Episode 6: Dilemmas of Strategic Imagination: The Ottoman Empire\u27s Role in World War I

In Episode 6, Dr. Burak Kadercan and Dr. Jesse Tumblin explore the current case study in Strategy and War Course, World War I, from a different angle: the strategic challenges the Ottoman Empire faced. At its height, the Ottoman Empire ruled on three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. However, in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it lost much of its European domains and struggled to modernize. The possession of one of its former provinces, Bosnia and Herzegovina, led to the clash between Serbia and Austria-Hungary, which snowballed into World War I. Throughout the war the Allies targeted the Ottoman Empire with a series of peripheral campaigns in the Balkans and the Middle East. Dr. Vanya Eftimova Bellinger and her guests explore valuable strategic lessons these campaigns offer. At the end of the war, Great Britain and France divided the Ottoman domains in the Middle East among themselves, leading to many of the issues continuing to plague the region through the current era. Also, the guests discuss how the modern Turkish Republic emerged from the ashes of World War I largely due to the vision and leadership of one of the heroes from the Dardanelles/Gallipoli Campaign, Mustafa Kemal, later known as Atatürk. The opinions expressed on this podcast represent the views of the presenters and do not reflect the official position of the Department of Defense, The US Navy, or US Naval War College. Guests: Burak Kadercan is an Associate Professor who holds a PhD and MA in political science from the University of Chicago and a BA in politics and international relations from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey. Dr. Kadercan specializes in the intersection of international relations theory, international security, military-diplomatic history, and political geography. Prior to joining the Naval War College, he was Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Reading (United Kingdom) and Assistant Professor in International Relations and Programme Coordinator for the MA in international security at Institut Barcelona d\u27Estudis Internacionals (IBEI). Dr. Kadercan’s scholarly contributions have appeared in International Security, Review of International Studies, International Studies Review, International Theory, and Middle East Policy. Dr. Kadercan is the author of Shifting Grounds: The Social Origins of Territorial Conflict (Oxford University Press, 2023). Jesse Tumblin is an assistant professor of strategy and policy specializing in political and military history, ideas of security, and the current and former British world. He earned a Ph.D. and M.A. from Boston College and a B.A. from the University of Tennessee. He is a past fellow in international security studies at Yale University. He is the author of “The Quest for Security: Sovereignty, Race, and the Defense of the British Empire, 1898-1931” (Cambridge University Press, 2020) and an article on Britain’s attempts to secure its Indo-Pacific empire, which won the Saki Ruth Dockrill Memorial Prize for international history from the Institute for Historical Research, University of London.https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/strategy-matters/1005/thumbnail.jp

The 4th Annual Alexander C. Cushing International Law Conference: International Law: Conflict at Sea

Hosted annually by the Stockton Center for International Law, the Alexander C. Cushing International Law Conference brings together judge advocates, scholars, and practitioners from across the world to develop and shape international maritime law and governance. This year, we will focus on international law and conflict at sea, examining current operations and emerging issues to include disruptive technologies at sea, maritime law enforcement, Russia and regional maritime security, and maritime security challenges in the East China Sea, South China Sea, and greater Indo-Pacific. Event | The 4th Annual Alexander C. Cushing International Law Conference: International Law: Conflict at Sea Program Flyerhttps://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cushing-conference/1002/thumbnail.jp

CMSI Note 16: Confirmed: ADM Yuan Huazhi Removed as the PLAN’s Political Commissar

Key Takeaways: • An authoritative source has confirmed what many had long suspected: Admiral Yuan Huazhi is no longer serving as the Political Commissar of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). As the chief political officer, the Political Commissar shares responsibility with the PLAN Commander for leading the service. • While the details of ADM Yuan’s departure are unknown, it is very likely that he was a victim of the massive purge within China’s military that began in mid-2023. Unlike other senior PLA officers implicated in the purge, however, ADM Yuan’s status has not been publicly disclosed. • ADM Yuan appears to have been replaced by VADM Leng Shaojie. In early January, Leng was identified as the Secretary of the PLAN Party Committee, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organization that administers the PLAN. The Secretary of the Party Committee is a post historically held by the service’s Political Commissar. • VADM Leng is a career PLA Army (PLAA) officer with no experience in the PLAN. The practice of transferring political officers between services is common in China’s military. Another recent PLAN Political Commissar (2014–17), ADM Miao Hua, was likewise transferred from the PLAA to PLAN. Miao is currently under investigation for alleged “serious disciplinary violations.” • VADM Leng spent much of his career assigned to northeast China’s former Shenyang Military Region. Among his recent appointments, Leng served as the Political Commissar of the PLAA Headquarters Logistics Department (starting in 2018) and the Deputy Political Commissar of the Central Theater Command (2021). • Although it is unclear when VADM Leng was transferred to the PLAN, PRC media sources show him in a Navy uniform as early as December 2024.https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cmsi-notes/1015/thumbnail.jp

The 5th Annual Alexander C. Cushing International Law Conference: International Law and Conflict at Sea

Hosted annually by the Stockton Center for International Law, the 5th Annual Alexander C. Cushing International Law Conference brings together judge advocates, scholars, and practitioners from across the world to analyze international law and conflict at sea. This year, the Conference will focus on Law of the Sea & Maritime Security; Marine Environmental Security; Disruptive Technology at Sea; Armed Conflict at Sea; Indo-Pacific Maritime Security; Great Power Competition and International Law; and the Law of Naval Warfare, among other topics. Event | 5th Annual Alexander C. Cushing International Law Conference: International Law and Conflict at Sea Event Flyerhttps://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cushing-conference/1001/thumbnail.jp

Changes in U.S. Indo-Pacific Military Strategy and U.S. Bases in Okinawa

The U.S. forces based on Okinawa in Japan’s Ryukyu Islands are critical to America’s strategic position in the western Pacific, its defense cooperation with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, and U.S. security guarantees to Japan itself. Local opposition to hosting those forces and the subsequent uncertainty and consolidation of bases have bearings on that position and demand reevaluation