As read by the author, Vectors: Heroes, Villains, and Heartbreak on the Bridge of the U.S. Navy is an Amazon number one best seller that details the true story of Secretary Thomas Modly's tenure as Under and Acting Secretary of the Navy during the Trump Administration.

Secretary Modly had an eclectic career in the military, academia, business, and government when he answered the call to service in 2017 and returned to the navy where his career began. His experience, as chronicled by him in this audiobook, tells the story of Secretary Modly’s quest to advance the United States Department of the Navy’s preparedness for the challenges of this century. As Acting Secretary of the Navy, he held fast to the mantra of “acting, not pretending,” and thus advocated aggressively for the navy and marine corps’ future—a future he believed would be defined by uncertainty and unpredictability.

Every Friday, he wrote a personal message to the entire department, regardless of rank. Those messages were called SECNAV Vectors. Each Vector was intended to clearly communicate his priorities and to establish a rapport with all levels of the organization. The subject of each Vector was inspired by ongoing events that occurred in real time. As these events unfolded, the secretary’s unyielding emphasis on being prepared for the unpredictable was proven to be prescient as the navy found itself, unintentionally, in the center of the Covid-19 crisis.

The stories he uses to weave together the audiobook's narrative are fascinating and enlightening. The lessons he learned, and honestly describes, are both meaningful and profound.