The Diplomat  |  Author

James R. Holmes

James R. Holmes is a defense analyst for The Diplomat and a professor of strategy at the U.S. Naval War College where he specializes in U.S., Chinese and Indian maritime strategy and U.S. diplomatic and military history.

He is co-author of Red Star over the Pacific, an Atlantic Monthly Best Foreign Affairs Book for 2010 and a former US Navy surface warfare officer.

The views voiced here are his alone.

Posts by James R. Holmes
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January 14, 2014

How Leaders Transform Organizations

By James R. Holmes
In sports as in war, a good leader can bring change to big organizations and culture overnight.
January 12, 2014

Does America Have Any Naval Strategists Anymore?

By James R. Holmes
Our navy needs to think strategically about its return to history -- before history comes a-knocking.

January 09, 2014

The Return of China’s Small-Stick Diplomacy in South China Sea

By James R. Holmes
With a new directive China has appointed itself the sheriff over most of the South China Sea.

January 04, 2014

Will the F-35 Live Up to the Hype?

By James R. Holmes
Interservice and multi-national rivalries could undermine the Joint Strike Fighter. Then again, we may never know.

January 02, 2014

Why China Can’t Rise Quietly

By James R. Holmes
China wants to achieve its goals short of war while reaping the propaganda harvest it would get from war.
December 27, 2013

3 Ways Mao Shaped Naval Warfare

By James R. Holmes
While PLAN officers might not quote Mao anymore, their strategy bears his mark.

December 26, 2013

Sea Power: The Battle for Innovation

By James R. Holmes
Stasis is the enemy of competitive enterprises like sea power. But how to cultivate innovation?
December 24, 2013

Who is Air Power’s Alfred Thayer Mahan?

By James R. Holmes
Air Power is unique in not having a grand theorist on par with Clausewitz or Mahan.

December 19, 2013

How the US Lost the South China Sea Standoff

By James R. Holmes
China won the Cowpens/Liaoning encounter in the South China Sea. What lessons should the US draw?

December 17, 2013

How to Measure an Aircraft Carrier’s Worth

By James R. Holmes
If aircraft carriers aren’t used in battle it’s hard to justify their enormous price tag.

December 14, 2013

USS Cowpens and China’s First-Mover Advantage

By James R. Holmes
The main threat to maritime Asia today is not miscalculation. It’s Beijing’s carefully calculated policies.
December 13, 2013

Twilight of the Aircraft Carrier?

By James R. Holmes
Past fears that carriers were vulnerable to new technologies weren’t proven right… nor were they proven wrong.

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