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

Good for them: The USNS Medgar Evers

The Navy has christened its newest cargo and ammunition ship the USNS Medgar Evers. Now, how about honoring a Hispanic such as Cesar Chavez? And I’m still waiting to see Nat Turner get his due, perhaps with an escape & evasion course named for him. I’d also like someday to ride aboard a Malcom X-class ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
579518_091012_evers2.jpg
579518_091012_evers2.jpg
ARLINGTON, VA - JUNE 16: The tombstone of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers is seen in Arlington National Cemetery June 16, 2003 in Arlington, Virginia. Medgar Evers was killed in Mississippi by an assassin's bullet as he returned home on June 12, 1963, Byron de la Beckwith was convicted of the assasination in 1994. A ceremony, organized by three students from Chicago's Adlai E. Stevenson High School, was held today to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Evers's death. (Photo by Stefan Zaklin/Getty Images)

The Navy has christened its newest cargo and ammunition ship the USNS Medgar Evers.

The Navy has christened its newest cargo and ammunition ship the USNS Medgar Evers.

Now, how about honoring a Hispanic such as Cesar Chavez? And I’m still waiting to see Nat Turner get his due, perhaps with an escape & evasion course named for him.

I’d also like someday to ride aboard a Malcom X-class destroyer, or the USS Crazy Horse, which would make a cool attack submarine. And USS War Chief Joseph would be a good name for a flagship.  

Stefan Zaklin/Getty Images

 

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

Read More On History | Military

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.