This is the Command History of the 7th Amphibious Force which served in SWPA in WW2. And below is the list of amphibious operations the 7th executed. www.history.navy.mil/research/lib...

After the Yap invasion was canceled, Nimitz offered the 24th Corps (7th, 96th, and 77th Infantry Divisions) to MacArthur for the Leyte op. But he was also considering using the 24th Corps to seize Iwo Jima. That would have been an interesting alternative history.

"Destruction of the enemy fleet is always the primary objective of our Naval Forces. Attempts by enemy fleet units to interfere with amphibious operations are both hoped for and provided against..."

"As concern rises in Europe over threats from an emboldened Russia, the Irish government says it’s working to plug gaps in its military, which reflect a tradition of neutrality." www.nytimes.com/2026/06/04/w...

Nimitz's reasons for opposing OSS operations in the POA.

Good documentary on the Seattle music scene of the 80's and early 90's. - "Hype!" www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HWV...

The draft plan for Operation Olympic, the invasion of Honshu, scheduled for 1 Nov 1945.

Every Day is Ethics Day!

🤔

The third largest ground force ever fielded by the U.S. Army. Add in the independent tank battalions, RCT’s, engineer units, etc, and you have enough men to make up at least another two divisions. They conducted several dozen amphibious assaults, including 35 landings in a five week period in 1945.

The Army divisions in WWII website has been updated. armydivs.com/divisions?vi... These are the 21 Army divisions that served in the Pacific War.

"Criticism of the Thucydides Trap has been so vicious and thorough that I can organize it into five different categories" hegemon.substack.com/p/chinas-fav...

“Is the Nonfiction Book Crisis for Real? And Are Podcasts to Blame? The Panic Makes for a Good Story. But the Numbers Tell a Different Tale.” www.millersbookreview.com/p/is-the-non...

In 1914, Marines robbed the Haitian national bank. If this were fiction it would be a great movie, but the fact that it’s real, well, it’s shameful.

Today’s reading. Gangsters of Capitalism.

This 1952 memo from the Pentagon UFO files is superb There is no point preparing for aliens ‘because no one of consequence is going to take this rubbish seriously unless it happens. At that point, our policy will be determined in the traditional manner of grand panic.’ 🤣 www.war.gov/medialink/uf...

This is an important and relevant book to read> “The Strange Career of Jim Crow” by C. Vann Woodward global.oup.com/ushe/product...

Ganesh Sitaraman traces the history of the airline industry from its inception until today, argues that the problems plaguing air travel today stem from the 1978 decision to deregulate the industry. hls.harvard.edu/today/airlin...

Airline Deregulation: When Everything Changed airandspace.si.edu/stories/edit...

"there are about 70% more bookstores now than there were six years ago in the United States. After 20 years of declining numbers, they’re coming roaring back.” www.fastcompany.com/91529634/ind...

The Academy has banned AI from ever winning an Oscar. • Only roles “demonstrably performed by humans with their consent” can be nominated for acting Oscars • Screenplays “must be human-authored” to qualify for a nomination

Some useful public speaking tips from Freud here.

“The Expert Trap and the Next War” open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...

Craft Breweries Struggle as Sales and Appetites Wane www.nytimes.com/2025/10/05/b...

Counterrevolution in Egypt: How Sisi broke the dream of a new republic. In his latest book, Egyptian writer Hossam el-Hamalawy explores how the collapse of the Mubarak government gave way to a new style of dictatorship www.middleeasteye.net/discover/cou...

Stars and Stripes: Six Navy photographers were assigned to document the recovery of Artemis II, all of whom described the moment as one of the most meaningful assignments in their careers. www.stripes.com/branches/nav...

King to Nimitz April 1942 on establishment of Pacific Ocean Area.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz reignites plans for alternative transportation routes, many of which include Turkey’s, whose geography “condemns the country to geopolitical significance,” as one diplomat eloquently puts it. (🎁 article.)

🔥 Incredible footage of Ukrainian Yak-52 crews in action. Pilots of the 11th Separate Army Aviation Brigade “Kherson” clear the skies of Russian drones.

How a Navy photographer snapped an iconic Artemis II astronaut photo taskandpurpose.com/news/august-...

“The success of this War depends upon the Skillful Steerage of the political Vessel.” - John Adams, 1776

"the proper measure of strategic achievement is the quality of policy result compared with the quality of outcome required." - Colin Gray

Very relieved to see Integrity splash down.

Strategic Plan for the Defeat of Japan, 8 May 43 history.state.gov/historicaldo...

And so it began... From Fleet Admiral Leahy's memoir, June 1945.

in 2016 a group of strangers in Kazakhstan saved a dog from drowning by forming a human chain to reach him. they just unveiled a statue commemorating the event and I'm genuinely about to start sobbing

As the weekend gets started, check out my interview with @nathankfinney.com about his book “Orchestrating Power” on the role of North Carolina’s Council of Defense during WWI mobilization on the Strategy Bridge Podcast. traffic.libsyn.com/secure/thest...

The Pivot to the Pacific is the future of American strategy, and it always will be.

If you’re interested in questions of mobilization, civil-military relations, war as an extension of politics—and much more—this is the podcast for you. @prbeckman.bsky.social @nathankfinney.com

How did the US mobilize for WWI? Join @prbeckman.bsky.social and @nathankfinney.com for a deep look at one facet of this fascinating question. thestrategybridge.org/the-podcast

In the new Strategy Bridge Podcast episode, I talk with @nathankfinney.com about his book “Orchestrating Power” on the role of North Carolina’s Council of Defense during WWI mobilization. @thestrategybridge.bsky.social Listen here: traffic.libsyn.com/secure/thest...

"What’s the Matter with Being a Strategist?" press.armywarcollege.edu/cgi/viewcont...

I had a chance to talk with Tim McGrath about the "Founding of the Continental Navy" for PCN's History & Culture podcast. #navy #seapower www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD_H...

Reread this blast from the past and laughed a little. I remember the General Officer who called me into his Pentagon office being absolutely flabbergasted by this article, and I can imagine what a headache it probably caused him. I still don't care. archive.smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/han...

Instead of a US Marshal, they should have made Kayce Dutton a private investigator with Mo as his partner. They would have been a great team.

One of my favorite projects over the past couple of years has been the short #documentary series “Food Truckin’”. Here is one episode on the Rebelz food truck. #foodtrucks www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUUc...

You can't go wrong with the Skyraider> Discovery Channel: Great Planes: Douglas A-1 Skyraider www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq-o...

The orders from JCS to Nimitz, MacArthur, and Arnold (20th AF) in spring 1945.

“The American Sea Power Paradox: Why the US is More Naval Than Maritime” www.jameswesmith.space/p/the-americ...

On the MFA-ification of American fiction> The Oracular Outsiders and the Homework Doers www.estragon.news/the-oracular...