71 Comments

NWC needs to undergo Academic Cleansing.

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Yes.... by fire.

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Fire would work, but what kind of fire? Without a spec we might get a 10KT vaporizing air burst, a napalm strike or molotov cocktails. None of those are acceptable. Fallout, tons of spewed carbon and noxious smoke. Too much collateral damage and hands the Greenies another Gaia grievance. Nope, Ken... though I admit that I might strike the match myself were I forced to attend. Clorox and a crew with swabs. The infrastructure can be aired out in 72 hours and be repurposed to house homeless vets.

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Probably not the conference to point out that the main strategic point of rape traditionally was to ensure their were enough volunteers? Read The Archer's Tale to show this.

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I read it years ago. Rape doesn't stand out in my memory (beyond the love interest of the main character) , though certainly rape and pillage were the classic outcomes if the attacking force was required to storm a castle or town. It was anticipated by both sides and the Hundred Years war was full of sieges and stormings. Rape Pillage, and burning was a best practice for demoralizing an enemy through the Napoleonic Wars.

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When they seized the town after the inhabitants left the castle. "HAVOC!" indeed!

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Cornwell is great. I've read most of his (except Sharpe; saving that for a rainy month, lol).

Often perusing Cdr. Sals' blog and other news I find myself asking "What would Uhtred do?"

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Really need to start the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles....

Thanks for the reminder!

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It’s all cover for Zampolits. Besides, to many in that thought space, it would be better if Israel had never been founded. It’s just part of the EVIL Western Patriarchy, causing problems in the Levant for those poor Palestinians.

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The use of "rape as a weapon of war" ought to be classed as a war crime, if it isn't already, with the only acceptable penalty being "hanging of all involved".

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Can't really see any difference between "rape" and "rape as a weapon of war" with respect to just and desired punishment.

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"Rape" is one or two men, who must hang.

"Rape as a weapon of war" indicts the entire command structure, and every man involved, right up to the commanding general, must hang.

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That's fair

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if I were an agent for the FSB or SVR and showed this program to my boss I would be laughed at for falling for such obvious disinformation.

My boss would remined me how the NWC was the place where the war against Japan had been successfully gamed in the 1930s and foresaw all that would happen (except fort the kamikazes and atomic bombs). He might even mention some of their great presidents of the NWC like Raymond Spruance and James Stockdale.

At worst he would say the conference was an excuse for a paid vacation at a sailing resort. No great nation would actually engage is such nonsense.

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Your mention of Newport as "a paid vacation at a sailing resort" brought back memories of 1966 when I was an 18-19 year old RDSA-RD3. There was an annex to the regular EM Club on Coaster's Island, not more than 600' from the Naval War College that served burgers, fries and 3.2% beer and (purposely) never checked ID's. Several pitchers of Narragansett beer was well within our budget. Making RD2 in 1967 moved me to the Acey-Doucey Club with a finer choice of beverages. (They never checked ID's there, either, until I tried to buy a bottle of gin. Got carded and banned.) Fond memories of Newport. Except the winters, which ran from October to April.

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I learned to sail at the NWC.

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Twice! Once in 1975, at NESEP Prep School, and again in 1978, for OCS.

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Twice too. 1966-67 on DE-1027. And 4 days at OCS in 1981.

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I took the special services course when the east coast QM 'A' school was located at Newport (1972). The prep school is located where the FTC used to be. I loved being on the bay in a Rhodes 19.

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Don’t you wish you had bought a shack in Newport in the 1960s for peanuts? Worth millions today. I suppose the same could be said for Coronado.

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founding

I did (well in Portsmouth) but had to sell it when ordered to the Pentagon.

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I’m partial to Bristol.

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founding

Nice, but not on Aquidneck Island,

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Christmas in Newport was magical.

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There was nothing magical about the midwatch on the ship's Quarterdeck or uphill from Pier 1 on parking lot security patrol in December. But I get the Hallmark Christmas card reference, Tom. Newport was scenic year around.

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Cowards. Meet the failing state.

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What? Tackle hard issues? This is plucking Orwell's academia, how dare you have expectations!

"… Throughout the Spanish war, Stalinism was assisted not only by superb public relations but by naivety, gullibility and, it must also be said, the mendacity and corruption of Western intellectuals

… The intellectuals of the Left did not want to know the objective truth; they were unwilling for their illusions to be shattered. Many of them treated 'the Party' with abject subservience."

Shall we?

… Throughout the Gazan war, Hamas was assisted not only by superb public relations but by naivety, gullibility and, it must also be said, the mendacity and corruption of Western intellectuals

.… The intellectuals of the Left did not want to know the objective truth; they were unwilling for their illusions to be shattered. Many of them treated 'Hamas' with abject subservience."

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Incredible. Not only that they obviously refused to discuss Hamas as a prime user of rape etc; but that any of this drivel is being discussed at the Naval War College. I could, perhaps, understand it being done at Berkeley, or Columbia or Brown, but the Naval WAR College? As Grandpa used to say: "Sweet Jesus".

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The people in charge of military education forgot why they were there and wanted to become just like the real schools.

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DEI is IED to the mind.

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founding

Yes. There was am article in USNI recently by a professor from NWC stating that they needed more civilian PhD types and fewer professional military officers as faculty. Exactly the reverse in my view.

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The use of rape by Hamas is why I think Israel should go full Curtiss LeMay in Gaza. A society that allows and encouraged rape, is a society that needs to be removed from the face of the planet.

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founding

Quite agree. I really do not understand why the current administration keeps trying to force some ceasefire on the Israelis. Even those nebbishes must understand that Hamas will never actually peacefully coexist with Israel.

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The role of women in war, whether as participants, followers or victims, has always been too sensitive to handle in polite conversation, even (it turns out) in forums specially created to discuss it. Kipling had it right:

Man's timid heart is bursting with the things he must not say,

For the Woman that God gave him isn't his to give away;

But when hunter meets with husbands, each confirms the other's tale—

The female of the species is more deadly than the male.

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founding

Hear, hear.

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The story of Jessica Lynch also needs to be revisited. Nothing against her, but the particular vulnerability of female troops cannot be ignored, and thereby scrambles the priorities of our responses.

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Remember the initial stories of her fighting off legions of Iraqi soldiers? Senator Byrd wanted to award her the MOH. Her rifle jammed and I don’t think she got off a shot.

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As I recall, her Iraqi captors saw that she was injured and took her to a hospital where she received medical treatment. She was rescued by US troops from her hospital bed.

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Sounds like DEI crap and needs to be eliminated. How about we get some maintenance ......

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founding

But...But!

These are Really Smart Gals and Guys!

Beyond Reproach!!

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The "smartest people in the room" strike again.

Having been the actual smartest person in the room a couple of times, I tend to tremble in fear.

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founding

Most likely, these academics are educated beyond their intelligence and in the real world are akin to being the smartest people on the short bus.

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What a God- Awful waste of tax dollar$

Nothing but hard leftist word salad sophomoric drivel.

I knew my old Alma mater had fallen far but this is an absolute disgrace. Academic Cleansing to include the staff is imperative.

The Naval War College needs to get back to the business of war.

The PLA(N) War College has to be rolling on the deck plates with laughter while they plan how to kick our south side.

Thanks for covering this

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The very existence of and organization such as the WPC is a great example of the following: “There are some ideas so absurd that only an intellectual could believe them.”

― George Orwell

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I am sure that - post conference - the Navy will realize that we no longer have pressing issues like SM-3 procurement, SSN maintenance logjam, lack of repair facilities ashore and afloat, the Columbia class delivery delays, F-35 FMC/PMC rates, and is it possible to get a real gun on the Constellation. Since we can all rally around Allyship and - dare I say it? - "masculinity" we will all be better leaders, engineers, watchstanders, aviators, and ship drivers (no hope for sub bubbas and bubbettes). And we can all react better to our manning crises by being knowledgeable about "Women in Contemporary North Korea". But my fav is "Iran: Gender Inequality, Climate Change, and ENVIRONMENTAL Security". I think there are not many can say that with a straight face, and as far as I know there is no gender inequality - they throw both sexes off the roof for being gay. I am surprised there wasn't a session on "Military men, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader breast size, and the USN in the South China Sea". Ya know, really important $hit.

Try having a symposium like this with 98% male speakers and wait for the hate. We are well and truly flushed down the crapper and every reader here knows it. Anchors aweigh ne'er again:

On seven seas wе learn

Navy's stern call:​

Faith, courage, service true,​

With honor, over honor, over all.​

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That's disgraceful. They only topic I saw even half-way related to relevant topics was the Maritime Leadership one. Everything else was, as you said, Marxian grievance studies. The Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing thing sounds like something that could be relevant to the Coast Guard, but seen through gender lens just leaves me scratching my head.

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I am glad someone somewhere in this government is talking about fishing. It’s a huge business and American fishermen are being taken advantage of by foreign floating factories. Fish are not just a food but a raw material. Every part is used e.g. cosmetics. Something else this administration ignores.

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