What kind of Royal Navy does Britain need now? The 21st century promises to be one of huge uncertainties and challenges for the senior service. Does Britain have the right naval strategy to cope with emerging threats (does it have a naval strategy at all, and should it?) and, if so, does the Navy have the right ships and enough of them to implement it? Given the time taken to introduce changes and develop new systems, policy makers, naval chiefs, and designers are confronted with 50-year decisions. But future choices are likely to be clouded by economic uncertainties produced by the current crisis, which could have implications for decades. Nick Childs looks at the changing strategic environment (including ever greater maritime trade and the growth of other navies such as China, India, South Korea, revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East). He asks what Britain's role in the world could or should be—is she still interventionist? (Libya says 'yes'). If so, should our forces be designed purely to work with US, UN or Western European forces? What are the options for a naval strategy? The author then considers what kind of navy would be needed to support such options. What kind of ships are needed and how many? What of aircraft carriers and the nuclear option? What are the technological developments affecting current and future warship design projects? Is the new Type 45 destroyer what is needed and worth the cost? Given the depths to which the RN has shrunk in terms of numbers, public profile, and strength relative to its peers, this probably is a critical period in terms of determining the RNs future.

This book, with its illuminating introduction and notes, traces the evolution of Casey's 'delicate' role as Australian Minister to the United States during a critical time in Australia's history. It reveals Casey treading a fine diplomatic tightrope for America's support of Britain and Australia in the war, without risking aggravation of America's many powerful isolationists.

The late C. Vann Woodward was one of America's most prominent historians. His books have won every major history award--including the Pulitzer, Bancroft, and Parkman Prizes--and he has served as president of both the American Historical Association and the Organization of American Historians. The Future of the Past collects two decades worth of Woodward's most significant essays, addresses, and major book reviews, including two important presidential addresses--"The Future of the Past" and "Clio with Soul" (his trenchant assessment of Afro-American history)--as well as essays on changing historical concerns of the past decades, the value of comparative history, the South in Reconstruction times and the South today, and the use of fiction in history (and history in fiction). Woodward has written illuminating introductory comments on each section and offers an incisive general introduction about history and the direction the profession is taking today. Whether reviewing William Safire's novel Freedom or evaluating Henry Adam's portrait of Jefferson, Woodward's essays reflect a lifetime of thought on history and historical writing, and are essential reading for anyone concerned with either.

The efforts of the Soviet Union since the mid-1950s to develop naval power have produced one of the strongest navies in the world, but this achievement has not been without serious costs. The construction of increasingly complex submarines, ships, and aircraft has required greater investment of resources and manpower. This volume addresses whether the Soviet Union will continue naval expansion and what directions technological development will take in the future. In particular, the contributors consider trends in submarine, aircraft carrier, and surface combatant systems and examine what implications these developments have for U.S. defense planning over the next two decades.