Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

The U.S. Navy’s war on whales

Every so occasionally a bunch of whales run up on shore, going crazy, perhaps bleeding from the ears. This seems to be caused by U.S. Navy sonar experiments that send powerful sounds bouncing around the deep. It amazes me that there aren’t more people upset by this. I wonder if one day in the future ...

581157_090910_whaleb2.jpg
581157_090910_whaleb2.jpg

Every so occasionally a bunch of whales run up on shore, going crazy, perhaps bleeding from the ears. This seems to be caused by U.S. Navy sonar experiments that send powerful sounds bouncing around the deep. It amazes me that there aren’t more people upset by this. I wonder if one day in the future we will figure out how to communicate with whales. If so, I suspect their first question will be: Why do you hate us?

David McNew/Getty Images

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

More from Foreign Policy

Keri Russell as Kate Wyler walks by a State Department Seal from a scene in The Diplomat, a new Netflix show about the foreign service.
Keri Russell as Kate Wyler walks by a State Department Seal from a scene in The Diplomat, a new Netflix show about the foreign service.

At Long Last, the Foreign Service Gets the Netflix Treatment

Keri Russell gets Drexel furniture but no Senate confirmation hearing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron speak in the garden of the governor of Guangdong's residence in Guangzhou, China, on April 7.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron speak in the garden of the governor of Guangdong's residence in Guangzhou, China, on April 7.

How Macron Is Blocking EU Strategy on Russia and China

As a strategic consensus emerges in Europe, France is in the way.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin greets U.S. President George W. Bush prior to a meeting of APEC leaders in 2001.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin greets U.S. President George W. Bush prior to a meeting of APEC leaders in 2001.

What the Bush-Obama China Memos Reveal

Newly declassified documents contain important lessons for U.S. China policy.

A girl stands atop a destroyed Russian tank.
A girl stands atop a destroyed Russian tank.

Russia’s Boom Business Goes Bust

Moscow’s arms exports have fallen to levels not seen since the Soviet Union’s collapse.