September 2023 MBR The Military Shelf

The Military Shelf

The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific
Catherine L. Grant, et al.
Georgetown University Press
3240 Prospect Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
www.press.georgetown.edu
9781647123383, $137.95, HC, 240pp

https://www.amazon.com/New-Age-Naval-Power-Indo-Pacific/dp/1647123380

Synopsis: Competition at sea is once again a central issue of international security. Nowhere is the urgency to address state-on-state competition at sea more strongly felt than in the Indo-Pacific region, where freedom of navigation is challenged by regional states' continuous investments in naval power, and the renewed political will to use it to undermine its principles.

"The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific: Strategy, Order, and Regional Security" provides an original framework in which five "factors of influence" explain how and why naval power matters in this pivotal part of the world.

An international group of contributors make the case that these five factors draw upon a longstanding influence of naval power on regional dynamics and impact the extent to which different states in the region use naval power: the capacity to exert control over sea-lanes, the capacity to deploy a nuclear deterrent at sea, the capacity to implement the law of the sea in an advantageous way, the ability to control marine resources, and the capacity for technological innovation.

"The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific" offers a fresh approach for academics and policy makers seeking to navigate the complexity of maritime security and regional affairs.

Critique: An impressively timely contribution to our military strategy debates with respect to dealing with Chinese naval aggression in the Indo-Pacific, " A new framework contextualizes crucial international security issues at sea in the Indo-Pacific "The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific: Strategy, Order, and Regional Security" will have a special relevance and value for readers with an interest in Asian and American political and military issues of naval confrontations and competing interests. While also available in a paperback edition (9781647123390, $45.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $43.95), "The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific" must be considered a basic and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, governmental, college, and university library Indo-Pacific political and military strategy/policy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: Catherine L. Grant is a former research associate at the Naval Postgraduate School and a graduate of the master's program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Catherine-Grant-2)

Editorial Note #2: Alessio Patalano is a professor in the Department of War Studies at King's College London. (https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/dr-alessio-patalano)

Editorial Note #3: James A. Russell is an associate professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School. (https://www.nps.edu/web/nsa/faculty/-/asset_publisher/eHb4tK5KXorI/content/james-russell-ph-d-)

Sailing Upwind
Admiral Sandy Winnefeld
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402
www.nip.org
9781682478745, $32.95, HC, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Upwind-Leadership-Innovation-Situation/dp/1682478742

Synopsis: "Sailing Upwind: Leadership and Risk from TopGun to the Situation Room" is more than just another memoir of a distinguished former naval officer s highly diverse career. This personal life story by Admiral James "Sandy" Winnefeld is also intended to offer useful reflections regarding how he accepted and managed risk along the way, as well as a concise description of the qualities one must develop to become a successful leader. Winnefeld began his career as an F-14 fighter pilot and TOPGUN instructor, commanded an aircraft carrier, and then served in a variety of flag officer billets on the way to becoming the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In an entertaining and humble manner, "Sailing Upwind" describes how that journey unfolded and the lessons he attaches to it. The reader will learn what it is like to become a Navy fighter pilot, and to fly, fight, and takeoff and land from an aircraft carrier - including a harrowing description of ejecting from an F-14 at night far from land.

Winnefeld also describes the culture of excellence at the real TOPGUN and the Navy's nuclear propulsion program. He recounts how he learned to lead the men and women who operate at every level of Navy operational command, from squadron to ship to fleet.

Finally, Winnefeld presents a behind-the-scenes look at how military decisions are made at the highest levels of government regarding whether and how those forces will be used, and how they are acquired. In the process, Winnefeld also provides descriptions of how, by challenging existing assumptions and processes and through relentless creativity, he was able to lead change.

He reflects on how the risk associated with such changes should be accepted and managed. The title Sailing Upwind (in which a sailboat must be operated against a prevailing force field to make progress in the right direction) is an apt metaphor for the bent for pushing against the system as Winnefeld describes throughout his military memoir.

Critique: An inherently fascinating, exceptionally well written, and amazingly informative read from first page to last, "Sailing Upwind: Leadership and Risk from TopGun to the Situation Room" by Admiral Sandy Winnefeld is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Contemporary American Military History/Biography/Memoir collections. It should be noted that "Sailing Upwind" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.12).

Editorial Note: Sandy Winnefeld (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Winnefeld_Jr.) grew up in a Navy family. After commissioning from the NROTC program, he flew the F-14 Tomcat and served as a TOPGUN instructor. He subsequently held command at every level in the military. With the rank of Admiral, he culminated his service as the ninth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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