Seaplane cartoon

Splash Twelve

2022 Naval Institute-CIMSEC Fiction Contest 3rd Prize Winner. A U.S. Navy convoy comes under attack in the South China Sea, and a squadron of seaplane fighters strikes back.

November 2022
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)

Exit Music

2022 Naval Institute-CIMSEC Fiction Contest Winner—Second Prize. In a future second Battle of Leyte Gulf, an Artificial Intelligence commander orders the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to take almost ...

Ben Plotkin
November 2022
AI generated image

Bulldogs Away

2022 Naval Institute-CIMSEC Fiction Contest Winner—First Prize. New USN missile boats desperately try to engage approaching Chinese landing forces.

Ralph G. Francisco
November 2022
Imagine a future where former military hunt illicit trade on the high seas.

Letter of Marque

This is the third-place winner of the Fiction Essay Contest. A contracted British special operations team uses AI and other technology from a merchant ship to interdict contraband at sea.

Hal Wilson
December 2020
A pair of genetically enhanced operators deal with war and its aftermath.

Black September

This is the second-prize winner of the 2020 Fiction Essay Contest. A pair of genetically enhanced operators deal with war and its aftermath.

Michael Barretta
December 2020
After intelligence discovered China’s plan for aggression against Taiwan, U.S. diplomacy coopted regional nations to mount a unified front in isolating Beijing.

The War that Never Was: Part Two

Proceedings recently asked several frequent contributors how the next conflict might start. This third essay presents an alternative scenario to the first in the series.

September 2020
Given the likely involvement of both civilian and naval vessels and attempts by all sides to shape the narrative, details on any future skirmish in the Asia-Pacific region may be difficult to discern. Shutterstock

The World Wonders

Proceedings asked several frequent contributors how the next conflict might start. This is the second in that series.

September 2020
Information warfare can inspire armed conflict.

The Information Game

An information operation inspires an Islamist uprising against a prison camp in Xinjiang province, China, and against Chinese interests elsewhere.

Major Brian Kerg, U.S. Marine Corps
September 2020