Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, distinguished combat veteran, and retired Navy Captain, Wade Sanders is much published on matters of national security in major newspapers and the Naval Institute Proceedings.

Column Archives:

August 31, 2005: Showdown or Salvation - "Why is it when a political leader's plans go terribly awry, they often call upon the lives of the fallen to justify those plans?"

December 20, 2004: The Responsibility and Accountability of Command - "I am hoping that [Bush] will acknowledge the responsibilities that accompany the title he cherishes so much."

May 17, 2004: The Greatest Country In The World - "The events at Abu Ghraib should sober this country up and slap it out of its false pride."

February 12, 2004: Abandonment in the Field - "Too many Reserve and Guard Units are deploying into the Iraqi theater without proper preparation."

February 5, 2004: The Veterans Brigade - "[Sen. Kerry's] comeback was energized by an unprecedented mobilization of veterans from across the United States."

December 23, 2003: Forgotten Heroes - "Too often the members of that team are forgotten by the officers who receive medals for being in the same place at the same time doing the same thing."

December 16, 2003: Everyone a Hero - "It seems that there are heroes everywhere, and the word “hero” is being used so often and so loosely that the term is beginning to have no meaning at all."

August 11, 2003: To Strike or Not to Strike - "Prior to this operation, an attack against U.S. citizens or vital interests was required. Even the Spanish American War, which some cite as a pre-emptive strike, followed a mutual exchange of declarations of war."

August 4, 2003: The Warrior and the War - "Many of us who served honorably have watched with dismay as those who have dared to exercise their right to question the war, even while they were simultaneously clear in their support for all who serve, are ridiculed, attacked, and worse, called un-American or traitors."

July 28, 2003: Sticks and Stones - "...I can find no military regulation which specifically prevents enlisted folks from saying bad things about any civilian, and the secretary of defense is definitely a civilian."

July 22, 2003: An American Disgrace - "As a disabled military retiree, I feel a particular sense of outrage towards an American citizenry that are happy to enjoy the fruits of security, but unwilling to provide for those who obtain and defend it."

July 14, 2003: Twice a Citizen - Growing Role of Reservis - "The only thing we regulars are good for is to keep the guns clean for you reserves -- when war comes, there will never be enough professionals to do the job.'"

July 7, 2003: The Will to Fight, or Slipping into a Quagmire - "If that death rate remains constant, in the first year of the U.S. effort, approximately 840 Americans will die. Compare this with the first five years of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, 1961 - 1965, when 1,864 Americans died, or approximately 370 per year."