Legal Insurrection readers may recall the firestorm of controversy over the defense by two senior U.S. military officers of the teaching of Critical Race Theory to service members, including putting volumes like Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be An Antiracist on recommended reading lists.
Quietly, Kendi’s atrocity and other woke books have been removed from the US Navy’s recommended reading list.
The Navy’s Professional Reading Program list for 2022 comprises a dozen books mainly focusing on the Navy and military strategy.Among the books on this year’s list are ‘A Brief Guide to Maritime Strategy’ by James Holmes, ‘China as a 21st Century Naval Power’ by Michael A. McDevitt and ‘Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War.’That is a marked difference from last year’s list of nearly 50 books, which included the controversial critical race theory tome ‘How to Be an Antiracist’ by Ibram X Kendi, as well as ‘Sexual Minorities and Politics: An Introduction’ by Jason Pierceson and ‘The New Jim Crow’ by Michelle Alexander.Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Gilday said in a statement that he chose the new books because ‘a learning mindset is essential to accelerating our warfighting advantage.”A Navy that learns, adapts and improves the fastest will be the most successful,’ he noted, adding that ‘we must foster an organization that supports and empowers Sailors to have an independent quest for knowledge through reading and information sharing.’What you know and how fast you learn is relevant in this era of strategic competition.
Could this be in response to the public outrage? Could this be a sign that Republicans are likely to be back in charge soon? Could this be a signal that tensions between this country and Russia (and/or China) will be increasing substantially soon?
It is hard to say. However, it is the first positive development related to the nation’s military that we have reported in some time.
Gilday said the goal of the program is to foster the continued education and growth – both personal and professional – of sailors.”We are driving a fleet-wide campaign of self-improvement,” Gilday said in a statement published Friday. “We must foster an organization that supports and empowers Sailors to have an independent quest for knowledge through reading and information sharing. What you know and how fast you learn is relevant in this era of strategic competition.”Friday’s updated reading list includes the following titles:
- “To Rule the Waves” by Bruce Jones
- “A Brief Guide to Maritime Strategy” by James Holmes
- “China as a 21st Century Naval Power” by Michael. A. McDevitt
- “Not One Inch” by Mary E. Sarotte
- “The Sailor’s Bookshelf: Fifty Books to Know the Sea” by Admiral James G. Stavridis
- “Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War” by Paul Scharre
- “Fortune Favors Boldness” by Barry Costello
- “The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy’s Finest Hour” by James Hornfischer
- “World War II at Sea: A Global History” by Craig Symonds
- “Ashley’s War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield” by Gayle T. Lemmon
- “Dare to Lead” by Brene Brown
- “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Carol Dweck
It’s probably a good idea for the Navy to focus on battle strategies, given that the 2nd Fleet has surged forces to the North Atlantic between January and April.
The short-notice deployment was the first time 2nd Fleet has had command-and-control of forces in Europe outside of an exercise and it demonstrated the fleet’s flexibility and responsiveness, fleet commander Vice Adm. Daniel Dwyer told reporters on April 29.Second Fleet was reestablished in 2018 in response to increasing Russian naval activity in the North Atlantic, but Dwyer avoided linking the deployment to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.Asked whether the surge was connected to Russian military activity, Dwyer would only say that it demonstrated the US’s ability to “surge certified, ready naval forces” — as in, deploying ships whose crews are fully trained ahead of an anticipated departure date — and its commitment to the defense of European allies and partners.
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