106 “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead”: “Famous Navy Quotes: Who Said Them and When,” Naval Heritage and History Command, U.S. Navy, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.history.navy.mil/trivia/trivia02.htm.

107 fifty times less visible to radar: Clay Dillow, “The Most Technologically Advanced Warship Ever Built,” Popular Science, October 16, 2012, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-08/ocean-power.

107 wave-piercing tumblehome hull: Jim Downey, “Presentation by DDG 1000 Program Manager to the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE): DDG 1000,” American Society of Naval Engineers, April 17, 2013, accessed August 20, 2014, https://www.navalengineers.org/flagship/meetings/Documents/Downey_DDG1000_4-17-13.pdf.

107 an integrated power system: Greg Szepe, “The DDG-1000 Zumwalt Integrated Power System’s Unique Indirect Logical Interfaces with Weapon and Sensor Systems. An Instantiation of a Federated Ship Controls Architecture,” American Society of Naval Engineers, June 4, 2010, accessed August 20, 2014, https://www.navalengineers.org/sitecollectiondocuments/2010%20proceedings%20documents/emts%202010%20proceedings/papers/thursday/emts10_2_21.pdf.

108 seven billion dollars each: “Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) Summary Tables,” Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Department of Defense, December 2013, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.acq.osd.mil/ara/sar/SST-2013-12.pdf.

109 “used a NAVSEA selection algorithm”: “NAVSEA Naval Sea Systems Command,” U.S. Navy, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.navsea.navy.mil/default.aspx.

110 four IEDs detonated: Peter W. Singer, “The Evolution of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs),” Armed Forces Journal, February 2012, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.brookings.edu/research/articles/2012/02/improvised-explosive-devices-singer.

111 flash-bang grenade: Marshall Brain, “How Flashbang Grenades (AKA Percussion Grenades or Stun Grenades) Work,” How Stuff Works, February 23, 2011, accessed August 20, 2014, http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/brainstuff/how-flashbang-grenades-aka-percussion-grenades-work/.

112 the renowned artists: “About,” Christo and Jeanne-Claude, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.christojeanneclaude.net.

112 a train of iRobot Majordomos: “Robots for Defense and Security,” iRobot, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.irobot.com/us/learn/defense.aspx; fictional robot.

115 “space-based underwater detection”: Mackenzie Eaglen and Jon Rodeback, “Submarine Arms Race in the Pacific: The Chinese Challenge to U.S. Undersea Supremacy,” Heritage Foundation, February 2, 2012, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2010/02/submarine-arms-race-in-the-pacific-the-chinese-challenge-to-us-undersea-supremacy#_ftn9.

115 “low-level Cherenkov rays”: John Millis, “Cherenkov Radiation: The Physics of Gamma-Ray Astronomy,” About.com, accessed January 5, 2013, http://space.about.com/od/astronomytools/a/Cherenkov-Radiation.htm.

118 the UCLA alma mater song: “The Den Traditions,” UCLA Bruins, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.uclabruins.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=208268269.

119 president of the Naval War College: “About,” U.S. Naval War College, accessed August 20, 2014, https://www.usnwc.edu/About.aspx.

120 the congressional inquiries that had decimated the senior ranks: “Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack (Pearl Harbor Committee),” U.S. Senate, accessed August 20, 2014, https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/investigations/PearlHarbor.htm.

121 “the vertical launch cells”: Kris Osborn, “Navy Upgrades Vertical Launch Systems,” DefenseTech.org, July 2, 2014, accessed August 20, 2014, http://defensetech.org/2014/07/02/navy-upgrades-vertical-launch-systems/.

122 known as the Metal Storm: Tyler Rogoway, “The Seven Deadliest Naval Close-In Weapon Systems,” Foxtrot Alpha (blog), Jalopnik.com, April 27, 2014, accessed August 20, 2014, http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-seven-deadliest-naval-close-in-weapon-systems-1568291678.

123 “from the Dahlgren facility”: “About NSWC Dahlgren,” U.S. Navy, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.navsea.navy.mil/nswc/dahlgren/default.aspx.

123 rail gun represented a break point: Spencer Ackerman, “Video: Navy Fires Off Its New Weaponized Railgun,” Danger Room (blog), Wired, February 28, 2012, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.wired.com/2012/02/railgun-real-gun/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%253A+WiredDangerRoom+%2528Blog+-+Danger+Room%2529.

123 called a Lorentz force: “Railgun Physics,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology, accessed August 20, 2014, http://web.mit.edu/mouser/www/railgun/physics.html.

126 The original Tank: “The JCS Conference Room: ‘The Tank,’ ” Defense Technical Information Center, Department of Defense, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/doctrine/history/jcspart5.pdf.

126 Florida subcontractor: Fictional characters were inspired by actual events; see Guy Lawson, “The Stoner Arms Dealers: How Two American Kids Became Big-Time Weapons Traders,” Rolling Stone, http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-stoner-arms-dealers-20110316.

128 “A sonic boom”: Esther Inglis-Arkell, “Cherenkov Radiation Is a Sonic Boom for Light,” iO9.com, September 29, 2012, accessed August 26, 2014, http://io9.com/5947197/cherenkov-radiation-is-a-sonic-boom-for-light.

130 their golden hour to save a life: Chris Willis, “After the Battle: The Golden Hour,” U.S. Air Force, March 14, 2013, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.bagram.afcent.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123340100.

131 These nearly undetectable vehicles: “Converting Wave Motion to Propulsion,” Liquid Robotics, accessed August 20, 2014, http://liquidr.com/technology/waveglider/how-it-works.html.

131 Great Pacific Garbage Patch: “Marine Debris: Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, August 20, 2014, accessed August 20, 2014, http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html.

132 United Kingdom’s new red-and-white flag: Matt Ford, “Will This Be the U.K.’s New Flag?” Atlantic, March 5, 2014, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/03/will-this-be-the-uks-new-flag/284234/.

133 flailed at each other: Francis Fukuyama, “America in Decay: The Sources of Political Dysfunction,” Foreign Affairs (September/October 2014), accessed August 21, 2014, http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/141729/francis-fukuyama/america-in-decay.

134 “ ‘To secure ourselves’ ”: Sun-Tzu, Sun Tzu on the Art of War, trans. Lionel Giles.

135 “Our Weibo micro-blog”: Sign-up page, Weibo, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.weibo.com/signup/mobile.php?lang=en-us.

136 “a very messy manner”: John J. Mearsheimer, The Tragedy of Great Power Politics (New York: W. W. Norton, 2001).

138 Sandy Beach Park: “Sandy Beach Park,” Hawaii Beach Safety, accessed August 20, 2014, http://oceansafety.ancl.hawaii.edu/v/2.0/?i=oahu&shid=4&bch=sandy. The beach is known as one of the most dangerous surf spots on Oahu.

140 787-9 executive jet: “787 Dreamliner: Fact Sheet,” Boeing, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.boeing.com/boeing/commercial/787family/787-9prod.page.

140 the Studio 54 nightclub: Sean O’Hare, “Inside Studio 54: Fascinating Photographs Reveal What Stars Really Got Up to in World’s Most Famous Nightclub,” Mail Online, January 17, 2013, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2263800/The-crazy-antics-Studio-54-revealed — pictures-just-stars-got-legendary-New-York-nightclub.html.

140 “A letter of marque”: “Marque and Reprisal,” Heritage Foundation, accessed August 20, 2014, http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/articles/1/essays/50/marque-and-reprisal. Also see Captures Clause.