For autonomous ships: IHS Engineering 360’s “Unmanned Anti-Submarine Vessel Ready to Set Sail,” Feb. 29, 2016.
The discussion of deterrence is from Joint Publication 3-12, “Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations” (unclassified).
The discussion of BMD was backgrounded by Jonathan Masters, “Your Pocket Guide to How U.S. Missile Defense Works,” Council on Foreign Relations, Aug. 18, 2014. The discussion of the ground-based deterrent is from Robert Spalding and Adam Lowther, “Rethinking the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent,” Breaking Defense, Dec. 29, 2014; also, Amy F. Woolf, U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments, and Issues, Congressional Research Service, March 10, 2016. Also, from an unpublished thesis I did at George Washington University. On the DF-41: “DF-41 (CSS-X-10),” George C. Marshall and Claremont Institutes, Missile Threat, Mar. 22, 2016.
For Chinese empoyment of hackers: Katie Williams, “Chinese National Pleads Guilty to DOD Hacking Conspiracy,” The Hill, Mar. 23, 2016.
For the Army point of view on joint operations: Dennis Steele, “The Hooah Guide to Pacific Land Power,” Army Magazine, Apr. 2013. Also Nicholson and Trevithick, “The Army’s New Role in the Pacific Pivot,” Naval Institute Proceedings, Oct. 2015.
For Oberg’s story, sources about Uighur resistance included Igor Rotar, “The Growing Problem of Uighur Separatism,” China Brief, vol. 4, issue 8, Jamestown Foundation, accessed Nov. 23, 2015. Also Matthew Oresman and Daniel Steingart, “Radical Islamization in Xinjiang — Lessons from Chechnya?” CACI Analyst, July 30, 2003.
For background on helicopter crashes and survival thereof: Mike Hixenbaugh, “Training Gives Helicopter Crews a Shot at Survival,” Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, Aug. 11, 2014. Also NATO RTO AG-341, “Specification d’un respirateur de sauvetage pour aeronefs a voilure fixe et a voilure tournante en mission de survol maritime,” May 2001. For trauma procedures: Dr. Frances Anagnost Williams. For Battle of Lake Erie: “We Have Met the Enemy,” Shipmate, May — June 2012.
For overall help, recognition is due to Charle Ricci and Stacia Childers of the Eastern Shore Public Library; Matthew Stroup and Corey Barker of the Navy Office of Information, East; Mike Hatfield of Expeditionary Strike Group Three; and James DiAngio, Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic. Deep bows to Mark “Dusty” Durstewitz, James W. Neuman, Bill Doughty, John T. Fusselman, and others (they know who they are), both retired and still on active duty, who put in many hours adding additional perspective. If I inadvertently left anyone out who wanted to be named, apologies!
Let me reemphasize that these sources were consulted for the purposes of fiction. The specifics of personalities, tactics, units, and locales are employed as the materials of story, not reportage. Some details have been altered to protect classified capabilities and procedures.
My deepest gratitude goes to George Witte, editor and friend of over three decades, without whom this series would not exist. And Sally Richardson, Ken Silver, Sara Thwaite, Young Jin Lim, Adam Goldberger, Naia Poyer, and Anya Lichtenstein at St. Martin’s/Macmillan. And finally to Lenore Hart, kindest critic, best friend, anchor on lee shores, and my North Star when skies are clear.
As always, all errors and deficiencies are my own.
PREVIOUS BOOKS BY DAVID POYER
Onslaught
Tipping Point
The Cruiser
The Towers
The Crisis
The Weapon
Korea Strait
The Threat
The Command
Black Storm
China Sea
Tomahawk
The Passage
The Circle
The Gulf
The Med
Down to a Sunless Sea
Louisiana Blue
Bahamas Blue
Hatteras Blue
That Anvil of Our Souls
A Country of Our Own
Fire on the Waters
Thunder on the Mountain
As the Wolf Loves Winter
Winter in the Heart
The Dead of Winter
On War and Politics (with Arnold L. Punaro)
The Whiteness of the Whale
Happier Than This Day and Time
Ghosting
The Return of Philo T. McGiffin
The Only Thing to Fear
Stepfather Bank
Star Seed
The Shiloh Project
White Continen
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DAVID POYER’s sea career included service in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Arctic, Caribbean, Pacific, Middle East, and the Pentagon. Hunter Killer is the seventeenth in his widely popular series featuring Captain Dan Lenson. Poyer’s work has been required reading in the Literature of the Sea course at the U.S. Naval Academy, along with that of Joseph Conrad and Herman Melville. He teaches at Wilkes University, and lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.