US Naval History Podcast

In this episode of the US Naval History podcast's South China Sea miniseries, we delve into the Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) and China's illegal maritime claims. I dissect the misleading claims made by the China Global Television Network and explore the significance of different maritime features, such as islands, rocks, and low tide elevations, and the rights they grant to countries under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea...

What force wears uniforms, has their boats built by the government, are paid by the government, and attacks an enemy's boats and ships? No...not the Navy. We're talking about China's Maritime Militia in the South China Sea. The maritime militia is inextricably aligned with Xi Jinping's rise to power and assertion of China's "rights" to all of the territory inside of the nine dashed lines...

The South China Sea is home to numerous disputed islands, reefs, and shoals, which have been the subject of territorial claims and military standoffs between China and its neighboring countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Malaysia. In this episode, we will delve into the complex history of the South China Sea conflict, exploring its origins, key events, and the current state of affairs, as well as the geopolitical and economic implications of this ongoing dispute...

This is an breaking news podcast episode giving my brief thoughts and fears about the news that China will begin to inspect ships in Taiwan Strait. Taiwan says won't cooperate as this would be a major sovereignty violation. This has ling been my feared most-likely scenario for the beginnings of a US/China hot war over the Taiwan Strait...

In  this episode I talk with Rear Admiral Terry McKnight about his time combating Somali piracy off the Gulf of Aden. Admiral McKnight was the first commander of CTF 151, the multinational naval task force set up to combat the threat of piracy for the first time since almost two centuries. We talk about the causes of piracy in Somalia, the strategies used to combat it, international politics surrounding the effort, a few spectacular heists, and new emerging pirate threats around the world...

I have gotten a few questions which amount to "what will happen if China invades Taiwan?" and this is my attempt at an answer. It's obviously a lot of guesswork, but I think that it is fair to say that a massive worldwide economic and geopolitical upheaval is likely. Supply chains will be massively disrupted and a deep recession or even Great Depression 2.0 are likely outcomes...

In this episode I talk with Ian W. Toll, one of if not the best American naval historian, about the road to war decision making by Japanese leaders, the lessons learned and how they were applied by US and Japanese naval leaders during the war, and the strategic calculus of Japanese, American, and Soviet governments in the final year of the war...

In  this episode I talk with Professor David Silbey about the strategic rationale behind the Spanish American War, the Philippine Insurgency and the anti-guerrilla tactics the army honed on the frontier against Native Americans to fight the insurgency, and the boxer Rebellion in China...

In this episode I talk with historian Eric Jay Dolin about his research on the first decades of America's relationship with China as a new nation. It is the story of global markets, exploration, desperation, drugs, and war which set against the course of America's rise and China's decline in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, setting the stage for this third season of the US Naval History Podcast...

This is a very fun crossover episode with Because Language (give them a listen!) where we talk and joke about the many expressions we use come from the nautical domain. But are they nautical? Are they really?

Somewhat different than the usual episode, but we cover a lot of interesting history, from Vikings, to historical punishments at sea, trade, pirates, and a whole lot more! 

Email me at: ⁠usnavalhistorypodcast@gmail...