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James Holmes

James Holmes

Foreign Policy

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The Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine

The Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine

The shade of Theodore Roosevelt is grinning. President Donald Trump has been holding forth about matters of geopolitical import. Some of his remarks...

24.01.2025 6

The National Interest

James Holmes

The Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine

The Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
21.01.2025 7

The National Interest

James Holmes

Don't Obsess Over 2027 on China

Numerology is a potent force in human affairs. So is a deadline—especially when it’s clear fateful consequences will come to pass once the cutoff...

06.01.2025 7

The National Interest

James Holmes

U.S. Naval Strategy and Fleet Design for the Twenty-First Century

So it appears the congressionally mandated National Commission on the Future of the Navy has commenced work at long last. As Breaking Defense...

21.12.2024 6

The National Interest

James Holmes

Why the U.S. Navy Must Fight Rust as Hard as Rivals

Pop quiz: look at this photograph of USS Green Bay (LPD 20), one of the U.S. Navy’s premier amphibious transports, making port in Pearl Harbor late...

10.12.2024 20

The National Interest

James Holmes

America Must Get Its Mind Right to Defeat China

The War of 1812 is a mindbender among naval wars. Seldom does a society mistake defeat for victory and codify the loser strategy as the playbook...

01.12.2024 4

The National Interest

James Holmes

China's Maritime Moves in South America: A Wake-Up Call for U.S. Leadership

Donald Trump Should Look South to Compete with China: China is still Mahanian. Twenty-one years ago I closed out my very first hefty journal...

18.11.2024 2

The National Interest

James Holmes

How Donald Trump Should Take on China: A Real Pivot to Asia

To Take On China, Trump Should Pivot to Asia - For Real: When he returns to the Oval Office come January, Donald Trump will inherit a very...

15.11.2024 4

The National Interest

James Holmes

5 Ways Japan Could Have Won World War II

What You Need to Know: Japan faced insurmountable odds in WWII against the U.S. due to America's industrial and military supremacy. However, Japan...

10.11.2024 3

The National Interest

James Holmes

Should Donald Trump Risk the U.S. Navy in a War Against China?

When should you hazard pricey, hard-to-replace capital ships in battle? That question has vexed wartime naval commanders as long as there have been...

07.11.2024 3

The National Interest

James Holmes

The U.S. Navy Could Soon Get Patriot Missiles

Last week Reuters broke newish news on a development years in the making. Namely, the U.S. Navy is experimenting with deploying Army Patriot...

28.10.2024 20

The National Interest

James Holmes

Montana-Class: The U.S. Navy's Great Battleship Mistake?

Montana-class super battleships would have been nice-to-have assets for the U.S. Navy fleet during World War II and beyond. In a world of unbounded...

21.10.2024 4

The National Interest

James Holmes

China Isn't Giving Up on the South China Sea

So I’ve been reading psychologist Philip Tetlock’s treatise on Expert Political Judgment . It’s a nifty piece of work, well worth your time....

16.10.2024 3

The National Interest

James Holmes

Naval History’s Hidden Lesson: The Dangers of Rushed Innovation

Innovation should be purposeful, not whimsical. That’s the message from Naval History and Heritage Command historian Tyler Pitrof’s book Too Far...

07.10.2024 1

The National Interest

James Holmes

5 Ways Japan Could Have Somehow 'Won' World War II

Summary and What You Need to Know: Imperial Japan stood little chance of defeating the United States in World War II due to the vast disparity in...

05.10.2024 3

The National Interest

James Holmes

The U.S. Navy Shouldn't Gloat over China's Submarine Setback

It seems China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy is not omnicompetent after all—sleepless efforts at image management notwithstanding. Last...

30.09.2024 4

The National Interest

James Holmes

The U.S. Navy's Paradigm-Shifting Navigation Plan

Lisa Franchetti is trying to break a paradigm. Admiral Franchetti is the newish chief of naval operations (CNO), or seniormost uniformed U.S. naval...

23.09.2024 4

The National Interest

James Holmes

How to Reboot the U.S. Navy

Troubles in the hallways? Change the culture. Everything a big institution does lies downstream from its culture. Institutions are groups. Culture...

17.09.2024 5

The National Interest

James Holmes

U.S. Navy Iowa-Class Battleships: Could They Really Make a Comeback?

Over at Popular Mechanics , Kyle Mizokami reports on a video clip (see below) posted by Ryan Szimanski, curator of the USS New Jersey Museum and...

12.09.2024 4

The National Interest

James Holmes

Marine Corps Force Design: A Smart U.S. Plan to Counter China

A cheery huzzah! goes out to General Eric Smith, the newish commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. This week Marine Corps headquarters released his...

03.09.2024 2

The National Interest

James Holmes

Lessons Learned: I Was The Last Person to Fire a U.S. Navy Battleship’s 16-Inch Guns

Summary and Key Points: The Iowa-class battleships, built during the 1940s, continue to captivate public interest despite their retirement over...

27.08.2024 2

The National Interest

James Holmes

The Greats Agree: Ukraine's Kursk Offensive Is Strategic Malpractice

Strategic grandmasters would upbraid Ukraine’s leadership for hurling an offensive into the Russian border district of Kursk. Sure, Carl von...

26.08.2024 2

The National Interest

James Holmes

The Navy's Constellation-Class Frigate Problem Has No Easy Fix

The USS Constellation (FFG-62) frigate program is doing little to refurbish the U.S. Navy’s reputation for competence. Intended to deliver a...

21.08.2024 30

The National Interest

James Holmes

The U.S. Navy’s Logistical Challenges: A Threat to Naval Dominance?

The late Professor Michael Handel codified the “principle of continuity,” rebranding the Prussian soldier-scribe Carl von...

12.08.2024 5

The National Interest

James Holmes

Decoding A Naval Fleet: A Simplified Guide to Ship Types

So a young acquaintance asks what kinds of ships there are in a navy. That’s kind of a basic question. You would think it lends itself to a pithy...

07.08.2024 1

The National Interest

James Holmes

Do Europeans Support NATO?

Do Europeans support NATO? They certainly fret a lot about the future of the Atlantic Alliance. To hear them tell it, a return of Donald Trump to...

26.07.2024 1

The National Interest

James Holmes

Could China's Navy Avoid U.S.-Style Fleet Aging Issues?

It has been a rare helter-skelter summer at the Holmes compound somewhere along the shores of the Narragansett Bay. Road trip to State College,...

16.07.2024 1

The National Interest

James Holmes

USS Carney's Epic Deployment: Protecting the Red Sea and Knocking Out Missiles

Summary and Key Points: The USS Carney (DDG-64) recently concluded a significant deployment to the Eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea, conducting 51...

15.07.2024 1

The National Interest

James Holmes