Battle of Midway Still Influences Navy Forward Presence in Pacific Says Panel

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Navy History and Heritage Command (NHHC) in partnership with the Navy's Chief of Information (CHINFO) provided a unique and thought-provoking look on June 3 into the Battle of Midway, a turning point for the Allies during WWII.

NHHC hosted an interactive panel of historians and military personnel to discuss the significance of the battle and the Navy's role in the Pacific today.

Hundreds of naval history enthusiasts joined the panel online through the Navy's online resource Google+ Hangout. The panel was also broadcast throughout the Pentagon television system on NavyTV, and will be rebroadcast there each day of the Battle of Midway commemoration week. The panel is also available at the Navy's YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/usnavy.

The discussion commemorated the Navy's participation in the Battle of Midway, and discussed how naval capability in the Pacific matters today to the nation's interests. This June marks the 71st anniversary of the Navy and the nation's the critical battle. The Battle of Midway took place June 4-7, 1942, where U.S. Navy carrier strike forces prevented the Japanese from capturing control of Midway Island in the Pacific. The victory proved to be a pivotal point of World War II and the U.S. Navy took the initiative following the battle.

The Panel, moderated by NHHC historian Timothy Francis (PhD), included historians, authors, naval strategy leadership and a representative from the USS Midway museum ship. The panellists included Capt. Jeff Wolstenholme, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations Navy Policy and Global Posture Branch Head, Thomas Hone (PhD), editor of "The Battle of Midway: The Naval Institute Guide to the U.S. Navy's Greatest Victory," Robert Cressman, NHHC WWII historian, and a remote panellist from USS Midway Museum in San Diego, Calif., Karl Zingheim, USS Midway Museum historian.

First the panel set the scene for the audience, explaining what led up to that fateful battle.

"The fourth of June the stage is set for an incredible drama," explained Cressman. "The opening act was on 7 Dec. 1941, when the Japanese deployed six aircraft carriers to hit one target. Our Navy had only ever used two at any one time in maneuvers, it had never operated them in combat. Providentially none of the three U.S. carriers that in the Pacific were at Pearl Harbor, when the blow fell like a thunderclap from the clear blue sky."

Discussion turned to Midway, the pivotal battle a few short months later.

"The Battle of Midway has several major strategic effects," Hone said, explaining that it confirmed the president promise to help Europe first. "It led to the invasion of North Africa in Nov. 1942, then to Italy and then to France. The [American] public felt relief. Remember that, in Feb. 1942, the president signed an executive order creating "keep out" zones in the west coast for people of Japanese - American descent. People were taken out of their homes and put into detention camps because there was a fear that the Japanese navy would attack the west coast and there would be support from inside of the United States. The Battle of Midway shut that down."

The panel went on to explore how the Battle of Midway and the U.S. presence in the Pacific still resonates today. Operating forward in the Pacific today has been reinforced in the nation's strategy, as the Navy shifts it focus to the Pacific. Wolstenholme commended the training that the Sailors during WWII enjoyed, and said that he believes the Navy would never see a battle quite like Midway again, but there were some valuable lessons to be learned from it, especially connecting with ally nations.

"With this focus to the Pacific, this is a very exciting time to be in the Navy," said Wolstenholme. "It's a very maritime shift. Even though the Navy has always been globally present, the focus in the last ten years has been on more ground operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. As we move away from those types of operations and shift our focus to the Pacific, you are going to find it is very maritime oriented and it will be the Navy at the forefront providing leadership. Understanding the importance of the Asian Pacific that we have been talking about throughout this panel - it is critical today that we are there, and we are supporting both our friends and allies, through presence, operations and exercises, and expanding and ensuring partnerships throughout the region. Are we putting more ships overseas or deploying over there? We are always evaluating the environment and there is potential that we could move more over there."

Wolstenholme went on to talk about the importance and potential of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), operating near Singapore, in meeting future challenges in the Pacific. He used the ship's modular design as a discussion point about how technology in ship design has changed. The LCS allows the Navy to more readily adapt its combat suit to mission capabilities thanks to its modular design. He indicated the USS Freedom (LCS 1) is currently testing and exploring its capabilities in its Pacific operations.

The panel reminded audience members that history should serve to inform our current and planned actions.

"I think history is not just a good read," Cressman said. "It's got to be relevant to what is going on today. I think the important thing to remember is that when our country is faced with a formidable enemy that American Sailors rise to the challenge."

The panel discussion was part of the U.S. Navy's commemoration of the Battle of Midway. An annual event, the commemoration is an opportunity for Sailors, past and present, to pause and reflect on the historic significance of the battle and how is continues to shape our Navy today.

For more information about the Battle of Midway visit http://www.history.navy.mil/Midway/midwaybattle-index.htm or use #Midway <https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Midway&src=hash> to join the conversation on social media about Navy's most historic victory.

For more news from Naval History and Heritage Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/navhist/.