Contributions to Naval History No. 6. Presents Professor Muir's account of the thirty-year development of surface warfare capabilities, especially within the Navy's cruiser and destroyer force. Pays particular attention to the development of weapons, the evolution of sensors and command and control systems, and the institutional steps taken to professionalize the surface warfare community.

It was a warm summer afternoon when Bill and his little sister Nell headed out with their fishing poles and snacks for the little pond in the meadow. "Be home in time for supper," Mother called as she waved goodbye. Later that afternoon while sitting beneath a shade tree eating their snacks, they spied off in the distance a rusted old steam engine with a caboose attached behind. On exploring it further, they encounter unexpected events that prevent them from ever making it home in time for supper. Enjoy this mixture of adventure, fantasy, suspense and Christian morals all in one as you follow Bill and Nell through their adventures into the unknown.

This book provides readers with an in-depth understanding of the professional development of two notable and highly accomplished naval officers and their contributions to the development of the Aegis Weapons System. The main argument is that there was no single career path or set of formal qualifications for achieving excellence in the naval profession as characterized by selection for Flag rank. One of the major points is the revelation that a combination of essential personal traits and qualities and important operational and technical experiences fundamental to the nature of naval warfare are critical to developing highly competent and confident officers. Such officers are needed to lead major acquisition programs capable of delivering innovative weapons systems for a twenty-first t century Navy facing new age threats.

Book Description: The first publication in a multivolume series on the history of the acquisition of major weapon systems by the Department of Defense, author Elliott Converse presents a meticulously researched overview of changes in acquisition policies, organizations, and processes within the United States military establishment during the decade and a half following World War II. Many of the changes that shaped the nature and course of weapons research and development, production, and contracting through the end of the century were instituted between 1945 and 1960; many of the problems that have repeatedly challenged defense policymakers and acquisition professionals also first surfaced during these years. This study is the first to combine the histories of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the military services into one account. The volume is organized chronologically, with individual chapters addressing the roles of OSD, the Army, Navy and Air Force in two distinct periods.