UNITED STATES NAVY - Recommended Reading (Operate Forward)

	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.