Proceedings Editor-in-Chief Bill Hamblet standing at a podium

From the Editor’s Desk

By Captain Bill Hamblet, U.S. Navy (Retired), Editor-in-Chief, Proceedings
September 2019
This year’s aviation-focused Proceedings centers on the 50th anniversary of the Navy Fighter Weapons School—or TOPGUN.
Proceedings - September 1994 Vol. 120/9/1,099 Cover

Where We Were

By A. Denis Clift
September 2019
The design of seaplanes in 1919, the shape of the fleet in 1969, and the aftermath of 1991's Tailhook scandal.
Stalingrad Book Cover

CEO Notes

By Vice Admiral Peter H. Daly, U.S. Navy (Retired), CEO and Publisher
September 2019
We are excited to put shovels in the ground on a project that has been years in the planning—the Jack C. Taylor Conference Center.
USS Macon (ZRS-5), is shown in flight over lower New York City

From Our Archive

September 2019
One of the U.S. Navy’s largest and most famous rigid airships, the USS Macon (ZRS-5), is shown in flight over lower New York City on 9 October 1933.
Graphic of a globe surrounded by social media posts

Loose Lips Could Save Ships

By Lieutenant Joe Hanacek, U.S. Navy
September 2019
The spilling of any secret is not so much a matter of if as it is when. Critical information can hide in plain sight amid a storm of misinformation.
Four Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) F-5s cruise above Southern California on the way to an early morning showdown with some F-14 Tomcats.

TOPGUN Turns 50

September 2019
The Navy Fighter Weapons School story—told here in five articles by TOPGUN graduates—is one of innovation, hard work, and dedication.
TOPGUN staff in front of a two-seat F-16N at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada

Junior Officers: TOPGUN’s Foundation

By Captain Kevin “Proton” McLaughlin and Lieutenant Commander Graham “Heed” Scarbro, U.S. Navy
September 2019
The junior officers who comprise the TOPGUN staff remain its heart and engine in the half-century since it was first stood up.
Three U.S. Navy F-5 Tiger II adversary aircraft in flight

TOPGUN’s Impact

By Commander Christopher “Pops” Papaioanu, U.S. Navy, and Mr. Brad Elward
September 2019
From 1969 to 2019, TOPGUN has remained laser focused on naval aviation’s mission.
A Navy F-5 in afterburner at sunset

TOPGUN’s Next Challenge

By Captain Thomas “Jethro” Bodine, U.S. Navy
September 2019
A TOPGUN-style introspective is warranted to uncover the enduring “goods” while highlighting a mounting challenge for naval aviation.
Two F-14 Tomcats on the deck of the USS Midway (CV-41)

Tomcats on Midway

By Senior Chief Petty Officer Robert Stuart, U.S. Naval Reserve (Retired)
September 2019
Though the old carrier could not support regular operation of the large and heavy F-14, two Tomcats did land on the USS Midway (CV-41) in 1982.
Royal Norwegian Navy frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen (F 311), USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) and USS Gravely (DDG 107) transit the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) while conducting its composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX)

Rebuild Allied Maritime Interoperability

By Vice Admiral Bruce H. Lindsey, U.S. Navy; Commodore Thomas J. Guy, Royal Navy; Commander Joerg Maier, German Navy; and Commander Joshua M. Heivly, U.S. Navy
September 2019
NATO and the United States must do more to improve Alliance integration and interoperability.
Port bow view of the French nuclear-powered attack submarine Suffren on the builder's ways

Combat Fleets

By Eric Wertheim
September 2019
France launched a new SSN, Germany announced plans for a new type of replenishment tanker, and the RFA Tideforce entered service in July.

The U.S. Naval Institute is a private, self-supporting, not-for-profit professional society that publishes Proceedings as part of the open forum it maintains for the Sea Services. The Naval Institute is not an agency of the U.S. government; the opinions expressed in these pages are the personal views of the authors.

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