Prescott Hunt Currier was an American naval officer and cryptanalyst who contributed to American and British cryptographic cooperation during World War II and later gained recognition for his work on the Voynich manuscript. In 1941, Currier was part of a U.S. cryptologic delegation that visited Bletchley Park, where he contributed to early Anglo-American codebreaking efforts. He was awarded the Legion of Merit twice, in the Second World War and the Korean War respectively. He analyzed the Voynich manuscript in the 1970s, proposing significant structural insights that have influenced subsequent research into the manuscript’s origins.
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Advanced intelligence helped the Allies turn the tables on Japan in this crucial World War II naval battle.
In May 1942, U.S. and Australian naval and air forces were facing off against the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Battle of the Coral Sea in the South Pacific. But in a windowless basement at Pearl Harbor, a group of U.S. Navy codebreakers had intercepted Japanese radio messages suggesting Japan was planning an entirely different—and potentially far more damaging—operation in the Pacific theater.
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The Battle of Midway in June of 1942 was one of the most important naval battles in world history and a turning point in the Second World War. Between June 4 and 7, aircraft from aircraft carriers Enterprise, Yorktown, and Hornet of the U.S. Navy’s Task Forces 16 and 17 ambushed and sank the Imperial Japanese Navy’s carrier force that only six months before had attacked Pearl Harbor and terrorized the Pacific. The Battle of Midway is important to memorialize and remember for many reasons. Among these reasons is that it is an inexhaustible source of still-relevant lessons on how to successfully apply intelligence at all levels of war.
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Naval Intelligence Essay Contest – Second Prize – Sponsored by the Naval Institute and Naval Intelligence Professionals | By James Wirtz
The story of how Naval intelligence paved the way for victory at Midway is embedded in the culture of the U.S. Navy, but the impact of this narrative extends far beyond the service. Today, scholars use the events leading up to Midway to define intelligence success—an example of a specific event prediction that was accurate, timely, and actionable, creating the basis for an effective counterambush of the Imperial Japanese Navy.1
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By Aaron-Matthew Lariosa
March 17, 2025 1:41 PM
After 32 years, an American military presence is set to return to Subic Bay under a new Marine Corps prepositioning program that will see the service stage equipment in the Philippines.
Last month, the U.S. Marine Corps quietly leased a 57,000-square-foot warehouse at the former Subic Bay Naval Supply Depot. The service will lease the facility from Amerasia International Terminal Services Inc., which operates the warehouse alongside Anglicotech Philippines and KBR Overseas Inc.
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Station HYPO 