In a recent speech at the 2025 Shangri-la Dialogue, US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, told the audience that China’s attempt to conquer Taiwan by force “could be imminent.” The possibility of such a rapid escalation stems from China’s increased military activity around Taiwan, which has made distinguishing exercises from true military action nearly impossible. According to Admiral Samuel Paparo, the commander of US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), Chinese military pressure on Taiwan has reached a “rapid boil.” How rapid? In his April testimony before the Congressional Armed Services Committees, Paparo said there has been a 300 percent annual increase in Chinese military pressure against Taiwan. He later noted that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is “stretching their legs” to meet President Xi Jinping’s 2027 military readiness goal of being capable of taking Taiwan by force.
Continue reading “China Is Carrying Out ‘Dress Rehearsals’ To Take Taiwan. Here’s How The U.S. Should Respond.”
By Mr. Ronald Kukal
So moving forward to the trip to Malta, and on that trip, so many things went on. We had to turn the rudder manually as we had lost our after steering. I was a part of the team, and it amounted to turning the capstan that was connected to the rudder with nothing but brute strength. That rudder didn’t want to go, and we were working against a lot of opposition, but we got it done. We tuned the rudder, when we were told, by orders from the bridge.
Continue reading “I was There When USS LIBERTY was Attacked (Guest Post) Part 4 of 5”
Proceedings, June 2025… by Rear Admiral Sean Bailey, Captain Brian Evans, and Commander Matthew Timmerman, U.S. Navy
After more than 24 hours of careful movement to evade detection, the strike group remains more than 18 hours from its designated position to launch strikes. The screen is distributed to the maximum extent feasible, optimizing sensor employment while attempting to complicate adversary targeting. The tactical situation (TACSIT) assessment from the information warfare commander (IWC) holds all units within ordered mission go/no-go criteria. Determining that adversary positioning and sensor capabilities provide a period of simplified maneuver and decreased detection risk, the strike group commander and information warfare commander retire for a couple hours of sleep before the operation’s next phase.
Continue reading “Tactical Action Officers: Information Warfare’s Next Evolution”
By Mr. Ronald Kukal
As I stood there waiting, a voice seemed to come out of nowhere, and it said simply, “Get down, and get down now”!! I know I didn’t move fast enough, but somehow I found myself flat on the steel deck, nose to the steel, and then the explosion occurred. My best guess as to my proximity to the torpedo, is somewhere around forty feet. I could hear the shrapnel flying over my head, and little did I know it was killing almost every one of my shipmates, all around me.
Continue reading “I was There When USS LIBERTY was Attacked (Guest Post) Part 3 of 5”
A series of blasts at airbases deep inside Russia on June 1, 2025, came as a rude awakening to Moscow’s military strategists. The Ukrainian strike at the heart Russia’s strategic bombing capability could also upend the traditional rules of war: It provides smaller military a blueprint for countering a larger nation’s ability to launch airstrikes from deep behind the front lines.
Continue reading “Ukraine’s Operation Spider Web destroyed more than aircraft – it tore apart the old idea that bases far behind the front lines are safe”
- America’s conflict with the Houthis gave the US Navy a taste of high-tempo air defense operations.
- The Navy is using the conflict to inform planning for future maritime wars, like a clash with China.
- One warship captain said a fight in the Pacific would be vastly different from the Red Sea battle.
The US Navy’s exhausting shootout with the Iran-backed Houthis has given American military planners a clearer view into the complexities of high-tempo air defense operations.
Continue reading “A US Navy warship captain said the Red Sea conflict was a ‘knife fight in a phone booth.’ China would be way more challenging.”
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