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Mos

Mos

Well-Known Member
None
Leyte said:
On a very unrelated note, just finished reading the book Ghost Fleet by PW Singer, which I think would be of interest to prospective and current Naval Officers. The book relied on archetypes and lacked geopolitical nuance, but it was thought provoking and entertaining in a Tom Clancy way. It's gloomy predictions on the future of the USS Zumwalt was amplified in my mind by the real life news story of the ship's issues in the Panama Canal.
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Not a surface warfare guy, so can't really speak to the Zumwalt, but I found Ghost Fleet to be interesting, but pretty flawed. The theme of an anemic American fleet with technology being both a great asset but also its greatest Achilles heel will probably resonate with many of us (though today's budgetary environment and technological conditions could dramatically change within the next decade). It's hard to really critique his answers to the what-ifs of future conditions since this novel takes place two or three decades into the future. Whatever its geopolitical premise and depictions of the operational and tactical arts, I think what ultimately undermines the book is its terrible story telling. Too many protagonists and story arcs. Seemed to aspire to be a Red Storm Rising, but ended up being like a collection chapters from several Jack Ryan novels.
 
azguy

azguy

Well-Known Member
None
Mos said:
Not a surface warfare guy, so can't really speak to the Zumwalt, but I found Ghost Fleet to be interesting, but pretty flawed. The theme of an anemic American fleet with technology being both a great asset but also its greatest Achilles heel will probably resonate with many of us (though today's budgetary environment and technological conditions could dramatically change within the next decade). It's hard to really critique his answers to the what-ifs of future conditions since this novel takes place two or three decades into the future. Whatever its geopolitical premise and depictions of the operational and tactical arts, I think what ultimately undermines the book is its terrible story telling. Too many protagonists and story arcs. Seemed to aspire to be a Red Storm Rising, but ended up being like a collection chapters from several Jack Ryan novels.
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+1

I've read the book, have met with Singer, and spoke with him briefly about the book. I think that he raises some important points about the U.S. military's vulnerabilities against a host of potential adversaries. That said, the book is still a total work of fiction which bares many factual inaccuracies. Unfortunately, I think the authors attempt to play the book off as something greater than fiction and many in the blogosphere feed right into that.
 
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