Making Combined Naval Operations Work

Editor Bowers, a professor at the Centre for Joint Operations of the Royal Danish Defence College, gives us an interesting, insightful look at coalition naval operations during the Korean War, and in the process offers some useful tips for any future major coalition naval effort.

The naval side of the Korean War was dominated by the U.S. Navy, possessed of seemingly endless resources, supported by significant British and Commonwealth forces, as well as smaller forces from the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Columbia, The Netherlands, Denmark, and Japan.

This book comprises nine papers. The first gives us some idea of the problems of coalition naval operations as it offers an overview of the naval side of the war, concentrating on coalition operations. The next essay examines the various roles which smaller navies can play in the furtherance of a coalition naval campaign.

There then follow seven papers, each concentrating on the role of a specific navy in coalition naval operations during the war in Korea, one each devoted to the U.S., ROK, British, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, and Danish contingents. In this way we get a pretty good idea of how navies of different sizes and capabilities can work successfully together.

Although missing the roles of several other navies that took part in the Korean War, Coalition Navies during the Korean War is a timely book, given the current world situation.

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Note: Coalition Navies during the Korean War is also available in hard cover & e-editions.

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