seams in missions and add capacity by bringing additional, sometimes specialized, support to augment and strengthen the force.
ACTIVE MEASURES The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare

Book Reviews

December 2020
Experts review Chinese Maritime Power in the 21st Century, Active Measures, and other new and noteworthy books.
The Navy took delivery of its first two new air cushion ship-to-shore connectors in September, including the LCAC-101 shown. Textron will build at least 12 of the craft, with the Navy planning eventually to purchase 73.

Going Ashore

By Edward J. Walsh
December 2020
The Naval Surface Warfare Center’s division in Panama City, Florida, has taken delivery of two new air-cushion ship-to-shore connectors (SSCs) from Textron Systems’ New Orleans shipyard.
Sailors at sea

Asked & Answered

December 2020
We asked our readers, what was your best career moment—the time you thought, “This is why I joined the Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard?"
The assistant chief of staff (G-4) for Marine Corps Installations Command gives remarks at the Pentagon after his promotion.

Time for a Staff Officer Career Track

By Major Nathan Wood, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
December 2020
The Marine Corps does a poor job identifying good staff officers, the term “staff officer” has a negative connotation, and the service forces every officer onto the command track.
A pair of genetically enhanced operators deal with war and its aftermath.

Black September

By Michael Barretta
December 2020
This is the second-prize winner of the 2020 Fiction Essay Contest. A pair of genetically enhanced operators deal with war and its aftermath.
Imagine a future where former military hunt illicit trade on the high seas.

Letter of Marque

By Hal Wilson
December 2020
This is the third-place winner of the Fiction Essay Contest. A contracted British special operations team uses AI and other technology from a merchant ship to interdict contraband at sea.
The commanding officer of the USS Sterett (DDG-104) administers the oath of office to an ensign during his promotion to lieutenant (j.g.).

The Navy Needs a Retention Strategy

By Lieutenants Sam Calaway and John Bice, U.S. Navy
December 2020
The Navy has several programs and incentives aimed at enticing officers to remain in the service, but a web of disparate programs is not a retention strategy.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan lent themselves well to traditional service employment models such as the MAGTF, but future fights may require other solutions. 

Keep the MAGTF Relevant to the Future Fight

By Captain Robert Holmes and Major Patrick Hassett, U.S. Marine Corps
December 2020
Marine air-ground task force commanders and planners must become fluent in the employment concepts naval expeditionary forces will use in the future.

The U.S. Naval Institute is a private, self-supporting, not-for-profit professional society that publishes Proceedings as part of the open forum it maintains for the Sea Services. The Naval Institute is not an agency of the U.S. government; the opinions expressed in these pages are the personal views of the authors.