Research Area: Force Design​

Economic Cost Realities Mean Idea Of New Battleships Doesn’t Float

By John D. McCown, John D. McCown

The US Can’t Build Trump’s Battleships, But Our Allies Can

By Alex Lee

The Golden Fleet: The US Navy’s pursuit of the exquisite

By Matthew Reisener

A Conversation with Bill Toti, Performing the Duties of Under Secretary of the Navy

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Naval Force Design Is Not a Bottom-Up Process

By Dr. Steven Wills

Maritime Employment of Canine Teams

By LTC (ret.) Richard Vargus, PhD

US Forces Help Ships Leave Hormuz With Quiet Project Freedom

By Dr. Steven Wills

The Tiltrotor Advantage and the Evolution of the Joint Force

By Maj. Gen. Malcolm B. Frost, U.S. Army (Ret.), Maj. Gen. Andrew W. O’Donnell, Jr., USMC (Ret.)

Blue-water Navies: South Korea Becoming a Responsible Stakeholder

By Nazia Kazi

Autonomy to rule the seas? Retired admiral provides analysis

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

US says it’s hunting for explosive mines in latest push to open the Strait of Hormuz

By Dr. Steven Wills

3 US aircraft carriers in Middle East for first time in decades

By Dr. Steven Wills

Trump Administration Pushes Biggest Noncombat Ship Upgrade in Decades

By Hunter Stires

Navy plays deadly game of hide-and-seek with Iranian mines

By Dr. Steven Wills

A Brief History of U.S. Naval Mine Warfare in the Persian Gulf, 1979–Present

By Dr. Steven Wills

U.S. sends thousands more troops to Mideast as Trump seeks to squeeze Iran

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

A War With China Would Look Very Different From One With Iran

By Matthew Reisener

Iran, Stability, and Maritime Security

By Richard B. Levine

Reopening the Strait of Hormuz & Saving Downed Pilots

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

How Trump’s complex operation to extract Iran’s enriched uranium could unfold

By Dr. Steven Wills

Patriot Missile Demand Tests Washington’s Taiwan Priorities

By Matthew Reisener

The Hormuz Crisis and the Case for Reconnecting the Navy and Merchant Marine

By CDR Ander Heiles, USN

How the War in Iran Became a Race to Stabilize the Global Economic Order

By Dr. Steven Wills

How the U.S. Navy Can Clear the Strait of Hormuz

By Dr. Steven Wills

The Fleet in Being in the 21st Century: A Book Review

By Michael D. Purzycki

A Case for Airborne Mine Warfare

By Mike Stevens

Sea mines and small boats: Iran’s new plan for the Strait of Hormuz

By Dr. Steven Wills

USS George H.W. Bush completes pre-deployment exercise

By Hunter Stires

Silent Service, Silent Death…

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Dr. Steven Wills

Truman to Trump: The Call “Where Are the Carriers” Still Sounds

By Dr. Steven Wills

Does the US have enough aircraft carriers for all Trump’s wars?

By Hunter Stires

What the Frigate? Why the US Navy needs a new boat

By Dr. Steven Wills

Meeting the MARAD Administrator | The Honorable Stephen Carmel

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Dr. Steven Wills

The Middle East Is Now a Live-Fire Test of American Maritime Deterrence

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Taiwan’s Concerning MDA Gap facing China’s Gray Zone

By Kitsch Liao, Fu S. Mei

“They Were Playing Chicken”—The U.S. Asiatic Fleet’s Gray-Zone Deterrence Campaign against Japan, 1937–40

By Hunter Stires

Failure to Launch: How Political Backpedaling Could Hand China the Carrier Edge

By Ethan Connell, Jonathan Walberg

China calls Trump battleship ‘easier target’ amid mixed US reception

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Solving the Navy’s Frigate Problem: The Case for Bold, Persistent Experimentation

By Michael Purzycki

Atlantic Council launches Revitalizing US Shipbuilding Task Force to bolster US maritime industrial base

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Dr. Steven Wills

Administration’s New Strategy Points to Larger, More Capable Naval Force

By Dr. Steven Wills

Analyzing the 2025 National Security Strategy

By Matthew Reisener

Maritime America: Sea Power, the Early Republic, and America’s Lost Maritime Strategic Tradition

By Samuel Byers

As the Undersea Grows More Contested, U.S. Navy Subs are the Right Response

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Dr. Steven Wills

In Defense of Aircraft Carriers and a Navy that is Not ‘Broken’

By Dr. Steven Wills

Canine Readiness – A Forgotten Force Multiplier

By LTC (ret.) Richard Vargus, PhD

Harsh criticism from the US for Finland’s icebreaker deal

By Hunter Stires

A New Mississippi Squadron: The Navy’s Need for a Brown-Water Fleet

By Connor Ronka

Does Resurrecting the Navy’s Iconic Battleships Make Sense?

By Dr. Steven Wills

From Ballpark to Battlespace: Applying Moneyball to Fleet Design

By CDR Dan Justice, USN

Frozen Frontiers: The Navy’s Role in Emerging Arctic Sea Lanes

By Ishaan Anand

The Aircraft Carrier Remains Essential to U.S. Joint Warfare

By Dr. Steven Wills

Anchor Acquisition and Force Development on Targeting China’s C4ISR

By Nicholas Weising

More Nuclear Energy, More Maritime Security

By Michael Purzycki

Anchoring NATO’s Northern Flank: Why and How Poland Should Lead in the Baltic

By Cade Acker

America’s Fleet of Ship-to-Shore Connectors: A Looming Crisis

By LTC (ret.) Richard Vargus, PhD

Force Structure and Operational Capabilities

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Dr. Steven Wills

Returning from Ebb Tide: Renewing the United States Commercial Maritime Enterprise

By Dr. Steven Wills, Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Overextended and Overwhelmed: Navigating Dual-Theater Challenges Facing the U.S. Navy

By Ishaan Anand

Drone Revolution, or Prudent Military Action? It’s Important Not to Overstate the Effects of New Technology

By Dr. Steven Wills

Command Ships: Fighting from the Maritime Operations Center Afloat

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Dr. Steven Wills

Time to Fix the Navy’s Frigate Problem

By Dr. Steven Wills

The Department of the Navy’s Science and Technology Board Accelerates the Journey to Achieve a “Hybrid Fleet”

By George Galdorisi

Keeping USMC H-1s Ready and Relevant for Today’s Crisis Management Response

By Allen Grinalds

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the Navy’s Surface Fleet

By Dr. Steven Wills

Joint Force Design is still a Service-Centric Mission

By Dr. Steven Wills

The American Shipbuilding Renaissance Goes to War

By Dr. Steven Wills

Remember the Indianapolis: The CMV-22B Osprey as the Centerpiece of Modern Naval CSAR

By Tom King

European Navies Remain Capable

By Rear Admiral (Ret.) Hilaire Ducellier, FN

Energy Resilience at Sea: Navigating Sustainable Innovations Amidst Policy Shifts

By Ishaan Anand

Unmanned Surface Vessels Can Support Troops on the Beach

By George Galdorisi

What we know about Russia’s new weapons after missile strike on Ukraine

By Dr. Steven Wills

Sustaining the Distributed Joint Force in the Indo-Pacific

By Nolan Vihlen

Infantry Wins Battles, Logistics Wins Wars: The Role of the Army’s “Little Navy” in the Pacific

By Mike Daum

Limitations of German Maritime Security and Defense on NATO’s Eastern Front

By Ewa A. Andryjalowicz

Assessing the 2024 Navigation Plan

By CMS Editorial Board

A World Without Carriers?

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

The Navy has a Readiness Problem; Here are Solutions to Consider

By Dr. Steven Wills

Fleets verses Forts, A Perennial Challenge

By Dr. Steven Wills

The Need for Speed

The CMV-22 OSPREY: A Game-Changer for Today’s COD and Tomorrow’s Contested Combat Logistics Support 

Maritime Strategy for a 21st Century Navy

By Samuel Byers

Aircraft Carrier Math Is No Conundrum

By Dr. Steven Wills

Wargaming War in the Western Pacific

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

A Nuclear Sea-Launched Cruise Missile Sooner, Rather than Later

By Eli Glickman

Use the Defense Production Act to Jump-start Navy Munitions Production

By Samuel Byers

Sweden as an Ally: Implications for the Royal Swedish Navy and NATO

By Gonzalo Vazquez

Air Force Struggles with Next-Generation ICBM

By Dr. Steven Wills

Staying Afloat: Why America Needs the Jones Act to Compete with China and What to Do Next

By Michael Roberts

Carrier Cooperation: Expanding NATO’s Strength at Sea

By Michael Purzycki

Securing the Commercial Maritime Industry

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

The Clear Case Today for Globalization Preserving National Security: Part 2

By John D. McCown

Littoral Naval Operations: Australia’s Experiences

The RMS Aquitania and the Enduring Importance of Military Sealift Capabilities

By Gonzalo Vazquez

A Common Hull for New Navy Auxiliaries: The National Security Multi-Mission Vessel

By Dr. Steven Wills

Breaking Down the Defense Budget

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Lessons for the U.S. Navy from the Sinking of Russian Ship by Surface Drones

By Dr. Steven Wills

Trans-Atlantic Security in Baltic II: New Polish Government with Changes in the NATO Eastern Flank

By Ewa A. Andryjalowicz

Special Episode: The Future of the Surface Navy

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Part II: Huzzah! There is a New Frigate on the Horizon

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

U.S. Maritime Priorities for a New Era of Competition

By Ambassador Robert C. O’Brien (ret.)

How does a 1980s Video Game inform Uncrewed Surface Warfare Systems?

By Dr. Steven Wills

Uncharted waters: Navy navigating first-ever dismantling of nuclear-powered carrier

By Dr. Steven Wills

Our Naval Neighbor to the North: A Conversation with the 38th Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy Vice Admiral Angus Topshee

By Dr. Steven Wills

More Combat Logistics Force Ships? Yes Please!

By Dr. James Holmes

The Osprey COD Aircraft: Versatile Logistics for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps

By Richard R. Burgess

“Zeitenwende” at Sea?: The German Navy’s Purchase of SeaRAMs and Bolstering Security in the Baltic Sea

By Dr. Sebastian Bruns

NATO’s Standing Naval Forces at the Crossroads: Towards Regionalization and Specialization?

By Gonzalo Vazquez

Bolstering Deterrence in the Indo-Pacific through Long Range Fires

By CDR Josh “Minkus” Portzer

Huge U.S. Naval Force off Israel comes with Costs

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Dr. Steven Wills

Unmanned Vessels as Sensors in U.S. Naval Operations

By Jonathan Panter

Where’s the Nearest Carrier?

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

The Swedish Navy brings Capable Forces to NATO 

By Dr. Steven Wills

Transatlantic Security in Baltic: How Realistic is Poland’s Concept of protecting NATO’s Eastern Flank against Russian Aggression?

By Ewa A. Andryjalowicz

To succeed against China, Washington and Its Allies must be in the South China Sea

By Gonzalo Vázquez

Legitimate Questions about the U.S. Navy’s Struggle to change

By Dr. Steven Wills

The United States Navy needs An Operational Level of War Strategy to inform Fleet Design

By Dr. Steven Wills

Roadblock to Strategy and Fleet Design: Platform-Centric Thinking

By Robert C. “Barney” Rubel

Navy, Marine Corps test warfighting concepts

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Tending to a Distributed Maritime Operation: The Ongoing Need for More Navy Tenders

By Dr. Steven Wills

Quo Vadis: The Commission on the Future of the Navy

By Dr. Steven Wills

Achieving More with Less: The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet Bets on Unmanned Vehicles and AI Systems to Bolster Maritime Domain Awareness

By Leonardo Jacopo Maria Mazzucco

U.S. Air Technology in the Baltic can help Allies create a “Lake of NATO”

By Michael D. Purzycki

Navy seeks to offer virtual training to more of the fleet

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Inside the Navy’s largest exercise: In command and under pressure

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Lessons from the Anglo-German Arms Race for the United States Navy

By Eamonn Bellin

Too Soon to Call: Betting against Warship Retirement

By Anna Matilde Bassoli

Global Warfighting Simulation Puts the Pressure on Navy, Marine Corps

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Ukraine Offers Plan to Bypass Russia’s Black Sea Blockade

By Thea Dunlevie

Adapting to a New Strategic Environment: The Royal Australian Navy and Australia’s 2023 Strategic Defense Review

By Gonzalo Vázquez

World War II’s Coral Sea and Midway Battles say the Modern U.S. Navy needs more Tactical Aircraft

By Dr. Steven Wills

Building the Coast Guard of the Future

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

The Changing Characteristics of War in Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD): Generating “Panopticon and Blunt Effects” in Japan’s Maritime Zones

By MAJ Young K. Youn

The Enemy Below: Fighting against Russia’s Hybrid Underwater Warfare

By Hotaka Nakamura

Military Sealift Command can “Rule the Waves”

By Dr. Steven Wills

Washington Must Carefully Establish Standing Indo-Pacific Maritime Group

By Andrew I. Park, LT Morgan Thomas

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) Delivers at Sea

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Running Ahead of the Rust: The Dangers of Extending Warship Service Lives

By Dr. Steven Wills

AUKUS: Strength, Silence, Surprise

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Going Asymmetric: How Ukraine is Keeping Russia at Bay in the Black Sea

By Charles Rahr

Should the EU learn from NATO’s Standing Naval Forces Model?

By Gonzalo Vázquez 

The Silent Bridge and Empty Control Room: An Update on Unmanned Warfare above and below the Waves

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Washington Must Break China’s New Normal in the Taiwan Strait

By Andrew I. Park

Army Munitions Operations in Maritime Environments

By Michael Lima, D.B.A.

The Unmanned Task Force Moves South

By Dr. Steven Wills

Why Warships Grow in Size

By Dr. Steven Wills

Misaligned by Design: Structuring the U.S. Navy Post-Cold War

By Benjamin E. Mainardi

And the D’s Just Keep on Coming!

By Captain (ret.) R. Robinson Harris

Don’t Fix the Frigate: FFG-62 class is Fine without SM-6 and Tomahawk

By Dr. Steven Wills

What to Watch 2023: Three Things the Next CNO Should Know

By Dr. Steven Wills

Back to the Future: Resurrecting ‘Air/Sea Battle’ in the Pacific

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Dr. Steven Wills

What to Watch 2023: A Growing Navy, If You Can Keep It…

By Benjamin E. Mainardi

New year, new Navy goal: SWO boss wants 75 ships ready daily

By Dr. Steven Wills

Navy Shipyard Optimization Must Have A Digital Backbone

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Maritime COIN and Integrated Deterrence

By Hunter Stires

America Does Not Sail Alone: Pacific Allied and Partner Fleets Are Part of the Equation

By Benjamin E. Mainardi

The Land Down Under the Sea: AUKUS is About Submarines, Not Bombers

By Dr. Steven Wills, Andrew I. Park

There is no Panacea, Competition with China Occurs in Peace and War

By Benjamin E. Mainardi

Big Mismatch Between the Biden Administration’s New Defense Plan and an Underfunded U.S. Navy

By Dr. Steven Wills

The Administration’s National Defense Strategy Hinges on the Navy

By Benjamin E. Mainardi

The Navy and the New NDS: Opportunities and Challenges

By Dr. Steven Wills

From the Editor, Journal of Advanced Military Studies (Fall 2022) – Conflict on the Seas

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

An 11 Carrier Navy in a 20 Carrier World?

By Dr. Steven Wills

Welcome Aboard to the USS Constellation

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

The Navy is a Deployment Machine

By Dr. Steven Wills

NAVPLAN 2022: Laying the Groundwork for the Future Force

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Dr. Steven Wills

Time to Update the Salvo Equations

By Dr. Steven Wills

A Lesson in Force Design on a Tight Budget from Jackie Fisher

By Dr. Steven Wills

The last thing the Navy needs is another congressional panel

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Inside the US military’s modern ‘island hopping’ campaign to take on China

By Dr. Steven Wills

The 30-Year Shipbuilding Program is Not Enough

By Dr. Steven Wills

US 6th Fleet flagship slated for decommissioning in 2026

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

The Navy’s Seven Operational Imperatives for This Decade

By Dr. Steven Wills

Sea Services Reach Tipping Point in Maintaining Readiness While Recapitalizing Forces

By Dr. Steven Wills

How to lose the next war: Ignore the supply chain 

By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Littoral Combat Ships for Maritime COIN

By Hunter Stires

Sea Control 197 – Naval Great Power Competition with Dr. Joshua Tallis and Hunter Stires

By Hunter Stires

Win Without Fighting

By Hunter Stires

“They Were Playing Chicken”—The U.S. Asiatic Fleet’s Gray-Zone Deterrence Campaign against Japan, 1937–40

By Hunter Stires

Episode 399: The Asiatic Fleet of 1941 and its Lessons of Today

By Hunter Stires

Exclusive: CNO Announces the Return of Vertical Launch System At-Sea Reloading

By Hunter Stires

Perrys to the Rescue: Could the U.S. Navy’s Retired Frigates Make a Comeback?

By Hunter Stires

1941 Asiatic Fleet Offers Strategic Lessons

By Hunter Stires