Rethinking Maritime Strategy: a New Approach for a More Complex Maritime Environment

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I don’t believe there is any incongruity by not specifically mentioning the CoComs in these discussions. Ultimately the Navy is responsible to assess our core competencies and provide the most relevant capabilities to the Combatant Commanders. I do think that the CoComs need to have significant input to the process (and, as I recall from earlier discussions by VADM Morgan they are) but this strategy needs to address overall national strategic interests, and not specific, and perhaps shifting, goals at the operational level.

Also, just thinking “Joint” may not allow us to address the Navy’s broader role to the country. We need to better address how we as a DoD service support overall national goals and missions, and specifically consider how we operate and support other interagency organizations including, perhaps most importantly our interface with the USCG and State Department. From there, what is the Navy’s role in supporting a never ending list of other US Government agencies, NGO’s and IGO’s when conducting non-traditional missions such as tsunami or hurricane relief, Sea Shaping, Piracy Suppression, counter-proliferation, etc, etc.

Also wanted to reiterate Mr. Bushnell’s comment recommending that “FAR MORE Consideration should be paid to the emerging capabilities of the "Enemy After Next.” I believe that most of our Navy planning, especially on the acquisition side, tends to be based on a very limited number of scenarios, unlikely to occur in the relatively symmetric manner in which we consider them, focus little on non-state actors, and not at all on non-man threats. Thus my push to consider what roles the Navy (along with USMC and USCG) have to support overall US interests above and beyond our traditional Naval Warfare concepts.

Posted by Nathan A. Miller on 1/4/2007 10:07:51 AM


You may note that nowhere is the role of the Combatant Commander mentioned here. I may have missed something in a section I havn't yet seen but what I have looked at, but from what I have seen, work here doesn't look very "joint" - which is not how our military is legally structured to conduct the full range of military operations (maritime is one of those parts). I don't have answers to how a Maritime Strategy fits into Joint Warfare but seems to me the joint piece can't be ignored.

Posted by Douglas Edson on 12/16/2006 10:40:30 AM


1. The immense and multitudinous emerging CONUS Littoral threats and vulnerabilities requires serious monitoring and defense of the U.S. Coastlines.Among the most serious threats are Autonomous UUV's...The Coast Guard is not equipped to "do this" and the Navy has, heretofore, not signed up for this mission.Requires distributed multi-physics sensor nets to obviate false alarms.

2.Surface ships are,going forward, ever more easily targeted using the evolving global sensor grid and, once targeted, ever more easily attrited.It will become increasingly necessary to "Submerge the Navy", a conclusion long identified in 20XX studies.

3. The increasing vulnerabilities of short range fighters etc. and their platforms will accelerate an ongoing shift toward swimout missile munitions launched from submerged survivable platforms [vice conventional Aircraft Carriers/fighter Aircraft].

FAR MORE Consideration should be paid to the emerging capabilities of the "Enemy After Next" and consequent impacts upon threat and vulnerability, especially of/for surface platforms.

Posted by Dennis Bushnell on 12/15/2006 9:59:38 PM


Given the challenges and threats of an evolving strategic environment, what should the nation expect the Navy’s contribution to be toward ensuring national security?
The maritime forces, including the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps, of the Unites States exist in order to flexibly support all elements of national power and the execution of national policy by:

1. Contributing Globally in Maintaining Stability in the Global Littoral and Maritime Regions
2. Projecting Soft and Hard Power Globally
3. Contributing to the Strategic Defense of the Homeland

By contributing globally and collaborating regionally in the maintenance of stability in the global littoral and maritime regions, maritime forces support the long term viability of US and allied economies by ensuring:

-- Rapid, safe and controlled movement of commerce
-- Suppression and deterrence of criminal acts such as piracy and terrorism and illicit movement of cargos, people or weapons
-- Protection and control of natural resources and environments
Maritime forces project power globally, consisting of scalable hard and soft power as required to support all elements of national power by,

-- Providing persistent and flexible presence from secure and mobile operating areas
-- Transporting military resources over the seas and into littoral regions
-- Transporting resources and supporting humanitarian and stability efforts over the seas and into littoral regions (both globally and domestically as required)
-- Provide scalable focused effects and support from Presence through Major Combat Operations

Contribution to the Strategic Defense of the Homeland is made by,

-- Defending strategically important resources outside the continental United States
-- Defending strategic maritime approaches to the United States and her possessions
-- Contributing to the strategic nuclear deterrence posture of the United States
-- Providing forward defense against ballistic missiles and potential airborne threats

Posted by Nathan A. Miller on 12/14/2006 12:08:45 PM

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