Coast Guard Focus
The August Proceedings is our Coast Guard-focused issue, and the smallest of the three U.S. Sea Services punches above its weight in Naval Institute membership and in our pages. The past year certainly has been demanding for the Coast Guard—weathering the government shutdown in January; preparing to build Polar Security Cutters; and guarding the nation’s maritime borders are just a few of the top milestones and missions. Of note, the most read online Proceedings pieces of all time were the two January op-eds by former Coast Guard Commandants Thad Allen and Paul Zukunft on the impact to Coast Guard men and women of the government shutdown. I suspect their comments helped resolve that crisis. Next month we look forward to our fifth annual conference at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy on 12 September. General John Kelly, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired) and former Secretary of Homeland Security, will share leadership lessons with the Corps of Cadets. The conversation will be moderated by retired Admiral Thad Allen.
Congratulations Essay Contest Winners!
We’ve just completed a busy time for essay contest judging, and I’m pleased to announce the following winners. In the annual Coast Guard Essay Contest, first prize goes to Commander Craig Allen, USCG; second prize was won by Lieutenant Noah Miller, USCG; and Lieutenant Commander Stuart Ambrose, USCG, took third prize. All three essays are in this issue.
This year’s Enlisted Prize Essay Contest had a record-breaking 209 entries—more than twice last year’s number. Navy Intelligence Specialist First Class John Minor took first prize. Second prize went to Navy Cryptologic Technician–Maintenance Second Class Tyler Cerka. And Sergeant Daniel Hill, USMC, won third prize. Petty Officer Minor’s essay is the “Deckplates” article in this issue.
In the third annual CNO Naval History Essay Contest, the professional historian winners are: first and third prizes—Commander Joel Holwitt, USN; second prize—Salvatore Mercogliano, PhD. The rising historian winners are: first prize—Lieutenant Commander Jeff Vandenengel, USN; second prize—Lieutenant Commander Ryan Hilger, USN; and third prize—Lieutenant Philip Mayer, JAGC, USN. The winners were recognized by CNO Admiral John Richardson at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy on 17 July. Special thanks to General Dynamics for providing the prize support for this contest.
Finally, the winners of this year’s Mine Warfare Essay Contest, sponsored by the Mine Warfare Association, are: Lieutenant John Miller, USN; Commander Matthew Ivey, JAGC, USN; and Lieutenant Joshua McCauley, USN. Lieutenant Miller’s winning essay is in this issue.
Naval Institute Press
Historic naval ship fans will want to buy a copy of our new coffee-table book Bismarck: A Design and Operational History. Veteran naval architects and historians William H. Garzke, Jr., Robert O. Dulin, Jr., and William J. Jurens, with an assist from filmmaker James Cameron, who provided underwater photography of the wreck, have produced a fresh and engrossing account of its ill-fated sortie in May 1941. You can find this and other award-winning books from the Naval Institute Press here.
I’m thrilled to announce that the Naval Institute Press’s Tom Cutler just received the 2019 Naval War College Distinguished Fleet Professor Award. This award follows his selection by the Naval Historical Foundation in 2015 as a Dudley W. Knox Naval History Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and selection as the Institute’s Gordon England Chair of Professional Naval Literature in 2016, making Tom, a retired naval officer and lifetime member of the Institute, as close as one individual could be to personifying the U.S. Naval Institute’s mission.
Membership
The Naval Institute’s independent forum generates impact through the power of ideas. As members of the Naval Institute, your voice is what makes the open, independent, and non-partisan forum effective. You are the thought leaders, decision makers, and influencers who lead the debate that advances our profession. Keep your membership current and spread the word on the value of this important forum to your friends and colleagues.
Peter H. Daly
VADM, USN (Ret.)
Life Member and Member since 1978