Claude Berube

A meticulously researched account of how the US Navy evolved between the War of 1812 and the Civil War The 1830s is an overlooked period in American naval history and is usually overshadowed by the more dramatic War of 1812 and the Civil War. Nevertheless, the personnel, operations, technologies, policies, and vision of the Navy of that era, which was emerging from the “Age of Sail,” are important components of its evolution, setting it on the long path to its status as a global maritime power. On Wide Seas: The US Navy in the Jacksonian Era details the ways in which the US Navy transformed from an antiquated arm of the nation’s military infrastructure into a more dynamic and effective force that was soon to play a pivotal role in a number of national and international conflicts. By Andrew Jackson’s inauguration in 1829, the Navy had engaged with two major powers, defended American shipping, conducted antipiracy operations, and provided a substantive, long-term overseas presence. The Navy began to transform during Jackson’s administration due in part to the policies of the administration and to the emerging officer corps, which sought to professionalize its own ranks, modernize the platforms on which it sailed, and define its own role within national affairs and in the broader global maritime commons. Jackson had built his reputation as a soldier, but he quickly recognized as president the necessity for a navy that could foster his policies. To expand American commerce, he needed a navy that could defend shipping as well as conduct punitive raids or deterrence missions. Jackson developed a clear, concise naval strategy that policymakers and officers alike could seize and execute. He also provided a vision for the Navy, interceded to resolve naval disciplinary challenges, and directed naval operations. Also, given Jackson’s own politics, junior officers were emboldened by the populist era to challenge traditional, conservative thinking. They carried out a collective vision that coincided with the national literary movement that recognized America’s future would rely upon the Navy.

Connor Stark returns in this high-stakes naval thriller in the South China Sea. Connor Stark has foiled China's efforts to change political landscapes twice before. But China won't let him do it again. This time, they've set up an ambush for Stark and his private maritime security company (Highland Maritime Defense) to take the fall for a massacre at a Philippine Navy base on a remote island in the South China Sea. When a nationwide blackout and assassination of the Philippine president occurs, one of the largest terrorist groups in the world take control of the island and take out Highland Maritime. Stark's ally, former Diplomatic Security Agent Damien Golzari, is on the trail of an illicit human trafficking network that leads back to the island Stark is defending. Meanwhile, National Security advisor CJ Sumner is helping the US President manage the international crisis and navigate the destabilization of the Far East. As an international coalition of warships approaches the region, it may come head to head with China's fleet and start World War III. Unless Stark's team can stand in their way.

A meticulously researched account of how the US Navy evolved between the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The 1830s is an overlooked period in American naval history and is usually overshadowed by the more dramatic War of 1812 and the Civil War. Nevertheless, the personnel, operations, technologies, policies, and vision of the Navy of that era, which was emerging from the “Age of Sail,” are important components of its evolution, setting it on the long path to its status as a global maritime power. On Wide Seas: The US Navy in the Jacksonian Era details the ways in which the US Navy transformed from an antiquated arm of the nation’s military infrastructure into a more dynamic and effective force that was soon to play a pivotal role in a number of national and international conflicts. By Andrew Jackson’s inauguration in 1829, the Navy had engaged with two major powers, defended American shipping, conducted antipiracy operations, and provided a substantive, long-term overseas presence. The Navy began to transform during Jackson’s administration due in part to the policies of the administration and to the emerging officer corps, which sought to professionalize its own ranks, modernize the platforms on which it sailed, and define its own role within national affairs and in the broader global maritime commons. Jackson had built his reputation as a soldier, but he quickly recognized as president the necessity for a navy that could foster his policies. To expand American commerce, he needed a navy that could defend shipping as well as conduct punitive raids or deterrence missions. Jackson developed a clear, concise naval strategy that policymakers and officers alike could seize and execute. Jackson provided a vision for the Navy, interceded to resolve naval disciplinary challenges, and directed naval operations. Also, given Jackson’s own politics, junior officers were emboldened by the populist era to challenge traditional, conservative thinking. They carried out a collective vision that coincided with the national literary movement that recognized America’s future would rely upon the Navy.

Syren's Song is the second novel featuring Connor Stark, and it promises to be just as engaging as The Aden Effect. This geopolitical thriller begins when the Sri Lankan navy is unexpectedly attacked by a resurgent and separatist Tamil Tiger organization. The government issues a letter of marque to former U. S. Navy officer Connor Stark, now the head of the private security company Highland Maritime Defense. Stark and his eclectic compatriots accept the challenge only to learn that the Sea Tigers who crippled the Sri Lankan navy are no ordinary terrorists. The Sea Tigers have created a new weapon that not even the West possesses, fueling it with a previously undiscovered element. By creating a localized electro-magnetic pulse (EMP), the group and its ruthless leader, Vanni, can effectively neutralize any ship, airplane, or missile. With this weapon they're poised to instigate instability throughout the region. Half a world away a U. S. diplomatic security agent is found murdered and the Iranian-born Damien Golzari is tasked with the investigation. He finds more than just murder, uncovering a conspiracy connected to the Sea Tigers and their new weapon. Meanwhile in the forests of Sri Lanka a veteran journalist gets close to uncovering the Sea Tigers mining operation. She learns that they are using local children as laborers, but before she can find out what they are mining, she is discovered by the Sea Tigers. Connor Stark sets out aboard Syren, a former Navy experimental vessel now the flagship of Highland Maritime. Stark and his team race against the clock to prevent another Sea Tiger attack, aided by the help of an old friend leading a U. S. Navy force. Guided by fate or just dumb luck, they unite with Golzari and the journalist. When the Sea Tigers surround Syren, Connor, Golzari, and the journalist must come up with a plan to escape. But the Tigers won't be beaten so easily, and after cornering Stark and capturing him, he'll learn firsthand if the relationships he's cultivated will prove strong enough to beat the odds. With new allies and new enemies, Stark and company face terrorism, war, conspiracy, and murder. Claude Berube has set Stark up for another exciting adventure.

In this exciting contemporary thriller, pirates are capturing ships at will off the Horn of Africa and the navies of the world cannot protect the international shipping lanes. In response, the newly confirmed Ambassador to Yemen, C. J. Sumner, is assigned by the White House to negotiate access to the rich oil fields off the island of Socotra and to convince the Yemenis’ to help deter the pirates. Meeting with resistance to her diplomatic overtures, Sumner becomes desperate as the White House Chief of Staff continues to question her ability to succeed in the mission. In need of someone in the military who knows the region and its people, the Ambassador recruits former naval officer turned mercenary Connor Stark who is reluctantly returned to active duty as her defence attaché. Meanwhile, Diplomatic Security Agent Damien Golzari is investigating the domestic death of a State Department official’s son when he stumbles on to an illicit khat trade among Somali refugees in New England which he traces to the Horn of Africa. Witnesses are murdered in his wake as he travels to Yemen only to have his investigation interfered with by Stark. As more ships are being attacked by pirates, Stark boards a Maddox International security ship, used to escort the company’s cargo platforms to the oil rigs. Pirates sink it, killing most of the crew. Stark is rescued by the morale-plagued USS Bennington, a Navy cruiser on its final deployment. Stark is returned to the Embassy and plans on meeting with his contact, a Yemeni businessman who is part of the ruling family. Sumner assigns Golzari to protect Stark as Golzari’s drug trail and murder investigation lead to a shipping company owned by Stark’s contact. Stark and Golzari are ambushed on their return to the Embassy leading them to believe there is a leak at the embassy or in Washington. Sumner plans a humanitarian assistance mission to Socotra to earn the favour of the Yemeni government. All she is given by the White House is the only ship in the region – the USS Bennington. During an attack engineered by the pirates off Socotra, most of the ship’s officers are killed. Stark assumes command of the Bennington and plans a counterattack against the pirates. The ambitious counterattack is successful. Sumner negotiates a new treaty with the Yemenis and India to jointly develop the oil fields and provide mutual security from the Somali pirates. Stark learns that the pirates have been organised and funded by a U. S. government official which leads to the White House. In a final confrontation between law and justice, Stark and Golzari must decide whether to challenge the most powerful man in the world.

Congress: Games and Strategies, fourth edition, is an up-to-date look at the 21st century Congress from the perspective of a professional political scientist and congressional staff member turned academic. As such, it provides both academic and real-world insights into the unique and often impenetrable world of our national legislature. Using the most recent academic literature as well as quotes from current members of Congress, it seeks to explore the overlap between theory and reality. The book uses a game analogy as an organizing theme and as a toolbox, recognizing that much of Congress’ activity is understood by analyzing the players, the rules under which they work, the strategies they employ and the pattern of winning and losing that result. Updated through the 2008 election, the book includes a host of features intended to enhance comprehension, including boxes that allow students to hear what congressmen and congresswomen themselves say about the institution.

Charles Stewart's life of sailing and combat on the high seas rivals that of Patrick O'Brien's fictional hero, Jack Aubrey. Stewart held more sea commands (11) than any other U. S. Navy captain and served longer (63 years) than any officer in American naval history. He commanded every type of warship, from sloop to ship-of-the-line, and served every president from John Adams to Abraham Lincoln. Born in Philadelphia during the American Revolution, Stewart met President Washington and went to sea as a cabin boy on a merchantman before age thirteen. In March 1798, at age nineteen, he received a naval commission one month before the Department of the Navy was established. Stewart went on to an illustrious naval career: Thomas Jefferson recognized his Mediterranean exploits during the Barbary Wars, Stewart advised James Madison at the outset of the War of 1812, and Stewart trained many future senior naval officers—including David Porter, David Dixon Porter, and David G. Farragut—in three wars. He served as a pallbearer at President Lincoln's funeral. Stewart cemented his reputation as commander of the Navy's most powerful frigate, the USS Constitution. No other captain commanded this ship for a longer wartime period or through more naval engagements. Undefeated in battle, including defeating the British warships Cyane and Levant simultaneously, both ship and captain came to be known as "Old Ironsides."

Charles Stewart's life of sailing and combat on the high seas rivals that of Patrick O'Brien's fictional hero, Jack Aubrey. Stewart held more sea commands (11) than any other U. S. Navy captain and served longer (63 years) than any officer in American naval history. He commanded every type of warship, from sloop to ship-of-the-line, and served every president from John Adams to Abraham Lincoln. Born in Philadelphia during the American Revolution, Stewart met President Washington and went to sea as a cabin boy on a merchantman before age thirteen. In March 1798, at age nineteen, he received a naval commission one month before the Department of the Navy was established. Stewart went on to an illustrious naval career: Thomas Jefferson recognized his Mediterranean exploits during the Barbary Wars, Stewart advised James Madison at the outset of the War of 1812, and Stewart trained many future senior naval officers—including David Porter, David Dixon Porter, and David G. Farragut—in three wars. He served as a pallbearer at President Lincoln's funeral. Stewart cemented his reputation as commander of the Navy's most powerful frigate, the USS Constitution. No other captain commanded this ship for a longer wartime period or through more naval engagements. Undefeated in battle, including defeating the British warships Cyane and Levant simultaneously, both ship and captain came to be known as "Old Ironsides."