NWC INS Lecture Series -- Lecture 5: "China’s Navy + Zombies," Oct. 27, 2020.
Channel: U.S. Naval War College
Date: 2020-10-28

The U.S. Naval War College is pleased to host the fifth lecture in this academic year's "Issues in National Security" lecture series Tuesday, October 27, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Join Professor Jim Holmes who will speak about "China’s Navy + Zombies."

From Professor Holmes: Every election year undead myths about how to calculate the power of the U.S. Navy go shambling around. Politicians point to budgets, or tonnage, or numbers of hulls and airframes as though a single measure of U.S. naval power reveals how much sea power is enough. It does not. The lecture takes aim at these zombies of U.S. maritime strategy before turning to the map of the Pacific to show why it is so hard for the U.S. sea services to overpower a rival great power in its own backyard.

James Holmes holds the J. C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy at the Naval War College and served on the faculty of the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs. A former U.S. Navy surface-warfare officer, he was the last gunnery officer in history to fire a battleship’s big guns in anger, during the first Gulf War in 1991. He earned the Naval War College Foundation Award in 1994, signifying the top graduate in his class. His books include Red Star over the Pacific, an Atlantic Monthly Best Book of 2010 and a fixture on the Navy Professional Reading List. General James Mattis deems him “troublesome.”

Immediately following the lecture, Eugenie Genereux will discuss Humana Healthcare’s “open enrollment” program, and LT Jonathan Murphy from the Naval Health Clinic’s Mental Health Department will discuss their “Mindfulness” program and facilitate a brief mindfulness activity.

The Family Discussion Group follows the formal lectures in order to provide information to the community on specific programs and services available here in Newport.

About the Lecture Series

The Issues in National Security (INS ) lectures are specifically designed to offer scholarly lectures to the spouses, partners and significant others of our students; military/civilian employees assigned to the Naval War College and Naval Station Newport and its tenant activities; NWC Foundation members; and local-area retirees or active/reserve personnel.

Participation is voluntary and neither reading nor writing assignments are required. In previous years these lectures were presented live in Pringle Auditorium. Due to the current COVID-19 situation, these lectures will be conducted on-line using Zoom. In-person lectures may be reinstated when conditions allow.

Lectures will he held approximately every other week on Tuesday afternoons from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. followed by a 30-minute Family Discussion Group meeting.

18 lectures will be offered from September 2020 through May 2021. No formal academic credit will be awarded. Participants who complete at least 60% of the offered lectures will receive a Certificate of Participation at the end of the series.