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DARK WATERS: AN INSIDER'S ACCOUNT OF THE NR-1, THE COLD WAR'S UNDERCOVER NUCLEAR SUB
by Lee Vyborny and Don Davis, hardcover, 234 pages.
2003, New American Library, New York, NY.

A first-person account of the early development and operational deployment of NR-1, a small and unarmed nuclear submarine equipped with grapnels for doing work underwater, and able to roll along the seafloor on wheels. Performed some important Cold War espionage missions, and more recently has done valuable work in undersea archaeology, too. A very gritty narrative with a powerful "you are there" feel. Some info not available elsewhere, a must read for submarine enthusiasts.

SAILORS TO THE END: THE DEADLY FIRE ON THE USS FORRESTAL AND THE HEROES WHO FOUGHT IT
by Gregory A. Freeman, hardcover, 307 pages.
2002, W. Morrow, New York, NY.

Describes in frightening detail the disastrous accidental fire aboard the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal during the Vietnam War, in 1967. Begun when a rocket malfunction and fired itself across a flight deck crowded with planes -- and their bombs and jet fuel -- the resulting inferno raged for days and took the lives of 134 men. The crew saved their ship with acts of courage, determination, and self-sacrifice which make this epic of naval damage control one of the defining moments in the history of the U.S. Navy, both an object lesson and an inspiration to all who serve at sea in any era.

STRAY VOLTAGE: WAR IN THE INFORMATION AGE
by Wayne Michael Hall, hardcover, 219 pages.
2003, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD.

Written by a retired U.S. Army brigadier general, this is a formal treatise on strategic "knowledge warfare." Knowledge Warfare is the art and science of influencing an enemy's mind, to weaken their ability to make good command decisions, stifle their economic and logistics vigor, and sap their national will. Knowledge warfare includes Information Warfare (computer-based operations) and traditional Psychological Warfare, but goes much further. An essential aspect of current and future conflicts, Knowledge Warfare is a mentally demanding and intellectually challenging discipline. This book is not light reading, as the author is the first to state. But it's a very stimulating discussion, and Hall's book will expand your horizons on what modern war is all about, more than you probably thought possible. Forewarned is forearmed, because bad people in the world are practicing Knowledge Warfare on the United States, and on YOU, right now.

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