Historical Dictionary of Naval Intelligence: (Historical Dictionaries of Intelligence and Counterintelligence)

Naval intelligence is one of the most vital, and sometimes decisive, forms of intelligence. Over the centuries, and with particular velocity over recent decades, the techniques of detecting and destroying military (and commercial) shipping have improved, leapfrogging the equally frantic race to keep ahead of them and safeguard the huge investments involved. Today the new challenges range from an increasingly aggressive strategy adopted by Pyongyang's submarine fleet and the exclusion of illegal immigrants heading for Australia and southern Europe to the capture of cocaine-laded submarines in the Caribbean and the interdiction of Somali pirates off the Gulf of Aden. Any accurate assessment of the comparative threat these activities pose is just as dependent on good intelligence today as it was to Admiral Lord Nelson in the days of sail. The Historical Dictionary of Naval Intelligence relates the long and fascinating history of naval intelligence through a chronology, an introduction, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on the organizations, operations, and events that made Naval intelligence what it is today.

About the Author :
Nigel West is currently the European Editor of the International Journal of Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence and teaches the history of postwar intelligence at the Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies in Alexandria, VA. He is the author of many books, including the Historical Dictionary of British Intelligence (Scarecrow, 2005), Historical Dictionary of International Intelligence (Scarecrow, 2006), Historical Dictionary of Cold War Counterintelligence (Scarecrow, 2007), and Historical Dictionary of Sexspionage (Scarecrow, 2009). In October 2003 he was awarded the U.S. Association of Former Intelligence Officers' first Lifetime Literature Achievement Award.

Review :
An excellent resource and is highly recommended. Readers will find in these pages many striking examples of the use of naval intelligence which would have been unknown until recently....This dictionary will inform the general reader about many important and obscure aspects of twentieth-century naval affairs. This historical dictionary is hence of immense value; its importance cannot be overstated. The dictionary is most comprehensive and covers many topics with which I was unaware, on U.S., British, and German naval intelligence. . .An excellent bibliography on naval intelligence is offered. . .This is the first dictionary devoted solely to naval intelligence. . .The historical dictionary covers subjects not covered anywhere else and is not redundant with any other reference sources. . .The historical dictionary is a most interesting read of a very important and timely subject. It identifies numerous items on naval intelligence.