Time to Win Some Books!

Between the 17th and 24th of March, Offiziere.ch as well as the Facebook pages “Sicherheitspolitik” and Army HQ will hold another security policy contest with the support of “Seidlers Sicherheitspolitik“, “Aussen- und Sicherheitspolitik“, #carbine, and CIMSEC.

Figure of a giant “aircraft carrier” that was to be built in the Second World War by the British from a rather unusual building material.

This time, our security policy contest will deal with a historical maritime theme.

During the Second World War, Britain’s land-based combat aircraft lacked sufficient range to attack German submarines in the middle of the Atlantic. A British journalist and inventor working for the British Combined Operations Headquarters, who was already known for his unusual ideas, suggested the construction of giant floating landing platforms (“aircraft carrier”) on which planes could land and take off. A prototype was tested on a lake in Canada. The proposed construction material was unusual, but it was available in sufficient quantities and at an unbeatable price. A boat that was also made from this material can be seen in the image below.

rumpelstielzchen-004

Questions
What material was the “aircraft carrier” made of?
What was the project name of this venture?
Who suggested the project to Winston Churchill?

The (hopefully correct) answers should be sent to einsatz@offiziere.ch. The preferred prize can also be specified in the e-mail, although we cannot guarantee this.

Prizes
The prizes will be drawn from among the correct entries. They will first be drawn from among the entries answering all three questions correctly. If nobody manages this (don’t disappoint me!), the draw will be made from the entries that have two correct answers.

2 x “Soldaten, Guerilleros, Terroristen” by Philipp Knesebeck (gesponsert von Springer VS).
1 x “Global Environmental Change” by Achim Maas, Balázs Bodó and Clementine Burnley.
1 x “Life Begins at Incoporation” by Matt Bors.
1 x “Shadow Wars: Chasing Conflict in an Era of Peace” by David Axe
1 x “Vier Tage im November” by Johannes Clair.
1 x “Poor Numbers: How We Are Misled by African Development Statistics and What to Do about It” by Morten Jerven.
1 x “Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety ” by Eric Schlosser.
1 x “Cyber War will not take place” by Thomas Rid.
1 x “New Security Challenges in Asia” by Michael Wills and Robert M. Hathaway.
1 x “Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition” by Ben Schott.
1 x “Europa als sicherheitspolitischer Akteur” by Michael Staack and Dan Krause.

Sea Control 26 – New Podcast Series Party

seacontrolemblemSea Control will be adding two monthly segments to its lineup: Sea Control Europe/Britain and Sea Control Asia-Pacific. We are joined by Natalie Sambhi of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and Alexander Clarke of the Phoenix Think Tank. Today’s episode is a conversation with Nat and Alex about their backgrounds, their organizations, and their plans for their monthly series.

DOWNLOAD: Sea Control 26 New Podcast Series Party

We are available on Itunes, Stitcher Stream Radio, etc… Remeber to subscribe, leave a comment and a 5-star rating.

Future Rethinking Seminar: Current National Security Challenges & Opportunities

April 17, 2014

ADM James Stavridis, USN (ret)

Dean, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Current National Security Challenges & Opportunities
Marriott Residence Inn, Pentagon City 6:00-8:00PM
Admiral James Stavridis, (USN, ret) is currently the Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.  While on active duty, he led the NATO Alliance in global operations from 2009 to 2013 as Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Previously, he served as Commander of U.S. Southern Command from 2006-2009, with responsibility for all military operations in South and Central America. He also served as the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy, and was the first Commander of the Navy’s “Deep Blue” strategic and tactical think tank after the 9/11 Pentagon attacks. a graduate of the Fletcher School’s PhD program, Dr. Stavridis has published five books and over one hundred articles. His current focus is on innovation, strategic communcations and planning, and creating security through international, interagency, and public/private partnerships in the turbulent 21st century. (Biography)
For the Rethinking Seminar, Dean Stavridis will be discussing topics related to:
     • National Security Challenges potentially including:
          o Terrorism / extremism
          o Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
          o Rogue nations
          o Regional hegemons (e.g. China/Iran) and the emergence of anti-access/area-denial capabilities, and
          o The growing threat to net centric warfare C3/ISR systems
     • National Strategic Opportunities including:
          o Phase 0 activities
          o U.S. presence in the Mid East and Western Pacific
          o Joint and international training / exercises
          o Partnering, building relations and military to military contacts
          o Military, diplomatic, economic (foreign internal defense) support to host nations
Register Online for this event.
REGISTRATION TIPS: 
 
Forgotten User ID: If you are already a registered user but have forgotten your User ID (which may be your email address), contact the Rethinking Coordinator.
Forgotten Password: The online system will provide you a new password should you require it from a link on the Registration page.
New Users: If you did not receive this message directly, you can register for an event by first establishing a short profile at www.jhuapl.edu/rethinking.  You will also automatically receive announcements about future events.
SEMINAR SPECIFICS:
Cost: None for the Seminar
Location: Marriott Residence Inn, 550 Army-Navy Drive, Arlington, VA (Pentagon City) Directions, map and parking info.
Supper: A sandwich buffet is available 30 minutes before each Seminar on a first-come basis.

 

PAST SEMINARS:

Video, audio, presentation and bulletized note files of past seminars remain available on the Rethinking Seminar Series website www.jhuapl.edu/rethinking under Video Archives (for the current series), Past Series, and Speakers tabs.  Videos from recent Rethinking Series years are also available on the JHU/APL YouTube Channel Rethinking Playlist.

Fostering the Discussion on Securing the Seas.