News
The Importance of the Battle of Savo Island
4+ hour ago (1686+ words) War on the Rocks When the world's at stake, National security. For insiders. By insiders. Join War on the Rocks and gain access to content trusted by policymakers, military leaders, and strategic thinkers worldwide. The Importance of the Battle of…...
Why the U. S. Navy Doesn't Build Battleships Anymore
3+ mon, 2+ week ago (139+ words) While battleships no longer belong in the U. S. Navy's fleet, they still occupy a powerful place in the political imagination. Understanding why the Navy stopped building them and why calls to revive them persist requires examining both the operational logic that…...
Who Stress-Tests U. S. War Plans?
3+ mon, 2+ week ago (241+ words) Red Teaming's Rise and Fall The result is predictable. With fewer institutional challenges, planners focus intensely on an adversary's actions but neglect their own assumptions. This produces a pattern that analysts keep identifying: plans built on shaky assumptions that haven't…...
NUTS!" " Mc Auliffe's 1944 Christmas Letter
4+ mon, 1+ day ago (314+ words) Editor's Note: In honor of Christmas, we proudly publish the text of Brig. Gen. Anthony Mc Auliffe's 1944 Christmas letter to the U. S. 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne. An image of the letter can be found here. Readthe story behind this famous letter....
Roosevelt's 1941 Labor Day Radio Address
7+ mon, 3+ week ago (1005+ words) Editor's Note: In honor of the Labor Day holiday in the United States, War on the Rocks is publishing a transcript of President Franklin Roosevelt's Labor Day radio address from Sept. 1, 1941." On this day " this American holiday " we are celebrating…...
What to Make of Germany's New Veterans Day
10+ mon, 2+ week ago (778+ words) Join War on the Rocks and gain access to content trusted by policymakers, military leaders, and strategic thinkers worldwide. Two key challenges arise: Can the initiative propel a genuine cultural shift in the world's quintessential post-heroic society? And does raising…...
Anchoring Peace: The Battle of Lake Champlain, the End of the War of 1812, and How Ships That Didn't Sail Shaped America's Destiny
11+ mon, 2+ week ago (1686+ words) Editor's Note: This is part of a new series of essays entitled "Battle Studies," which seeks, through the study of military history, to demonstrate how past lessons about strategy, operations, and tactics apply to current defense challenges. What if the…...