Rereading OBS in context of...

Queen Elizebeth is just a few years younger than Honor Harrington and Mike Henke.

Queen Elizebeth knows far more about the weapons technology that will become available to the RMN than even Admiral Whitehaven.

Puts the intraservice squabbles in perspective.

TFLYTSNBN wrote:Queen Elizebeth is just a few years younger than Honor Harrington and Mike Henke.

Queen Elizebeth knows far more about the weapons technology that will become available to the RMN than even Admiral Whitehaven.

Puts the intraservice squabbles in perspective.

She has always impressed me in that regard. She's not an idiot when it comes to the navy and understanding its capabilities. I wonder how much navy shop she has talked with Honor. But then, King Roger and many others in the House of Winton are navy savvy.

Can there be an effective ruler who doesn't understand the ins-and-outs of the navy?

cthia wrote:
Can there be an effective ruler who doesn't understand the ins-and-outs of the navy?

Not a bad question. Presumably in times of peace, understanding, say, Fiscal Policy and the nature of Interstellar Trade, How to Do Diplomacy, or How Government Budgets Work are more valuable than an intimate knowledge of weaponry. You might even rely on an entire professional set of people to evaluate the practicality of when and how you use force.

For a nation that has been at war for twenty years?

I forget who it was, but as someone was repudiating Clausewitz, they mentioned that in limited war, the war serves the policies of the government. In total war, the government serves the policies of the war.

In other words, the Monarch would probably just drift off into a ceremonial role if she wasn’t an active contributor.

We remember Nelson and Wellington. We remember Napoleon and Davout. Not many people care to hear about George III.

The most critical skill for an executive is to choose subordinates wisely. You both cannot be and don't need to be an expert in all the things that are needed to run a large organization. What you need to do is find and employ effectively people who both have those skills and are trustworthy. And figure out when they are not effective or no longer working in your interest and replace them as needed in minimally disruptive ways.

You probably don't want as your senior national security advisor someone whose qualifications were described by a sympathetic observer as: "His lack of conventional real-world experience of the kind that normally precedes responsibility for the fate of nations — like military or diplomatic service, or even a master’s degree in international relations, rather than creative writing — is still startling.”

So no, the queen shouldn't, to choose a quote from some guy who was 'a Lightworker, that rare kind of attuned being', to "think that I’m a better speechwriter than my speechwriters. I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I’ll tell you right now that I’m gonna think I’m a better political director than my political director.”

She is choosing the most qualified few people from 3 billion people, people who have devoted a lifetime to deeply understanding a subject. This expert is unlikely to be herself.

kzt wrote:The most critical skill for an executive is to choose subordinates wisely. You both cannot be and don't need to be an expert in all the things that are needed to run a large organization. What you need to do is find and employ effectively people who both have those skills and are trustworthy. And figure out when they are not effective or no longer working in your interest and replace them as needed in minimally disruptive ways.

You probably don't want as your senior national security advisor someone whose qualifications were described by a sympathetic observer as: "His lack of conventional real-world experience of the kind that normally precedes responsibility for the fate of nations — like military or diplomatic service, or even a master’s degree in international relations, rather than creative writing — is still startling.”

So no, the queen shouldn't, to choose a quote from some guy who was 'a Lightworker, that rare kind of attuned being', to "think that I’m a better speechwriter than my speechwriters. I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I’ll tell you right now that I’m gonna think I’m a better political director than my political director.”

She is choosing the most qualified few people from 3 billion people, people who have devoted a lifetime to deeply understanding a subject. This expert is unlikely to be herself.

Careful. You will start a Flame War of epic proportions, that is if any of these people figure out who you are quoting.

My impression from HOUSE OF STEEL is that Queen Elizebeth has a knowledge level equivalent to not only knowing about the Manhatten program but having a reasonably good understanding of how and why nuclear weapons work, how the gas diffusion isotope seperation and Plutonium breeder reactor work, and what the predicted weapons effects are. Queen Elizebeth knows all of this prior to not just WW2 but before the Einstein letter to FDR.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein% ... 1rd_letter

Queen Elizebeth not only knows all of this about the nuke program, she knows about jet engine development (actually British), rocket development (German transplanted to America?) and the prospects for nuclear propulsion for surface ships as well submarines. Queen Elizebeth is cognizant of all of this game changing technology during the Honorverse equivalent of the invasions of Poland and France, the Battle of Britain, Pearl Harbor, the Africa campaign, the battles of Coral Sea and Midway, the Italy campaign, the Normandy landings and The Battle of the Bulge. Queen Elizebeth knows all of this while Adm Nimitz, Adm Halsey, General Patton, General Eisenhower and General Bradley remain oblivious to the new weapons technologies that are in the pipeline while they wage desperate battles.

Queen Elizebeth is thoroughly cognizant of the impending introduction of missile pods, multidrive missiles, SD(P)s, super LACs, CLACs and probably even Apollo at a time when Captain Harrington and Commander Henke are employing the new missile pod prototypes in a desperate battle during TSVW. Queen Elizebeth is cognizant of all of this but says nothing to Honor Harrington when Honor is exiled to Silesia with a squadron of Q-ships that are actually conceptual testbeds for the new SD(P)s that are being designed.

Queen Elizebeth is no doubt cognizant of the strategic timing of release of technology from project Graham to Horrible Hemphil's Weapons Development Board. (I am of course aluding to THE STRATEGY OF TECHNOLOGY by Pournelle and Posony). I suspect that the introduction of Apollo was intentionally delayed during the internegum of WAR of HONOR so as to not reveal the technology to Haven at a time when it could not be employed to decively defeat Haven. How much you bet that Queen Elizebeth was largely responsible for that Grand Strategy of Technology?

The bottom line here is that while HOUSE OF STEEL was not a particularly dramatic story (except the final scene when Elizebeth goes to the chapel), it provides background and insight into just how profoundly important Queen Elizebeth is as a leader. This is awe inspiring.

TFLYTSNBN wrote:My impression from HOUSE OF STEEL is that Queen Elizebeth has a knowledge level equivalent to not only knowing about the Manhatten program but having a reasonably good understanding of how and why nuclear weapons work, how the gas diffusion isotope seperation and Plutonium breeder reactor work, and what the predicted weapons effects are. Queen Elizebeth knows all of this prior to not just WW2 but before the Einstein letter to FDR.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein% ... 1rd_letter

Queen Elizebeth not only knows all of this about the nuke program, she knows about jet engine development (actually British), rocket development (German transplanted to America?) and the prospects for nuclear propulsion for surface ships as well submarines. Queen Elizebeth is cognizant of all of this game changing technology during the Honorverse equivalent of the invasions of Poland and France, the Battle of Britain, Pearl Harbor, the Africa campaign, the battles of Coral Sea and Midway, the Italy campaign, the Normandy landings and The Battle of the Bulge. Queen Elizebeth knows all of this while Adm Nimitz, Adm Halsey, General Patton, General Eisenhower and General Bradley remain oblivious to the new weapons technologies that are in the pipeline while they wage desperate battles.

Queen Elizebeth is thoroughly cognizant of the impending introduction of missile pods, multidrive missiles, SD(P)s, super LACs, CLACs and probably even Apollo at a time when Captain Harrington and Commander Henke are employing the new missile pod prototypes in a desperate battle during TSVW. Queen Elizebeth is cognizant of all of this but says nothing to Honor Harrington when Honor is exiled to Silesia with a squadron of Q-ships that are actually conceptual testbeds for the new SD(P)s that are being designed.

Queen Elizebeth is no doubt cognizant of the strategic timing of release of technology from project Graham to Horrible Hemphil's Weapons Development Board. (I am of course aluding to THE STRATEGY OF TECHNOLOGY by Pournelle and Posony). I suspect that the introduction of Apollo was intentionally delayed during the internegum of WAR of HONOR so as to not reveal the technology to Haven at a time when it could not be employed to decively defeat Haven. How much you bet that Queen Elizebeth was largely responsible for that Grand Strategy of Technology?

However much you bet, you'll win . . . with the proviso that she was working out the implementation of and constantly updating a strategic concept she learned, literally, at her father's knee. And if you'll look carefully at HOS, although Roger had no idea he was going to die so young, he was carefully training her to become queen --- and understand exactly what Gram was about and why it was so critical --- before she was in high school! And he also taught her to rely on her uncle to complete her postgraduate education in How to Survive Against Haven and Kick Its Butt 601.

Do you guys have any idea how glad I was to finally get Roger's story told? Or how hard it's been for me to keep my mouth shut about things Elizabeth knew for the last 20 damned years?!

TFLYTSNBN wrote:The bottom line here is that while HOUSE OF STEEL was not a particularly dramatic story (except the final scene when Elizebeth goes to the chapel), it provides background and insight into just how profoundly important Queen Elizebeth is as a leader. This is awe inspiring.

runsforcelery wrote:

TFLYTSNBN wrote:My impression from HOUSE OF STEEL is that Queen Elizebeth has a knowledge level equivalent to not only knowing about the Manhatten program but having a reasonably good understanding of how and why nuclear weapons work, how the gas diffusion isotope seperation and Plutonium breeder reactor work, and what the predicted weapons effects are. Queen Elizebeth knows all of this prior to not just WW2 but before the Einstein letter to FDR.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein% ... 1rd_letter

Queen Elizebeth not only knows all of this about the nuke program, she knows about jet engine development (actually British), rocket development (German transplanted to America?) and the prospects for nuclear propulsion for surface ships as well submarines. Queen Elizebeth is cognizant of all of this game changing technology during the Honorverse equivalent of the invasions of Poland and France, the Battle of Britain, Pearl Harbor, the Africa campaign, the battles of Coral Sea and Midway, the Italy campaign, the Normandy landings and The Battle of the Bulge. Queen Elizebeth knows all of this while Adm Nimitz, Adm Halsey, General Patton, General Eisenhower and General Bradley remain oblivious to the new weapons technologies that are in the pipeline while they wage desperate battles.

Queen Elizebeth is thoroughly cognizant of the impending introduction of missile pods, multidrive missiles, SD(P)s, super LACs, CLACs and probably even Apollo at a time when Captain Harrington and Commander Henke are employing the new missile pod prototypes in a desperate battle during TSVW. Queen Elizebeth is cognizant of all of this but says nothing to Honor Harrington when Honor is exiled to Silesia with a squadron of Q-ships that are actually conceptual testbeds for the new SD(P)s that are being designed.

Queen Elizebeth is no doubt cognizant of the strategic timing of release of technology from project Graham to Horrible Hemphil's Weapons Development Board. (I am of course aluding to THE STRATEGY OF TECHNOLOGY by Pournelle and Posony). I suspect that the introduction of Apollo was intentionally delayed during the internegum of WAR of HONOR so as to not reveal the technology to Haven at a time when it could not be employed to decively defeat Haven. How much you bet that Queen Elizebeth was largely responsible for that Grand Strategy of Technology?

However much you bet, you'll win . . . with the proviso that she was working out the implementation of and constantly updating a strategic concept she learned, literally, at her father's knee. And if you'll look carefully at HOS, although Roger had no idea he was going to die so young, he was carefully training her to become queen --- and understand exactly what Gram was about and why it was so critical --- before she was in high school! And he also taught her to rely on her uncle to complete her postgraduate education in How to Survive Against Haven and Kick Its Butt 601.

Do you guys have any idea how glad I was to finally get Roger's story told? Or how hard it's been for me to keep my mouth shut about things Elizabeth knew for the last 20 damned years?!

TFLYTSNBN wrote:The bottom line here is that while HOUSE OF STEEL was not a particularly dramatic story (except the final scene when Elizebeth goes to the chapel), it provides background and insight into just how profoundly important Queen Elizebeth is as a leader. This is awe inspiring.

All of my bets were wagered with the understanding that while Elizebeth had an excellent understanding of the basic technologies, the details of implementation were constantly evolving. No doubt designs for the SD(P) concept were not finalized until Admiral​ Sarnoaw, Captain Harrington and Commander Henke had validated the missile pod in TSVW.

While King Roger was an incredible leader, Queen Elizabeth eclipses him because she had to endure the trauma of her father's murder and begin governing while barely out of High School. The politics of appointing a regent obscures the reality that the Reagent no doubt deferred to the judgement of the Queen in almost all matters because she had been taught at her father's knee since adolescence.

Elizabeth is such​ an awesome character that she can be forgiven for her volcanic temper. (I certainly can't fault her. I once threatened to avulse an attorney's head after he incited his client for shooting at my son. It was no idle threat. I routinely dismember and decapitate bull elk without a bone saw.)

Elizebeth is not only an awesome stateswoman and grand strategist, she is a Wendy Williams look alike.

TFLYTSNBN wrote:

Careful. You will start a Flame War of epic proportions, that is if any of these people figure out who you are quoting.

Are you referring to a certain self-proclaimed dog-eater?

Richard Branson said in a TV interview I saw, words to the effect of "I have one particular skill, that of picking competent and trustworthy experts in a multitude of fields to work for me".
No one can be an expert in the fine detail across many disciplines, but the should be able pick good people, and to personally know these disciplines sufficiently to apply them in a macro sense.