No, you don’t want to put up Halloween decorations this afternoon, you want to continue to avoid it until the last minute…and instead listen to the Midrats Podcast!

Summary

Sal and Mark use the Battle of Leyte Gulf as a springboard to discuss modern naval power, industrial capacity, and what it takes to sustain a fleet in a long war. They connect World War II lessons to current questions about Taiwan, WESTPAC operations, auxiliary ships, and the need to harden U.S. military infrastructure against disruption. Leyte Gulf is an example of why depth, logistics, repair capacity, and industrial preparation matter more than a single battle narrative. They also break down current debates about Taiwan deterrence, maritime supply chains, unmanned systems, and the vulnerability of U.S. bases and support ships.

Show Links

• Sal Mercogliano’s, What’s Going on With Shipping podcast: The Battle of Leyte Gulf: Logistics and What Ifs?
• Strategic Ambiguity Isn’t Perfect, but It Remains Washington’s Best Bet, by Brent Sadler and Allen Zheng at Heritage, Strategic Ambiguity Isn’t Perfect, but It Remains Washington’s Best Bet
• National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (AKA Empire State Class)
• General Dynamics’s Destroyer Tender proposal.
• Ghost Shark goes drone carrier
• USMC stand up first medium missile battalion

Key topics

• In this episode: why the Battle of Leyte Gulf is still a masterclass in maritime power, industrial depth, and strategic endurance
• The role of repair ships, floating dry docks, tenders, and mobile bases in keeping the fleet in the fight
• How U.S. shipbuilding and industrial mobilization before 1941 shaped the outcome of the Pacific war
• Why mass, attrition, and replacement capacity mattered at Leyte Gulf - and still matter in a future Pacific war
• Brent Sadler’s response to arguments for abandoning Taiwan, and why strategic ambiguity remains central
• The risk of signaling allies that the U.S. would not defend Taiwan, and the broader consequences for Japan, Australia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Europe
• Taiwan’s role in global shipping lanes and semiconductor supply chains, including the claim that a disruption could cut the U.S. economy by trillions
• Shortfalls in current U.S. maritime support forces - including tenders, dry docks, hospital ships, aviation support ships, and mariner manpower
• Proposals to adapt the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel line into auxiliary variants for tenders, hospital ships, and support roles
• The case for arming auxiliaries and merchant ships for self-defense.
• Unmanned and autonomous systems in the maritime fight - from “Loyal Escort” concepts to ghost-shark style undersea launch platforms
• The Fortress initiative to prepare military bases to operate for 90 days without outside support, and...