Naval Institute Press

Blending history, strategy, and policy, this analysis presents a comprehensive U.S. approach to countering the coordinated threat posed by China, Russia, and Iran. It outlines how America can exploit their shared weaknesses and secure strategic dominance across Eurasia through military preparedness, alliance-building, and coherent grand strategy. This innovative work fundamentally redefines how the United States should approach grand strategy when confronting the “New Axis” of China, Russia, and Iran by revealing their critical weaknesses—internal pressures, lack of cohesive coordination, and short-term thinking—and presenting a unique opportunity for America to turn the tide. Authors Seth Cropsey and Harry Halem meticulously explain why Eurasia, the world’s largest landmass and historically the epicenter of power, remains strategically paramount. Structured into four compelling sections, Breaking the New Axis guides readers through the intricacies of geopolitics, strategy, and large-scale combat: exploring Eurasian strategic thought, dissecting threats from revisionist powers, examining defense technology's role, and demanding U.S. strategic coherence. The book offers actionable solutions, with a detailed roadmap for preparing the United States to deter and, if necessary, win a Eurasian-wide war: revitalizing the defense industrial base, reorganizing command-and-control for combat, leveraging strategic intelligence, and strengthening alliances across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Engaging, deeply insightful, and unequivocally urgent, Breaking the New Axis is an indispensable read for policymakers, strategists, and anyone invested in global stability.

This first biography of Adm. Raymond A. Spruance in over fifty years offers a compelling portrait of the quiet strategist behind key U.S. victories in the Pacific War. Drawing on rich archival material, it highlights Spruance’s sharp intellect, decisive leadership, and lasting influence on naval warfare from World War II to the Cold War. Wielding the Trident is the first biography of Adm. Raymond A. Spruance in more than fifty years, offering a fresh look at one of the most brilliant naval commanders of the Pacific War. Drawing on extensive archival research, original sources, and recent scholarship, author Andrew K. Blackley brings the admiral's extraordinary career to vivid life. The trident, central to the U.S. Naval Academy’s motto, Ex Scientia Tridens (From Knowledge, Seapower), symbolizes Spruance’s unparalleled intelligence and command of naval power. Admiral Spruance was a consummate thinker and strategist, wielding the trident of naval airpower, warships, and amphibious forces with unmatched skill. Known as the “electric brain” for his sharp intellect, Spruance was hailed as the victor of the Battle of Midway and led the Fifth Fleet to decisive victories in the Marshall Islands, Marianas, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa—campaigns that paved the way for Japan’s defeat. His philosophy of warfighting— “violent, overwhelming force, swiftly applied”—ensured that the Japanese never vanquished him. Spruance’s approach to command was methodical and calculated. While others saw gambling as a necessary trait for a commander, he took risks only when the odds were heavily in his favor, stacking them through careful planning and analysis. Despite his monumental achievements, the admiral shunned fame, finding satisfaction in knowing he had done his best to secure victory. This sense of humility has left his legacy overshadowed by contemporaries like Adm. Chester W. Nimitz and Adm. William F. Halsey Jr. In this biography, Andrew Blackley shifts the spotlight back to Spruance, showcasing his decisive impact on the Pacific War. Blackley provides more than a World War II narrative centered on an important naval leader and his key campaigns. He offers insight into Spruance’s life before the war as he climbed the “fleet ladder” and served multiple tours at the Naval War College. While there, Spruance focused his keen analytic mind on the problems of naval strategy for a war against Japan in the Pacific. Following the war, Spruance transitioned to president of the Naval War College, where he initiated studies that gleaned insights from World War II and established conceptual thinking about a war at sea against an emerging competitor—the Soviet Union.

This richly illustrated volume explores the F8U Crusader’s storied role in Cold War and Vietnam-era naval aviation, from setting speed records to earning its reputation as the “Last of the Gunfighters.” With unmatched dogfighting performance and a legacy spanning over four decades, the Crusader remains a standout in the history of carrier-based aircraft. Building upon the expertise of the authors and historians of the Naval Institute Press, the Naval History Special Editions are designed to offer studies of the key vessels, battles, and events of armed conflict. Using an image-heavy format, these Special Editions should appeal to scholars, enthusiasts, and general readers alike. From its first flight in 1955, the F8U Crusader proved to be an extraordinary aircraft, establishing a renowned fighter legacy for naval aviation. Building on its success with the F4U Corsair, aviator pioneer Chance Vought brought the Navy into the supersonic age with the Crusader, the first carrier-based fighter to exceed 1,000 mph in level flight. The Crusader earned the Navy its first Thompson Trophy for military aircraft speed and won the Collier Trophy for its innovative carrier suitability features. In 1957 future astronaut John Glenn set a new intercontinental speed record in an F8U-1P, flying from California to New York in just 3 hours and 23 minutes. At a time when guns were being replaced by missiles, Vought designers retained an integrated aircraft cannon, solidifying the Crusader’s reputation as the “Last of the Gunfighters” and earning the loyalty of its pilots. The contribution of the Crusader to U.S. Cold War operations was substantial. The F8U-1P photoreconnaissance variant, the longest-serving Crusader model, debuted operationally during the Cuban Missile Crisis, providing irrefutable low-level imagery of Soviet activity. During the Vietnam War, Crusader pilots achieved an enviable 6-to-1 kill ratio, outperforming both Air Force and Navy F-4 Phantom pilots—a testament to the aircraft’s maneuverability and the dogfighting ethos of the Crusader’s pilot community. The Crusader retired from U.S. Navy service in 1987, but its legacy endured as it continued to serve with the Philippine Air Force and the French Navy until 1999, forty-four years after its first flight. Author Ernest Snowden, a former naval aviator, provides an in-depth look at the design and operational history of this iconic aircraft, making this book a must-read for air combat history enthusiasts.