Timothy Wayne Burford

Islands of Steel Timothy Wayne Burford

UPDATED!! ISLANDS OF STEEL is an analysis of the tactical and strategic viability of the supercarrier in the 21st Century, investigating the historical combat experience of aircraft carriers and other large combatants, while offering insights into emerging threats and countermeasures. ISLANDS OF STEEL discusses the history of military obsolescence in regards to geostrategic planning and weapons procurement, with analysis of WWII, Korean War, Vietnam Era, Falkland Island, Persian Gulf and other military engagements providing historical perspective to inform the decision-makers of the future. This work includes a study of the geo-strategic theories associated with global power projection and hegemony, and how they applied to the ascension of the United States as a global hegemonic power during WWII and Cold War that followed - an ascension in no small part made possible by the nation's advanced development of aircraft carrier technology and the continued primacy of the American supercarrier construct in the Nuclear Age. ISLANDS OF STEEL reveals the historic efficacy of carrier defensive systems in real-world historical circumstances and the threats they faced, with studies of Japanese Kamikaze and submarine attacks during World War Two as well as Missile Age events involving large warships such as the Falkland Islands War, et al, providing a backdrop for contemporary insights. ISLANDS OF STEEL investigates the future of geostrategic planning and the emerging technologies that will affect, and be affected by, these developments. Threats to the supercarrier in the modern age, from supercavitating torpedoes to hypersonic terminal packages, drones and ballistic missiles are discussed in detail, as are countermeasures such as anti-ballistic missiles, sensor and asset networking, lasers and battery ships. Theoretical potential conflicts are examined in this context with near-peer adversaries such as China and Russia, as well as emerging regional hegemons such as North Korea and Iran. ISLANDS OF STEEL is a hard look at military obsolescence in the modern age, with an emphasis on the dynamic nature of martial developments and the fallacy of allowing hubris and inertia to influence military planning. By the author of THE DIVISION: Defending Little Rock, August 25 - September 10, 1863; HEARTLAND: The History of Little Rock AFB and video documentarian on the military history YouTube channel THIS IS WAR.