6: History in the Fleet

History is an integral part of our arsenal as a military. Not only does it teach us the lessons it provides us with guidance for similar situations. In the context of understanding the history of ancient civilizations, naval officers have a lot to learn and can using history to make better decisions whether diplomatic or tactical. In specific we have a lot to learn from the Ancient civilization of Athens, which in its time, was one of the most influential and powerful navies in the world. Since we are in the business of securing democracy and ensuring that the freedom of seas is a lesson we can learn from the ancient city. THough democracy to the rest of the world was not on their mind at the time, it is easy to see how we can take their imperialistic might and transfer that to a strength reserved for more moral ventures like the protection of trading lanes. Themistocles devised a plan to strike at the other naval rivals in the area by building a 200 ship fleet of triremes, the most advanced combat vessel of the day. his use of this fleet to control these commercial routes is also in our playbook of a foreign power. Whether we learned it from Athens is another story, but we can learn that it is extremely important to have power over your commercial interest in the sea. Interestingly enough, one of our more powerful methods of maintaining control of the seas is through interest rates. According to the Center for International Maritime Security, areas that are not secured by the US Navy have extremely high-interest rates internationally. This is no coincidence, we have learned through history that a good way to maintain oversight of the seas commercially, is to ensure a protected zone where everyone is likely to travel. We strategically map these areas most if not all major business travel these lanes, solidifying our control of the commercial sea lanes. Another important lesson is “it is never too late to build a navy”. As we see Themistocles did, we have a varying strength when it comes to the overall size of our navy. We have learned through history that, cost-wise, it is better to fluctuate with world tension. Though I think one of the most important lessons that we are at least beginning to learn is quality of quantity. Triremes were extremely advanced, Themistocles could have built cheaper but more ships, yet he chooses superior vessels. This ideology has also been adopted by our own navy. There are so many things to learn from ancient civilizations. Athens is a great place to start.

Source: http://cimsec.org/lessons-history-themistocles/13095

Word Count: 444

Got Roots?

Marcus Garvey put it best when he said “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots” (https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/history). Like Garvey states, a knowledge of history gives us strength in the future, and a study of the civilizations throughout this semester have given me strength for my future as an officer in the Fleet. A few of these examples come from Athens and her Democracy, the inspirational teachings of Sun Tzu’s Art of War, and the conflict between the Christians and Muslims during the Crusades.

During the study of the Athenian Democracy and its comparison the modern American government, I recognized the pros and cons of each and how they applied to leading in the Fleet. One of the biggest benefits of the Athenian-run model was that everyone had a voice. Similarly as an officer I can foster a kind of environment where those I lead will feel welcome to voice their opinions. However an advantage that the current American model contains is the filter it provides by excluding non-relevant or radical ideas. This filter is necessary to the efficiency of the whole system and in the Fleet would be the officer.

While many of Sun Tzu’s teachings are applicable to leading in the Fleet, his emphasis on preparation before battle stands above the rest. In his book The Art of War he says “Victory belongs to the side that scores the most in the temple calculations before the battle” (The Art of War 3-8). While not everyone from the Academy will be directly involved in combat, there is a “battle” that each must face in order to achieve victory. For example a navigation team’s “temple calculations before the battle” could be anticipating weather conditions as they plot a ship’s route to ensure the safety of everyone on board. While seemingly insignificant, such decisions could be the difference between life and death.

Perhaps the most impactful takeaway comes from the study and role play of the crusade. A general misunderstanding of religion has led to some of the bloodiest battles in history, all in the name of God. The same issues that were fought over then are prevalent today, as the fight over the Holy Land continues. As a future officer in the Fleet, I need to recognize that people will be coming from different backgrounds and will have general stereotypes for or against their fellow sailors or marines. This allows me to prepare to be a mediator and educator in order to resolve conflicts and keep us working as a cohesive unit.

Overall this class has revealed examples from history to be learned from, and not repeated. Through an application of these lessons, I will grow the roots of my tree, strengthening me to handle the future. This provides me to not only become a better leader in the Fleet, but even after my time in the Fleet has ended.

WC: 489

Learning from the Past

MIDN 3/C Ionatan A. Soule, USN

When joining the military one must be fully aware of what they are getting themselves into. While we, the military of the United States of America, may not currently be engaged in an all-out war, we are still engaged in many armed conflicts around the globe. Things may be relatively peaceful now, but there is no guarantee that they will remain as such or that one will not have to partake in some sort of combative role. Put simply, there is still a very large chance that one will be put into harm’s way and be required to make the decision of whether or not to take the life of another human being. As a future officer in the Navy, I will be directly responsible for both the wellbeing of my people and the decision of whether or not it is morally right and just to eliminate a target…I will be responsible for the way in which we conduct war. Sun Tzu’s The Art of War is a masterpiece on military tactics written during the Zhou Dynasty of the Warring States period in China around 750-450 BCE. Though dated, this book contains very important insights on strategy that, with a little modification, are still applicable to today’s modern warfare landscape.

The period itself, the Warring States period, was a period of conflict and change—change of borders, rulers, culture, etc… During this conflict, armies devised new military methods and strategies. By studying this period and the Art of War, I will be better prepared to lead in the future. I believe that one of the most important lines in the Art of War is, “Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting” (Art of War). This quote speaks directly to the truth that war is worse than hell. As an officer, one must not be too willing to charge headfirst into battle. Actual combat must be reserved as an action of last resort when all other diplomatic means have been utterly exhausted. It is important to keep this mentality at the forefront of one’s mind when making military decisions.

Another key insight of Master Sun is the following: “A ruler can bring misfortune upon his troops in three ways: [1] to advance or retreat when they should not, […2] ignorant interference in military decisions, […and 3] ignorant meddling in military appointments” (Art of War). What I glean from this advice is the following: knowledge is power. In each of the three instances the ruler, in our case officer, is making a poor decision because they are ignorant of the truth. In the first, the officer is not up to date on the situation on the ground, sea, or air and makes a poor judgment call that could have been easily avoided had they put time into understanding the situation better. The second is not taking the time to fully understand and analyze what has been decided before interfering with it, an action that could cause chaos and confusion. The third is encouraging anything but a merit-based system of advancement. Those in power should not be there because you like them, they should be there because they have proven time and time again that they are the most qualified for the job, because they have proven to have the necessary experience, insight, and most importantly, knowledge to perform the job well. As an officer, one’s first task should then be to learn—listen and learn as much as you can and this can be achieved through many different means.

One such means is by studying the past. Though Sun Tzu may have lived in a different era, there can be no question that he was a great military leader and strategist. He took the time to compile what he had learned so that we, the future officers of the navy, could learn from him without committing the same mistakes he did.

Word count: 658

History in the Fleet

Ever since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, America has constantly been involved in counter terrorism operations in the Middle east. The terrorism that we face is driven by radical Muslim religious groups, claiming all their actions are justified in the name of Jihad, or the struggle. The Middle East is no stranger to war– people have been fighting in the name of Jihad since the creation of Islam, and for the holy land even before that. There are many obvious differences between the goals of the Crusades and the goals of modern american anti terrorism operations, but at a fundamental level they are very similar.

The First and Second Crusades were launched as a result of a cry of help from a captured city. First it was Constantinople, then it was Edessa. In modern day, the U.S. involvement in Syria can be partially credited to the need for help from the people in the occupied lands. Radical Muslims under the names of different terrorist organizations capture cities and towns, using their resources and often mistreating those who live there. This fact is supported by the extremely high numbers of refugees leaving Syria in the past few years. This is much like in the Crusades, when the Catholic cities of Constantinople and Edessa were captured and occupied. In order to help describe the capture of Edessa, A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea BOOK XVI refers to a passage from the Psalms: “They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.” (Psalms 94:6) The people of Edessa were mistreated, killed and their rights taken away. In both Crusades, the goal was to liberate Christian lands and the Christians living on them. In modern day, America is involved in the middle east to promote democracy and freedom from radical terrorist groups. Crusades and Anti Terrorism both have the end goal of liberating a people while promoting a belief of the liberating force. In the Crusades it was Christianity, in modern day it is democracy.

Another key similarity, is that both are highlighted by a religious difference. Christendom vs. Jihad, and Freedom of Religion vs. Radical interpretations of Islam and Jihad. It is true that the Crusades were more religiously based compared to anti terrorism, but nevertheless the religious difference is present in both conflicts, and is at least somewhat responsible for the fighting.

Both conflicts also had secondary goals relating to wealth and money. The Crusades were a great opportunity for European states to expand trade, capture new cities and make more money in general, despite the intentions of the Church. Likewise, the Middle East is the leading exporter of oil, and the U.S. wants to make sure that the Middle East remains stable so that the oil market isn’t greatly affected and oil wealth does not fall into the wrong hands.

It is clear that the Crusades and American anti terrorism are not the same, as almost nothing is from two time periods so far apart. However, the parallels between the two are evident, as both are a fight for liberation, both have religious motivation, and both have monetary goals.

525 Words

Billy Honaker: History in the Fleet

As a leader it is imperative to take lessons from any and every possible source. Over the course of the semester we have studied many different civilizations, and through those studies we have focused on each civilization’s successes and failures. As these studies went on we were often asked to interpret these civilization’s actions as if we were living back then, but the proposed question about how knowledge learned in this course will impact me as an officer requires me to take a look at things through my morals and ethics. With that being said it is Hammurabi and his law code that I feel I took the most from in this course, because of the harshness of the punishments, but the success of his civilization, as well.

Hammurabi wrote one of the earliest known law codes for his civilization who dwelled in ancient Mesopotamia, and this law code is known for its harshness, but it differs for each class. Laws such as “If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out,” is one example of the harshness, and has also created the popular line known today as “an eye for an eye.” The law code often references laws for slaves or lesser people, where the masters or more privileged are able to punish the lesser people, for example “If a slave say to his master: ‘You are not my master,’ if they convict him his master shall cut off his ear,” just shows the brutality associated with this law code. The point I took from all of this is that as a leader my job will to be o correct or punish my subordinates, but they are human just as I am, and everyone makes mistakes. Hammurabi obviously lived in a completely different time, and his law codes would be unethical in today’s world. As for me, I will be looked to for fairness and good judgment, so I will be required to take the mistakes of my subordinates and think of a fair way to prevent them from making the same mistake twice.

Regardless of how unethical his tactics were, he saw much success. Hammurabi led the civilization for over 40 years with this law code. As a naval officer in today’s Navy, this is not possible. The sailors and marines would not take this kind of constant punishment or fear from a leader, and would not perform well. In a work environment this leadership tactic based around fear would lead to poor work, and possibly worst case scenarios. As a student and officer in training, it is my responsibility to recognize this and place myself in situations where I can think “what would I do?”

Regardless of how long it feels like we have left here; in reality it’s not that long. Soon we will be commissioned officers in the world’s strongest military, and be expected to lead from day one. That is the reason it is so important to capture everything being taught to us, and to look deep into everything to find any potential lesson waiting to be taught.

Word Count: 521

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/ancient/hamframe.asp

Division Between Citizens in Ancient Rome and Modern America

Today, Americans are constantly posed with the question: whose side are you on? The growth of tribalism, or the behaviors and loyalties that stem from one’s social group, is on the constant rise in America. Political ideology is one of the many ways that people show their support for their beliefs and ideas. This loyalty creates division between the American people, and is one of the biggest conflicts that we face in America today. Similarly, the Ancient Roman Empire under Constantine faced a similar division between their people- either to convert to Christianity or to continue worshiping their own pagan gods. Christianity was eventually adopted as the official religion under Theodosius which united the entire Roman Empire under one religion. Before Christianity was united, the citizens were conflicted between keeping their pagan traditions and converting to Christianity. Religion and political parties are some of the ways that people feel that they belong to something bigger than themselves. Although we are unsure how the continuing conflict of tribalism in America will end, a similar conflict occurred in the Ancient Roman Empire that eventually led to its fall.

The beginnings of political tribalism in America started over 20 years ago over the Democratic and Republicans stances on issues such as taxes and military spending (Kornacki). Many political issues today are black and white. Meaning, if one political party supports one idea, the other political party supports the opposite of that idea. This can be seen in issues such as abortion, marijuana legalization, and healthcare. The truth is that these issues can have a lot more different opinions, which is one of the many reasons that makes living in a two-party system difficult. Because of these polarized opinions, legislation is becoming difficult to pass through congress. A great example of this is when earlier this year, congress had difficulty passing a budget. The result was that much of the government was shut down, including civilian teachers at the Naval Academy. It is human nature to belong to a group that shares their opinion. The Economist stated last May that, “The problem (in America) is structural: the root of tribalism is human nature, and the current state of American democracy is distinctly primeval. People have an urge to belong to exclusive groups and to affirm their membership by beating other groups” (Savage). Through polarization of ideas, a large amount of people can feel like their ideas relate to a political party.

Before the rise of Christianity in Rome, the Roman Empire demanded that people’s loyalty was to the state alone. The Roman people were expected to practice the state polytheistic pagan religion with many state-sponsored festivals throughout the year. Christians were not able to participate in these festivals because they were only interested in worshiping one god. The lack of participation by the Christians at these festivals added to the segregation of faiths in the Roman culture, and eventually led to the fear and misunderstanding of Christianity itself. Also, many Christians were forced to worship in solitude during the night because it was outlawed by the Roman state. Many people feared Christianity because it seemed very mysterious to them and they did not understand it. Much later during the early rule of Theodosius in Ancient Rome, he banned pagan sacrifice. Shortly after, many pagan statues were destroyed and replaced with Christian churches. In 391, Theodosius made a decree to punish any one accused of witchcraft. Pagan members of the Senate in Rome pleaded that Theodosius would allow pagan worship again, however this was not successful. The conflict between Christians and Pagans created a division in the Roman people. Religion in Rome was one of the reasons why the Empire eventually fell.

WC: 617

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/11/14/tribalism-doesnt-explain-our-political-conflicts/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.dbcf91133ac5

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/15/books/review/steve-kornacki-the-red-and-the-blue.html

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Theodosius_I#Support_for_Christianity

Cracraft, Benjamin Blog #3.

History in the Fleet

Typically, when we want to discuss examples of poor and excellent examples of leadership, we reach for examples in our own lives. The upper-class in our companies that we do not want to be like, the coaches who inspire us, it is not hard to find leadership styles to emulate in our own lives. However, history offers us leaders who built the greatest of empires—as well as leaders who have been responsible for the downfall of empires. As future military officers, studying past civilizations will offer us the opportunity to learn from them, and the leaders responsible for the creation, and downfalls of these civilizations.
One civilization that comes to my mind as applicable for future military officers is the Chinese Empire that lasted for over two thousand years. What made the first dynasty in this empire—the Qin dynasty so special was that it united so many different types of people under one person’s rule. As an officer, we will be expected to lead, and be led by many different types of people who are all coming from different backgrounds, and will all have their own different expectations for a leader. It’s up to us to determine the best way to unite these different people, so that they work together as one unit. One other takeaway from the beginnings of the Chinese Empire, is that the Emperor purposefully distanced himself from his people, and that the Qin dynasty ended with a series of peasant revolts. As future military officers, we can look to this as an example that emphasizes the importance of being active in the lives of those that we lead. Knowing what is going on in their lives can help us to understand what they may need, and it helps us to understand their motivations. Under the Qin Dynasty in 359 B.C.E., officials introduced the idea of meritocracy where soldiers could rise up in rank and stature which strengthened their military immensely. The idea of wanting to inspire a reason for those whom you lead to want to improve is definitely something that can be learned from (although you do not want to bribe nor coerce people into doing their job).
Another application from the Chinese Empire that we can take away as future leaders in the military is some of the principle schools of thought that emerged during this time. We can definitely apply principles from Confucianism, and Daoism into our leadership styles (the emphasis of tradition in Confucianism is something that we can definitely see parallels in with the military). However, if there is just one text that we use to learn from the Chinese Empire, it should be Sun Tzu’s Art of War. Sun Tzu wrote that “When one treats people with benevolence, justice and righteousness, and reposes confidence in them, the army will be united in mind and all will be happy to serve their leaders.” As a leader, that is the type of treatment that you should wish to instill upon those that you lead, and uniting those whom you lead so that they are happy to serve you should be your end goal. This is a stark comparison from the distant Emperor at the beginning of the Chinese Empire who aimed to seem above and removed from his people, showing how leadership styles can change over time. Sun Tzu’s principles are ones that we too can use to develop our own leadership styles as future officers in the military.

Contemporary Warriors

Michelle Therianos

At the beginning of Plebe Summer, every Midshipmen is issued The Warrior Ethos by Steven Pressfield. This piece of literature fundamentally outlines the nature of the warrior code and its rules. The very first chapter, of course, begins in Ancient Greece with the Spartan warriors. Studying a society characterized by patriotism and toughness is where a Midshipman’s development begins, and rightfully so.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Spartan civilization is their fascination with being warriors. In Sparta, there was only one occupation: soldier. Indoctrination into this lifestyle began as early as seven years old, when they left home to live in communal barracks and train extensively. They lived meagerly and in austere conditions, building mental and physical strength through sports competitions, team-building exercises, and tests of survival. By 20 years old, a Spartan boy was officially a solider, and would remain active duty until 60. These warriors were skilled in Ancient Greek fighting styles, primarily the phalanx formation, which required coordinated mass maneuvers. It is in this that a naval officers can learn the greatest of lessons: no one sailor is more superior to another. In the phalanx formation, each solider is vital to success; this applies to the modern Navy because, in order to win wars, the entire team must work in unison, free of prejudice. With this fighting spirit came a strong sense of nationalism. This patriotism is yet another aspect essential to the makings of a naval officer.

Another point to note of Spartan society is that they treated women better than the rest of the world did. Spartan women were independent-minded and had more freedoms, powers, and education than other women across Ancient Greece. While they were not part of the military, they were encouraged to be athletic and have knowledge of war due to their spouses’ involvement. One Spartan mother once said to her son, who was leaving for war with his shield, to return “either with this, or on it” (Plutarch, Moralia, 241). When the men were out fighting, women even managed politics and property. In this society, women had a role that transcended child-rearing and cleaning, which relates to the modern military. With the Navy being almost 25% female, it is vital that a naval officer treat women equal to men. In fact, women are allowed to have any job, including those with combat. During a time where women were considered vastly inferior, a naval officer can learn from the liberties that Spartan society fairly gave females.

Word Count: 415

There Once Was A Dream That Was Rome

Molly Swiger

“There was once a dream that was Rome, you could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish.”

—Marcus Aurelius, The Gladiator

The Roman Empire is an important model that is still studied, generations after its ending. With a unique story of conquest, Romans dreamt that “one could not only conquer, but in doing so create a Pax Romana, a vast area of peace, prosperity and unity of ideas, was a genuine inspiration” (Wallace-Hadrill).

The imperial system of control was very strong and effective. Julius Cesar and Augustus represented order and unity, in contrast with the difficulties presented by pluralism. In addition, the bureaucracy introduced by emperors such as Claudius provided a long-term structure for continuity. The Union of modern Europe can largely be attributed to the foundation laid by the Roman Empire.

As a military leader, however, the Roman Empire serves as a cautionary tale for centralized control and suppression of local identities and peoples. Slavery was one of the key features attributed to Roman success. There was no regard for human rights: “From the crucifixion of rebel slaves in their thousands to the use of theatrical enactments of gruesome deaths in the arena as a form of entertainment, we see a world in which brutality was not only normal, but a necessary part of the system” (Wallace-Hadrill). Slavery was a direct result of the Roman conquests. Obviously, slavery has been outlawed from our system but military conquest walks a thin line. There is a constant discussion on the proper procedures to follow when dealing with an occupied area and its inhabitants. In the fleet, we can look to history and not follow in the footsteps of brutal leaders from the past. Promoting a healthy command climate and following orders set by the chain of command is crucial.

On the other hand, the diversity and vastness of geographical and cultural landscapes controlled by the Roman Empire was astonishing. This extensive culture combination was evident in the necessity for two official languages—Latin and Greek—as well as local tongues. The planning of cities and conscious encouragement of biodiversity led to great economic prosperity. The United States and her military can learn from this encouragement of diversity and take important lessons relating to cultural relativism. In the fleet, we will face many different ethnic and culture groups. Dealing with them tactfully and realizing that we are all human will improve our diplomatic standing.

Overall, the Roman Empire provides invaluable lessons in military and political leadership. Regardless of its blatant failings, the Roman Empire occupied one of the largest and masses in history for so long. It is no wonder why we are still talking about its vastness, power, and diversity 2,000 years later.

WC: 460

Work Cited:

Gladiator. Directed by Ridley Scott, performances by Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, and Oliver Reed, Universal Pictures, 2000.

Wallace-Hadrill, Professor Andrew. “History – Ancient History in Depth: Roman Empire: The Paradox of Power.” BBC, BBC, 17 Feb. 2011, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/empire_01.shtml.